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Google’s Pokemon Challenge would have been awesome on Google Glass

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April Fools is often a very difficult day to spend on the internet. But I usually don’t mind Google’s tricks and web treats, and this year is no exception. Check out their Pokemon Challenge, an update to Google Maps that dares you to catch all 150 Pokemon that have been scattered throughout the world map. I’ve tried playing it for a while, and so far I have caught 22 of the 150 Pokemon, all in the Tokyo area. If you’d like to check it out, make sure you have the newest version of Google Maps on your mobile, hit the search bar, and press start. As I mentioned before in my hypothetical Nintendo product post, something like this would be way better if it were on Google Glass!

pokemon-challenge

April Fools is often a very difficult day to spend on the internet. But I usually don’t mind Google’s tricks and web treats, and this year is no exception. Check out their Pokemon Challenge, an update to Google Maps that dares you to catch all 150 Pokemon that have been scattered throughout the world map.

I’ve tried playing it for a while, and so far I have caught 22 of the 150 Pokemon, all in the Tokyo area. If you’d like to check it out, make sure you have the newest version of Google Maps on your mobile, hit the search bar, and press start.

As I mentioned before in my hypothetical Nintendo product post, something like this would be way better if it were on Google Glass!

Google’s newly acquired robotics company wins DARPA Challenge Trials

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Recently Google acquired Schaft, a Japanese robotics company that grew out of the University of Tokyo. The company won the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials this weekend in Miami, an event aimed at encouraging engineers across the world to develop disaster relief robots, in response to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. During the competition, robots were tested to measure their motor capabilities in eight different tasks like climbing up-and-down a ladder, removing obstacles and debris, and driving a car. 16 teams competed to advance to the 2014 Finals in an effort to win the $2 million grand prize. The Schaft team took top place, beating out tough competitors like IHMC, Carnegie Mellon University, and MIT. The company was launched by humanoid scientists Yuto Nakahishi and Junichi Urata back in 2012. Prior to its acquisition by Google, it was backed by Tokyo-based startup incubator TomyK [1] and Tsuneishi Partners, the investment arm of a leading shipbuilding company in Japan. TomyK is focused on incubating hardware startups, and was launched by Tomihisa Kamada, the inventor of the Japanese feature phone web browser ‘i-mode‘. ↩

suzuki-nakanishi
From the Left: Schaft COO Narito Suzuki, CEO Yuto Nakanishi, and the Schaft robot (from DARPA video)

Recently Google acquired Schaft, a Japanese robotics company that grew out of the University of Tokyo. The company won the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials this weekend in Miami, an event aimed at encouraging engineers across the world to develop disaster relief robots, in response to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

During the competition, robots were tested to measure their motor capabilities in eight different tasks like climbing up-and-down a ladder, removing obstacles and debris, and driving a car. 16 teams competed to advance to the 2014 Finals in an effort to win the $2 million grand prize. The Schaft team took top place, beating out tough competitors like IHMC, Carnegie Mellon University, and MIT.

The company was launched by humanoid scientists Yuto Nakahishi and Junichi Urata back in 2012. Prior to its acquisition by Google, it was backed by Tokyo-based startup incubator TomyK [1] and Tsuneishi Partners, the investment arm of a leading shipbuilding company in Japan.


  1. TomyK is focused on incubating hardware startups, and was launched by Tomihisa Kamada, the inventor of the Japanese feature phone web browser ‘i-mode‘.

The state of online marketing in Japan

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For western companies, entering the Asian market is no easy task. There is the inevitable language barrier, not to mention the cultural differences. We had a chance to talk to Anji Ismail, the CEO of online marketing platform DOZ, in order to hear his thoughts on what makes the Japanese market especially different. For starters, online marketing in Japan is very well-developed. According to a study by Dentsu published in March of this year, online marketing budgets in Japan grew by 107.7% compared to the previous year. Anji adds: Japan is actually the second biggest market with over $8.1 billion in total spending in 2012, and it might reach $11 billion in 2015. Mobile is really hot in Japan, with $1.8 billion spent in 2012, ranking as the second biggest market for mobile advertising expenditures, just behind the US. Although Japanese people are known to open their wallets for digital contents such as mobile apps, games, and newsletters, it turns out that they are not especially keen to click on ads. On the web, it’s interesting to note that almost 40% of Japanese never click on sponsored ads on search engines, and only 6% of those who do have bought…

Tokyo-Shibuya-Simon-le-nippon
Photo: Simon le nippon on Flickr

For western companies, entering the Asian market is no easy task. There is the inevitable language barrier, not to mention the cultural differences. We had a chance to talk to Anji Ismail, the CEO of online marketing platform DOZ, in order to hear his thoughts on what makes the Japanese market especially different.

