Far East Galapagos Island

Do you know Galapagos Island? An island located in the south pacific which is known as to breed a lot of creatures isolated from worldwide evolution. You may know that Japanese mobile phone culture is often used analogy to this curious island.
Fortunately Japan seems to have succeeded in leading the world in mobile network services of previous generation. As a matter of fact, by the first year of the new century, Japanese mobile phone users had been already given an infrastructure which provides them various services and contents through a matchbox size window, which had been realized by low load websites for a slower wireless network than today.
From the beginning of this century Japan has developed various progressive services like mobile FeliCa, which allows users charging electronic money or train fare to mobile phones via mobile network. However Japanese people enjoyed so much this unique environment that they got left behind the evolution of outside of this island located in the Far East while the design cost for Far East Galapagos spec mobile phones have risen up to almost more than double of global standard.
Soon comes the next serious problem.
Most creatures in Far East Galapagos Island seem to wish to enjoy traditional environment no matter how old-fashioned their mobile phone is although most of them want to catch up to the latest trend. This tendency might make Japanese mobile phone users avoid latest smartphones. Some of my friends, indeed, appear to be hesitant to buy smartphones because they want to enjoy traditional matchbox-size services.
That's why I'm planning to own both a smartphone and a traditional one in the meantime.

from Tokyo

What a Sacred Day

Japanese people have an odd custom to give chocolate to a boy from a girl on St. Valentine's Day. I don't know exactly when this custom began. As far as I know this custom has already been spread when I was a primary schoolchild.
St. Valentine's Day gift is basically oneway in Japan. A girl gives chocolate to a boy although there are many cases in which a girl gives it to a girl as a seasonal gift mainly at girl's school.
Unfair?
Don't worry, girls. Instead, "White Day" comes just a month later. Then a boy who was given chocolate has to give something back to the girl who gave him a gift. Originally "White Day" is derived from the color of marshmallow, which used to be a typical gift which a boy gives back to a girl. However recently a boy must give back to a girl something three times of the gift he was given. Nothing is more effective than this investment for Japanese girls.
Most of chocolate gifts delivered by Japanese girls on February 14th are called "Giri Choco", which are given to boys to express friendship although St. Valentine's Day gift seems to be given only to a lover in Western world. The gift given to her steady boy or her favorite boy, which is called "Honmei Choco", is distinguished authoritatively from "Giri Choco". Nevertheless the return to a girl must be three times what she gave to him no matter which her gift was Giri or Honmei.
It might be unfair in another sense.

from Tokyo

Why Japanese?

I believe Japanese is the best language for deep thinking. Although English works well for clarifying something this language doesn't contain the rich idea from Eastern world like Buddhism.
Japanese contains not only Eastern ideas but also Western ideas. Because Japanese language has a flexibility for accepting the ideas from outside directly.
For example, we have "Katakana", the charactor system which express foreign language directly as the native speaker pronounces. It helps us to understand the idea from Western world without translating it to our language.We can understand "Major League" as it is although French people might translate it to "des ligues majeures".
That's why I primarily think in Japanese even when I have to write something in English.

To Young Entrepreneurs

Most of young entrepreneurs seem to be thinking only about the business which may make money next month. I've never seen people who are trying hard to build a service which may work for the world of 10 years later although they seem to be very busy to create social media related services which everybody living in this paradime can understand easily.That's why most entrepreneurs get out of business within less than five years. They should know today's latest business will become an old one tomorrow.However it doesn't require the ability to predict a future to create a business. It requires only a strong will to realize the world you imagine.They should not think about money they want to earn from their business. It is the benefit they may provide the world with that they should pursue when they start their business. Will comes first. Money follows it.

from Tokyo

Traditinal Media Survives

As twitter communication spreads, the traditional media like newspaper would become more important althogh some says that traditional media cannnot survive this century.
Twitter might give us the "latest" news. However you 'd better know that it is very hard to find the truth among such rough and ready news. We cannot confirm that it is true until such news is reported by the authority.
Twitter appears to have succeeded in enhancing horizontal connection in the internet. Every P can become a news source. Even if one P releases a false rumor, it might spread all over the world.
Billy Joel sings in "Honesty", "If you look for truthfulness, you might just as well be blind".
However I don't think you might be blind. You would easily find something you can rely upon only if you could turn your eyes back to traditional media.

from Tokyo