Smell-o-phone

Tamana writes:

SO703i-Smell cellular phone

Compare to previous model, the body size got bigger because it installed 240x432 pixel large liquid crystal screen in SO703i.
The wallet cellular system (to make payment via WiFi) and media player functions are also improved.

A big feature of this phone is the smell with an aromatic shell. The smell is included in the back panel and the aroma matches the design of the phone. It also has a special clock display that could not be found on previous model.

Sony high resolution "BRAVIA" digital TV technology for mobiles called "Reality MAX" is installed allowing photos and movies in high resolution.

http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/mobile/articles/0701/16/news062.html

Twitter

No idea if this is useful, but I've been investigating this Twitter service to see if it 'has legs.' Appears to be completely pointless, but then they said that about text messaging.

Twitter homepage >
Me on Twitter >
My API experiments >
My Twitter RSS feed >

I see others are doing the same. Someone at the BBC is obviously trialing this as another news channel. See this screenshot of the Mac desktop client:

Japanese artists on Adaadat

COW'P is Furuzu Nakano trombone player in Tokyo hard jazz band DONKEYS, working entirely on a NINTENDO GAMEBOY, he has developed a distinctive style of lo-fi electronics blending Japanese time signatures with video game style melodies.

DODDODO: In the year 1999, scientists working on artificially intelligent barbie dolls accidentally spilled some rare, toxic chemicals into a pink envelope (codenamed: “doddodo") developed signs of life, and even began to grow limbs and eyes. On learning that the scientists wished to subject doddodo to a horrifying battery of vivisection style experiments. Adaadat artist ove naxx staged a daring break in to the lab and rescued doddodo to the relative safety of Osaka's experimental music scene.

Quick Flicks, Rinpaeshidan, Shantell Martin

QuickFlicksis run down at Superdeluxe by David Roy,
Next month's theme is "Delete" and is an open invite to motion graphics artists and filmmakers to come and display their work.

Last Wednesday Superdeluxe showcased the excellent work of Rinpaeshidan who again, specialise in live work in their VJing... again the emphasis is on live action art, assisted by machines (camera's etc.) instead of wholly reliant on them. Its a great project, very proactive, very inspiring.

Also VJing at Figure Complex was London native Shantell Martin, who's recently had some work published here: Ping Mag

Ping Mag is an awesome online publication of tokyo talent. Definately worth checking.

Pika Pika

Pika Pika lightning doodle project at Nishi Azabu "Figure Complex" was a brief one night show by Pika Pika to showcase their work.
The group has done stuff for MTV (and maybe Apple- I wasn't too sure) and they're great fun!
Basically, the idea is to take lots and lots of long exposure still motion photography, in sequence and then play the pictures back at the end of the night.
Everyone gets really involved, and has fun making their own animations.
Movie
Check out this movie, and the report section for further updates!

Neoplasticism vs. de stijl

I have been alerted to the music of Marxy. J-pop or not, I don't know, but check this:

neoplasticism vs. de stijl

Thanks Carola!

What Japanese think of foreigners

Japan Probe posts about a funny foreigner on Japanese T.V. A great insight.

I can't see what's so funny about this. "Is it because I is black?" But clearly it is. Check the comments on the blog entry:

I think this was the first thing my wife saw on any of the Japan blogs she forwarded around to friends. For her his saying, たってる！was worthy of paroxysms of laughter. Who knew a missing あ　could be so funny?

Here's the remixed version - shows a high level of engagement, I would say ;-):

Advertising on mobile phones

Another great post from What Japan Thinks, this time on the use of mobiles to access promotional information.


The sample had an older skew, so I'm even more surprised that it is as high as 40%. Interestingly, when asked how they accessed the information, the top 2 results were:

Mobile phone mail	276	65.1%
QR code scanner on phone	181	42.7%

So QR codes are a significant channel into mobile content.

Incredible list of popular Japanese emoticons from What Japan Thinks. It took me a while to figure these out, but once you do, they have a lovely minimalism (e.g. 7) and creativity (e.g. 5):