For starters, online marketing in Japan is very well-developed. According to a study by Dentsu published in March of this year, online marketing budgets in Japan grew by 107.7% compared to the previous year. Anji adds:

Japan is actually the second biggest market with over $8.1 billion in total spending in 2012, and it might reach $11 billion in 2015. Mobile is really hot in Japan, with $1.8 billion spent in 2012, ranking as the second biggest market for mobile advertising expenditures, just behind the US.

Although Japanese people are known to open their wallets for digital contents such as mobile apps, games, and newsletters, it turns out that they are not especially keen to click on ads.

On the web, it’s interesting to note that almost 40% of Japanese never click on sponsored ads on search engines, and only 6% of those who do have bought something after clicking. Actually, Japan has one of the lowest click-through rates, with only a 1.4% click rate on web ads. However, budgets are growing for search engine and social media optimization.

While Japanese people do click on ads, the CTR remains low. A relevant survey by Goo Research shows that almost 63% of respondents have clicked on ads shown on search results, while 24% have not. When asked what type of ads they are more likely to click, the most popular response was banner, images, or Flash at roughly 46%, and text ads on search results ranked second at about 28%. Links within newsletters, affiliate links within contents, and links within blog posts (content-match advertising) followed at around 25%.

Of course, entering the Japanese market cannot and should not be just restricted to online marketing. It’s a mixture of offline and online tactics, and some US companies have done it very well. Evernote is one good example. The company marked its third year anniversary in Japan back in March. There are over five million users in Japan and it’s the second most active market after US in terms of active users, with 30% of its revenue coming from the country.

Evernote was a typical case of what is called ‘blogger marketing’ in Japan. They reached out to tech savvy and influential people online, people who acted as ambassadors for the service. Lots of meetups were held, and these ambassadors also helped Evernote with promotion in book and other publications. Searching for ‘Evernote’ on Amazon Japan now yields over 500 results.

Google is another company that many Japanese people find appealing. In a survey about popular online brands, Google ranked third after Rakuten and Yahoo. That score is calculated from important factors such as usability, number of visits, and website loyalty. But the company’s unique promotions have likely been a factor in its popularity. For Google+, the company collaborated with the all-girl idol group AKB 48 and fashionista/pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. To promote its Chrome web browser, the company aired a TV commercial featuring the popular virtual diva Hatsune Miku.

Of course these are just a few cases, and there are many others. And given the money to be made in this lucrative market (especially on mobile), marketing to Japanese consumers will continue to be a challenge — but one with a big payoff for those who do it right.

7 April Fools’ Day internet pranks from Japan

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April Fools’ Day traditionally doesn’t mean much in Japan. But it seems as though a number of companies have jumped on the bandwagon this year, publishing some interesting online pranks. We’re not fans of screwing with our readers, so you won’t get any fake articles from us. But we do still have a sense of humor, so here’s a quick summary of some of the more notable ones from around the Japanese interwebs today. But be warned, some of them are better than others! 1. Au’s zzzPhoneBed ¶ Au’s April Fools effort is simultaneously the best and the worst joke of the day in Japan. The premise is that since we use our mobile phones in bed so much, that the company just decided to produce a bed-sized smartphone. It lets you exercise by running on top of it like a treadmill as it scrolls, and you can even buy sheet covers for it if you like. It’s called the zzzPhoneBed, and no, it doesn’t actually exist. Regrettably, the promo video for the zzzPhoneBed does exist. Remember that awful Domino’s x Hatsune Miku promo video? Yeah, well this is worse. I realize it’s for a Japanese audience, but man, it’s…

April Fools’ Day traditionally doesn’t mean much in Japan. But it seems as though a number of companies have jumped on the bandwagon this year, publishing some interesting online pranks. We’re not fans of screwing with our readers, so you won’t get any fake articles from us. But we do still have a sense of humor, so here’s a quick summary of some of the more notable ones from around the Japanese interwebs today. But be warned, some of them are better than others!

1. Au’s zzzPhoneBed

Au’s April Fools effort is simultaneously the best and the worst joke of the day in Japan. The premise is that since we use our mobile phones in bed so much, that the company just decided to produce a bed-sized smartphone. It lets you exercise by running on top of it like a treadmill as it scrolls, and you can even buy sheet covers for it if you like. It’s called the zzzPhoneBed, and no, it doesn’t actually exist.

Regrettably, the promo video for the zzzPhoneBed does exist. Remember that awful Domino’s x Hatsune Miku promo video? Yeah, well this is worse. I realize it’s for a Japanese audience, but man, it’s painful to watch. Truly cringe-worthy.

