THE BRIDGE

tag amazon japan

Amazon Japan launches new storefront to better serve women

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Today Amazon Japan launched a storefront focused on females, dubbed ‘Amazon Woman’ (amazon.co.jp/woman), catering to women and mothers specifically. According to CNet Japan (Japanese), it’s the first time that Amazon Japan had a project team driven by a core of female employees. The site will focus on fashions, cosmetics, food, lifestyle goods, etc, with over 6000 items currently listed. While women may not be treated so fairly in Japan, many internet companies in the country are starting to realize the opportunities in providing custom services to women. Even here at The Bridge we have a special category dedicated to women on our Japanese site. CNet Japan

amazon-women

Today Amazon Japan launched a storefront focused on females, dubbed ‘Amazon Woman’ (amazon.co.jp/woman), catering to women and mothers specifically. According to CNet Japan (Japanese), it’s the first time that Amazon Japan had a project team driven by a core of female employees. The site will focus on fashions, cosmetics, food, lifestyle goods, etc, with over 6000 items currently listed.

While women may not be treated so fairly in Japan, many internet companies in the country are starting to realize the opportunities in providing custom services to women. Even here at The Bridge we have a special category dedicated to women on our Japanese site.

CNet Japan

Second anniversary of 2011 Japan earthquake remembered online

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Today marks the two-year anniversary of the tragic March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and on the internet a number of organizations in Japan are marking the occasion with some form of remembrance. Over on Yahoo Japan, there’s a extensive interactive display that presents general information about the disaster, some stunning photos of the aftermath, plus profiles and interviews of folks involved in the recovery effort. Amazon Japan is also pitching in by selling local foods from the affected areas as well as books [1] about the natural disaster. There’s also a Japan earthquake wishlist where you can buy goods needed by local organization, such as books for libraries, for example. Amazon was especially supportive of the recovery effort back in 2011, bringing a number of jobs to Sendai with a call center there. Softbank also has a page set up to highlight various reconstruction efforts, including its own Tomodachi program which we wrote about last month. The company’s CEO Masayoshi Son contributed the sum of 10 billion yen (over $100 million) to help the relief effort in the month after the earthquake back in 2011. As we me mentioned last week, some other organizations are making an effort or digitally…

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the tragic March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and on the internet a number of organizations in Japan are marking the occasion with some form of remembrance.

Over on Yahoo Japan, there’s a extensive interactive display that presents general information about the disaster, some stunning photos of the aftermath, plus profiles and interviews of folks involved in the recovery effort.

Amazon Japan is also pitching in by selling local foods from the affected areas as well as books [1] about the natural disaster. There’s also a Japan earthquake wishlist where you can buy goods needed by local organization, such as books for libraries, for example. Amazon was especially supportive of the recovery effort back in 2011, bringing a number of jobs to Sendai with a call center there.

Yahoo Japan's earthquake commemoration
Yahoo Japan’s earthquake commemoration
Amazon Wishlist
Amazon Wishlist

Softbank also has a page set up to highlight various reconstruction efforts, including its own Tomodachi program which we wrote about last month. The company’s CEO Masayoshi Son contributed the sum of 10 billion yen (over $100 million) to help the relief effort in the month after the earthquake back in 2011.

As we me mentioned last week, some other organizations are making an effort or digitally archive memories of the disaster, including the newly opened NDL archive which collects important photos, video, and other information. Google’s archival work – particularly its ‘Memories for the Future’ website – perhaps stands out above all other efforts, as its work has been pretty continuous in the two years since the quake.

Of course, while remembrance is important, Japanese broadcaster NHK reminds us that many people in affected areas are still struggling with recovery. As you can see in its infographic below, their survey indicates that there is still a lot of work to do, not only in terms of repairing physical damage in affected areas, but also in terms of emotional recovery.

Written with contributions from Masaru Ikeda

NHK


  1. For English speaking readers, you might want to check out the e-book Reconstructing 3/11, which is available as a free download today.  ↩

Japanese reality show will ask contestants to live the Amazon life

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TV Tokyo is planning a new reality TV show where contestants will have to create a home life with items they purchase only from Amazon Japan. The show, to be titled Kaiteki! Amazon Seikatsu!, will be aired on March 4th at 1AM in the morning. Contestants stay in a one-room apartment, buying goods from Amazon Japan such as food, goods to help them pass the time, or even furniture. The goal will be to create a home that people would want to visit. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is already doing respectably well in the Japanese market, as its sales for 2012 grew 19% over the previous year to 7.8 billion yen (or about $84 million). That’s good enough to make the country Amazon’s second largest foreign market, just behind Germany. The company is also set to release its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in Japan on March 12, priced at 24,800 yen for the 16GB model ($268), and 29,800 yen ($322) for the 32 GB model. TV Tokyo via Asiajin, Marketzine.jp

amazon-life

TV Tokyo is planning a new reality TV show where contestants will have to create a home life with items they purchase only from Amazon Japan.

The show, to be titled Kaiteki! Amazon Seikatsu!, will be aired on March 4th at 1AM in the morning. Contestants stay in a one-room apartment, buying goods from Amazon Japan such as food, goods to help them pass the time, or even furniture. The goal will be to create a home that people would want to visit.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is already doing respectably well in the Japanese market, as its sales for 2012 grew 19% over the previous year to 7.8 billion yen (or about $84 million). That’s good enough to make the country Amazon’s second largest foreign market, just behind Germany.

The company is also set to release its Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in Japan on March 12, priced at 24,800 yen for the 16GB model ($268), and 29,800 yen ($322) for the 32 GB model.

TV Tokyo via Asiajin, Marketzine.jp