Rank	Emoticon	Score	Emotion
1	（＾_＾） or （＾_＾）v, etc	100	Laughing
2	(>_<)>	66.4	Troubled
3	(^_^;)	54.4	Troubled
4	(ToT)	53.3	Crying
5	m(_ _)m	52.9	Apologising
6	(^^ゞ or (^^;)	38.3	Shy
7	（￣ー￣）	20.6	Grinning
8	(≧∇≦)/	18.9	Joyful
9	（￣□￣；）	18.9	Surprised
10	(#^.^#)	18.8	Shy
11	（*´▽｀*）	16.1	Infatuation
12	(ーー;)	15.4	Worried
13	(*^▽^*)	15.0	Joyful
14	＿|￣|○, orz, OTL, etc	13.7	Depressed
15	(＾▽＾)	11.1	Laughing
16	キタ━━━(゜∀゜)━━━!!!!!, (゜∀゜), etc	11.1	I think it is “I’m here!!!”, but I just don’t really know!
17	(´･ω･`)	10.3	Snubbed
18	（　ﾟ Дﾟ）	8.8	Shocked
19	（・∀・）	7.7	Laughing
20	(Ｔ▽Ｔ)	7.1	Crying
21	(*￣m￣)	6.8	Dissatisfied
22	（　´∀｀）	6.0	Laughing
23	（⌒▽⌒）	5.3	Laughing
24	（＾ｖ＾）	4.9	Laughing
25	ヽ（´ー｀）┌	4.7	Mellow
26	（’-’*)	4.1	Laughing
27	(’A`)	3.8	Snubbed
28	（゜◇゜）	2.1	Surprised
29	(*°∀°)=3	2.1	Infatuation
30	∩( ・ω・)∩, ( ・ω・), etc	1.3	Joyful

d'Holbachie-Yoko Illustratorr

www.dholbachie.com

Mobile phone stats

This article is mostly about video calling, but does include some useful, more general stats:

Q1: What kind of mobile phone do you currently use the most? (Sample size=12,563)

DoCoMo FOMA	29.0%
DoCoMo mova	15.1%
Other DoCoMo	0.8%
au WIN	13.5%
au CDMA1X	9.8%
Other au	2.3%
Softbank (ex Vodafone) 3G	6.0
Softbank (ex Vodafone) non-3G	13.4%
Other company	3.2%
Don’t have a mobile phone	7.0%

Looks like this might be a useful blog too, the name says it all: 世論 What Japan Thinks

DoCoMo and i-mode

More from Wikipedia on DoCoMo, including this on their i-mode service:

i-mode is NTT DoCoMo’s proprietary mobile internet platform and as of October 2006 boasts an astounding 47 million customers in Japan. This excludes overseas users over networks in 15 other countries, as of November 2005, through i-mode licensing agreements with cellular phone operators.

With i-mode, mobile phone users get benefits such as mobile reservations, supporting secure transactions and keeping up to date with the latest information. They're able to get easy access to thousands of Internet sites, as well as specialized services such as e-mail, online shopping, mobile banking, ticket reservations, and restaurant reviews. Mobile users can access sites from anywhere in Japan, and at unusually low rates, because their charges are based on the volume of data transmitted, not the airtime.

Swak - illlustrators

http://www.skwak.com/home.html

Yoshihisa Nakai - typographer/designer

website

QR Codes

More details on the QR codes which can be read by Japanese mobiles:

More recently, the inclusion of QR Code reading software on camera phones in Japan has led to a wide variety of new, consumer-oriented applications, aimed at relieving the user of the tedious task of entering data into their mobile phone. QR Codes storing addresses and URLs are becoming increasingly common in magazines and advertisements in Japan. The addition of QR Codes on business cards is also becoming common, greatly simplifying the task of entering the personal details of a new acquaintance into the address book of one's mobile phone.

Hiroaki Yokoyama - designers

http://www.morld.jp/index_new_content.html

WOW- creative production of TV

WOW site
Japanese motion graphics/installiaion

Japanese mobile phone culture

A good run-down of current Japanese mobile phone culture at Wikipedia. In particular, a list of things you can do on a Japanese mobile. Some of the more interesting ones:

• E-money service and various certification functions through Untouched IC card (FeliCa etc.)
• Various services with NTT Docomo’s ‘osaifu-keitai (mobile phone with wallet function)’
• E-money service e.g. ‘Edy’
• Function as ‘Suica,’ which can be used for a season ticket and a train ticket
• Cmode: vending machines which can be used with QR code and ‘osaifu-keitai’ of a mobile phone

The subtleties of texting are also discussed. e.g.

One very distinct form of writing is called 'gyaru-moji' ('girls' characters'). For example Lt wouldn't correspond to the Latin characters 'L' and 't' but instead it would correspond to the hiragana け ('ke'). Notice that it looks very similar when written. Many hiragana, katakana and kanji are taken apart and reassembled using different characters including alphabet characters. It is unclear why this usage is now seen. Some believe that this started as a way of making secret messages that a quick peek wouldn't reveal, while others claim that it was just for fun. This can be related to the way the English language hacking culture uses 1337 language to hide the meaning of the words typed.