2. Domino’s Pizza in a can

Speaking of Domino’s Japan, the company has a new April Fools page set up today to promote its special ‘Pizza in a can’. Priced at just 401 yen (i.e. 04/01). This is actually a smartly executed April Fools joke, because when you try to buy it, Domino’s apologizes and gives you a 20% off coupon! (h/t ascii.jp)

pizza

3. Google ‘Patapata’ text input system

It’s becoming something of an April Fools tradition for Google Japan to roll out a new text input method. this year is no exception, with its ‘Patapata’ version of its Japanese input editor. Essentially, it’s scrolls characters rapidly in front of you, and you’re to push a button when you see the one you wish to type. Fun, hey? You can see Google’s official explanation in the promo video below. And for anyone who wants to try it out, there is a functioning web version online that you can try!

4. Japanese movie site transforms into ‘Forcebook’

Here’s a fun page from Japan’s movie-focused website eiga.com. Today it has a fun landing page presenting users with a Star Wars style scrolling text intro, explaining how the internet has affected even Jedi Knights:

Not so long ago, in a galaxy far away.

Episode X. Forcebook.

As information technology swept across the galaxy, even Jedi Knights began to familiarize themselves with the internet. But it has caused social isolation and depression among the Jedi Knights, sending them one after another to the dark side of the internet.

Master Yoda takes the matter seriously when Luke Skywalker is forced to shut down his blog after a nasty smear campaign. To improve the Jedi Knights’ communication skills Master Yoda hires IT consultants from Coruscant and sets up a new social networking service called Forcebook.

Clicking anywhere on the page, however, presents you with an apologetic message saying: ‘Sorry, today is April Fools. May the force be with you!”.

eiga_com

5. Dwango’s i to Tunes

Japanese internet company Dwango has a fun April Fools product called ‘i to Tunes’, which claims to be a music streaming service that involves the use of tin cans and yarn (I’m pretty familiar with this technology from back in kindergarden, actually). Signing up for the supposed application brings you to a page that says i to Tunes is undergoing maintenance, with a footnote explaining that today is also April Fools.

dwango

6. Ameba Pigg overrun with pigs

If you’re a member of the Amebe Pigg virtual world, you’ll notice when you sign in today that avatars have been changed into actual pig faces. Chiho Komoriya has some fun screenshots over on VS Media, if you’d like to learn more about this April Fools overhaul.

ameba

7. Cross-dressing clock

Readers might be familiar with a fun web service called ‘Bijin Tokei’ or ‘beautiful girl clock’, which uses pretty models holding up signs showing you what time it is. Today there’s a weird parody of Bijin Tokei from the folks over at web production company core-tech.jp. It’s called Cross-dressing clock, and similarly, it features women holding up signs to show the time. The only thing is, these women are not actually women at all.

clock

If you’d like to browse even more fun April Fools jokes from Japan, check out CNet Japan’s extensive round-up, or search for #4fooljp on Twitter.

Google Street View broadens its horizons, crashes a party in Japan

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大きな地図で見る Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) today has announced that it has expanded its Street View coverage in Japan to a number of new areas, including Kochi and Tokushima prefectures [1]. What’s especially cool about this latest addition to Street View is that in Tokushima city, Google cooperated with a local tourist organization so that it could shoot the Awa dance festival, an annual event where musicians and dancers parade through the streets wearing traditional costumes. As you can see in Google’s video below, the company rolled its famous Street View trike through the procession, capturing the spectacle all the way. As fun as the video is, take a moment to explore the Street View map as well, if you want to feel like you’re in the middle of the action. On a more serious note, Google’s Street View has served an important archival purpose in Japan in the past as well, capturing the state of the areas affected by the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Overall, it’s good to see the company getting involved in all these ways to share and preserve the country’s culture and history. The full list can be found in Google’s blog post here (Japanese).  ↩


大きな地図で見る

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) today has announced that it has expanded its Street View coverage in Japan to a number of new areas, including Kochi and Tokushima prefectures [1].

What’s especially cool about this latest addition to Street View is that in Tokushima city, Google cooperated with a local tourist organization so that it could shoot the Awa dance festival, an annual event where musicians and dancers parade through the streets wearing traditional costumes.

As you can see in Google’s video below, the company rolled its famous Street View trike through the procession, capturing the spectacle all the way. As fun as the video is, take a moment to explore the Street View map as well, if you want to feel like you’re in the middle of the action.

On a more serious note, Google’s Street View has served an important archival purpose in Japan in the past as well, capturing the state of the areas affected by the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Overall, it’s good to see the company getting involved in all these ways to share and preserve the country’s culture and history.


  1. The full list can be found in Google’s blog post here (Japanese).  ↩

Google Hangouts recruits Asian pop stars for new ‘A-Pop’ initiative

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Google’s worldwide strategy to make Google+ a competitive social platform is increasingly making use of celebrities in its marketing efforts. All members of the famous pop idol group AKB48 are on Google+, and the annual election to battle for the center position on stage was streamed live via Google Hangouts. And now Google has just announced its latest celebrity-related project, ‘A-Pop Star Week,’ targeting the Asian market. The project, set to kick off on March 8, assembles a range of pop singers from China, Japan, and Korea on Google Hangouts. Celebrities includes J-Pop diva Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (pictured above), Korean star 2PM, and Chinese singer LeeHom Wang. Each celebrity has made an announcement about the coming event on YouTube, asking fans to submit questions for them to answer during the hangout. On the YouTube Asian Pop Channel, you can find the schedule for these hangouts as well as twenty music videos and newly released singles by the artists. Each musician will then hand-pick five lucky fans to participate in the hangout. Kyary Pamyy Pamyu is one of the best known of these performers, famous for her unique digital performances [1]. Recently on her twentieth birthday, she performed at Sojoji temple…

J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Google’s worldwide strategy to make Google+ a competitive social platform is increasingly making use of celebrities in its marketing efforts. All members of the famous pop idol group AKB48 are on Google+, and the annual election to battle for the center position on stage was streamed live via Google Hangouts. And now Google has just announced its latest celebrity-related project, ‘A-Pop Star Week,’ targeting the Asian market.

The project, set to kick off on March 8, assembles a range of pop singers from China, Japan, and Korea on Google Hangouts. Celebrities includes J-Pop diva Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (pictured above), Korean star 2PM, and Chinese singer LeeHom Wang. Each celebrity has made an announcement about the coming event on YouTube, asking fans to submit questions for them to answer during the hangout.

On the YouTube Asian Pop Channel, you can find the schedule for these hangouts as well as twenty music videos and newly released singles by the artists. Each musician will then hand-pick five lucky fans to participate in the hangout.

Kyary Pamyy Pamyu is one of the best known of these performers, famous for her unique digital performances [1]. Recently on her twentieth birthday, she performed at Sojoji temple in Shiba Park in front of the brightly lit Tokyo Tower. The spectacle was organized by mobile phone carrier au KDDI (TYO:9433) which turned the local area into a digital interactive theme park. 1,500 participants were able to manipulate taxis, water fountains, and street lights by using their smartphone as a remote control.

Google+ had 25 million users in Japan as of July 2011. The company’s celebrity-recruitment efforts first started in 2012, so the effect of such projects on growing its user base has yet to be fully realized. Stay tuned!


  1. Her name is nearly impossible to pronounce, even for Japanese people. So don’t feel bad if you stumble!  ↩

Japan tech this week: Bahamut, business cards, and YouTube’s Valentine for Tokyo

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In our second week live we enjoyed bringing you a wide range of stories. In case you missed any of them, here they are below — or if you’re on mobile, you may prefer to check them out on Readlists or in ePub format if that’s your thing. If you’d like to get this weekly summary plus other bonus content, we hope you’ll check out our shiny new newsletter here. We’re still in our infancy here, but we’d love your feedback — so drop us a line anytime mail. Featured ¶ Rage of Bahamut and Japan’s quest for global gamers A tough-luck Japanese auto-parts factory rebounds with an inspiring new side business Business ¶ Japanese developer Nijibox continues Southeast Asia push, launches ‘Legend of Fantasia’ on Kotagames YouTube opens its third global space for video creators in Tokyo Tokyo Otaku Mode raises additional funds from three VC firms Design ¶ Japanese designer ditches chopsticks for amazing musical fork Japanese manga artist crowdfunds digital exhibition overseas Fun Apps ¶ Japanese app ‘Poica’ wants to carry all your point cards (Video) A-Team’s ‘Dark Summoner’ tops 5 million downloads worldwide Yahoo Japan’s Face Stealer app transforms you into Obama, or anyone else you’d…

Squash FIlms enjoying the makeup room in YouTube Space Tokyo
Squash FIlms enjoying the makeup room in the new YouTube Space Tokyo

In our second week live we enjoyed bringing you a wide range of stories. In case you missed any of them, here they are below — or if you’re on mobile, you may prefer to check them out on Readlists or in ePub format if that’s your thing.

If you’d like to get this weekly summary plus other bonus content, we hope you’ll check out our shiny new newsletter here.

We’re still in our infancy here, but we’d love your feedback — so drop us a line anytime mail.

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