Pyhai - llustrator

http://snagt.net/

It's show time for your brand

Absolutely awesome flash.


http://www.wmteam.de/

Motomichi Nakamura - designerr

http://www.motomichi.com

Doma.tv - Cool illustration

http://www.doma.tv/ftpdoma/

Jacky Lochinghang - new Designer/animator

Video portfolio

Design portfolio

BBS TOKYO

BBS TOKYO is a select shop along Harajuku cat street. There are exclusive, international and domestic products or brands such as menswear, core music CDs, artworks, goods, artbooks and DVDs. The Diorama Town, which was created by about 40 artists from NY, is under the glass floor of the shop and is just overwhelming.

www.anewcityguide.com

UNIQLO parkas

An interative music/dance tool promoting the UNIQLO parka range.


www.uniqlo.jp/mixplay/

Toothpaste Shoot-em-up

Sketches of game - users choose characters and dual using toothpaste.

Sako Kojima

www.sakokojima.com/works.html

Yuki Sugihara - water artist

www.takeartcollection.com

Kohei Nawa - artist mixed media - including glue

main site

Glue pieces

Foam art

Bead art

Keigo Kamide - Porcelain art

More examples of work

Center for Contemporary Arts - Japan

Shen Yuan






Marina Abramovic





Langlands & Bell

Tomoko Takahashi - installation artist

Takahshi has become well known for installations in which she transforms reclaimed rubbish into crazy, complex and beautiful arrangements.

www.tate.org.uk/takahashi.htm

Mori Chack - Graphic artist

Mori Chack - famous for his Chax product line

http://www.chax.net/frameset.html


http://www.cube-works.co.jp/

Recruiting local artists and creative people

We're interested in speaking to local (to Japan) artists and creative people who might be interested in working on a commercial commission.

Very early stages, but if it does happen, it would be great fun. So get in touch!

Things we want to know

We're particularly interested in answers to any of these questions:

Humour

• How do Japanese people view foreigners, especially the British?
• Is there space for humour here?
• Can you give any examples?
• Can you take the piss out of Japanese people or is that not acceptable?
• Is that kind of wind-up humour even used in Japan?

Mobiles

• What functionality is available on mobile phones?
• In what ways can you use them?
  
• How much is it used?
• What's new?

Illustration/character design

• What styles of illustration/design are hot in Japan right now?
• Are there characters which are popular
• Can you give any examples of interesting created characters?

Animation

Slightly new tangent here. We're collecting examples of nice animation/illustration ideas. Here's a great video from "über-coolische" minimal techno artists Minilogue:



(If you find any, please tag your posts - see the bottom of this one)

Boys and Girls. Be Ambitious

Tamana writes: "you should check the j-pop group called morning musume. Originally they are from a TV audition like X factor and they became very very famous. They are changing the members all the time to keep people's interest."

モーニング娘。

A heavily orchestrated pop-techno, fuelled by vast quantities of sugar:


モーニング娘。　CM NO.9

An advert which I can't understand:


Morning Musume's Music Video Hyokkori Hyout

Some kind of pirate-themed music video:

Tokyo Music and Visuals

Great video profile of W+K Tokyo Lab

W+K Tokyo Lab is a new music label concept launched by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo in 2003. Our mission is to bring new experiences that can only be created in Tokyo through a unique global mix of music, visuals, and other forms of creative expression through a DVD and CD. Tokyo attracts some of the world’s most innovative creative collaborators. We are passionate about the development of new ideas with our creators and connecting them to a new audience. Simply put, it is about good music, fresh visuals, and new concepts of creative expression.

Testing, testing

You may have noticed Google ads on this site. I'm testing out their Adsense programme. All proceeds go towards a slap up meal at E-Kagen for everyone on the blog. (Actual prize depends on revenues earned.)

Also testing out the Amazon Associates programme. You can buy the Fruits book by Shoichi Aoki through our Associates link over there on the side. Or try Fresh Fruits...

Fruits - Japanese street fashion

Shoichi Aoki began documenting street fashion in Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku area in the mid 1990s when he noticed a marked change in the way young people were dressing. Rather than following European and American trends, people were customising elements of traditional Japanese dress - kimono, obi sashes and geta sandals - and combining them with handmade, secondhand and alternative designer fashion in an innovative 'DIY' approach to dressing. In 1997 Shoichi Aoki established the monthly magazine FRUiTS, now a cult fanzine with an international following, to record and celebrate the freshness of fashion in Harajuku.

Check out the exhibition website here
Or a Flickr photoset here
Or more about the Harajuku area here

DoCoMo, Suica and QR codes

DoCoMo stands for "Do Communications Over the Mobile Network"... obviously.

Notice how you can pay for stuff using your 9 series docomo phone. Its also an (http://sebintokyo.free.fr/images/suica.jpg) oyster card so you can travel around the city with it. Neat huh?





Why am I telling you this? Because it is MANDATORY to use your mobile phone for EVERYTHING. Last week I went McDonalds with a japanese girl, who pulled out her Keitai and paid for the cheeseburgers... with her phone. Not only that, but she had a viral marketing discount coupon ON THE PHONE which she had attained by reading some magazine or other and scanning the QR code in the ad and sending it to the complany. Who'd a thunk it? Genius.

So for anyone who's interested in creating viral marketing campaigns, these QR codes are very very popular and many ad campaigns in Japan have one attached for some reason or other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMAZ-YynIP4

Strongly recommended.

Ayumi Hamasaki

While we're on the subject of Mobile Phones... in Japan they are called Keitai and they are very big (physically).
First of all, every has one, and it is mandatory to use it ALL THE TIME.

This ad with Cameron Diaz is playing in constantly in rotation in Shibuya and Shinjuku and Roppongi

It says nothing at all but it is a big deal here, also, lots of people have these phones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZCnpHteTg

Which brings us to Ayumi Hamasaki and her Tu-Ka Ads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t7YoFoL_8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWPovakqQkI&mode=related&search= and her incredibly bizarre bubblegum ads

and her strawberry soda ads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq-rY4NUJ6o&mode=related&search=

Strangely she seems to still have very good teeth for a japanese girl who eats so much junk...

OK. I've just done a search for 'japanese teeth' on youtube... you have no idea of the magnitude of the problem.
I will rectify this forwith by interviewing teeth with a DV cam on the street tomorrow. You have my solemn oath. Although... come to think of it... bad smiles don't really like to show off... hmmm

Koda Kumi

Japanese J-Pop Goddess Koda Kumi is top of the charts with her album "Black Cherry" .
The xmas version is a 3 disc set with a kind of "Charlie's Angels" caper DVD starring the little strumpet and her deadly mates attached.

Koda Kumi is to Ayumi Hamasaki what Christina Aguilera was to Britney Spears, essentially, she's more raunchy and more fun, but you wouldn't take her home to visit your mum.

Here's the wiki entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumi_Koda

Her official website: http://www.rhythmzone.net/koda/index.html

And a taster of her in action doing an ad for vodafone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVlxlOcHkkU

Sadly, Vodafone no longer exists in Japan, as it couldn't afford to compete against the likes of DoCoMo NTT and AU who crush all who stand in their way. Vodafone Japan is now called "Softbank" and they have a regular package with Apple's Ipod bundled, obviously even Koda couldn't help them out of their hole...



She's such a typical tokyo girl... they all have these mad painted nails and sexy hair... its really quite crazy, but anyway... watch for her gem studded mobile phone ( in the DVD ) details like these are so common in Japan you could literally drown in sparkly stuff as these chicks rush past you in Shibuya with mountains of square shopping bags hanging from each elbow...

Is Koda Kumi big outside Japan? Could be with this one as it seems to all be in English.... dribble dribble... scuse me... brb

Project Freedom

Project Freedom is the Otaku's dream come true.
The same team that brought us Akira were hired by food giant "Nissin" to produce a series of 30 second animations to air on Japanese TV advertising "CupNoodle".

The website is real nice I reccommend haveing a look at it here: http://freedom-project.jp/

Here's the long version of the "Nissin CupNoodle" adverts, each one aired in sequence, but here they are collected. Watch for the subtle product placement.



Anyway, these ads are really popular with anime fans who love aKira and of course junk food fans who love... well Cup Noodles really.

What can MIXI do for you?

All about Mixi...

Katamari

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy:

The game's plot concerns a tiny prince on a mission to rebuild the stars, constellations and Moon, which his father has accidentally destroyed. This is achieved by rolling a magical, highly adhesive ball called a katamari around various locations, collecting increasingly larger objects, ranging from thumbtacks to schoolchildren to mountains, until the ball has grown large enough to become a star. The game falls under both the puzzle and action game genres, since strategy as well as dexterity are needed to complete a mission.

Katamari Damacy's story, characters, and settings are bizarre and heavily stylized, rarely attempting any semblance of realism, though the brands and items used are heavily based on those current in Japan during the game's production.

Katamari