There’s a new tech IPO in Japan: Online timetable service Ekitan (fee-based on mobile phones) will get listed in Tokyo: An online train timetable service that goes IPO? It may sound ludicrous to people living outside Japan, but Tokyo-based Ekitan is doing exactly that. The company will be listed at the Mothers Market (for high-growth…
There are many examples, but these came to my mind right now. 1) Twitter: Twitter has been growing at a spectacular pace in 2010 in Japan. They now have well over 10 million users, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the real number would be closer to 15 million (Twitter isn’t providing specific numbers). Here’s…
In my opinion, a lot of Japanese startups fail on a global level because most of those that try aren’t serious enough about going global. And why should they be, at least initially? Japan has 100 million web/mobile users with high purchasing power, world-class technical infrastructure (mobile/broadband) and enough VC money. And best of all,…
Here is the link to a column I wrote on augmented reality for the journal for the American Chamber Of Commerce in Japan. Excerpt: In the 1990s, computer-generated worlds in which people could completely immerse themselves were believed to be the next big thing in technology. But the concept of virtual reality (VR) never quite…
The answer to the question is that the mobile web is huge in Japan (90 million mobile web subscribers), and it has always been. Japanese people basically grew up using the web not on PCs but rather on cell phones. Growth began when NTT Docomo, Japan’s biggest cell phone carrier, introduced a proprietary web system…
The term coworking is known over here (for example, there is a Wikipedia entry in Japanese on the subject: http://www.laveudemallorca.cat/n…), but there is definitely no scene at this point. More information and pictures on coworking spaces in Tokyo in particular can be found here: http://ameblo.jp/moboff/ Due to space limitations and high rents, there have always…
Here is the link to a column I wrote on the role of 3D for Japan’s electronics industry for the journal for the American Chamber Of Commerce in Japan. Excerpt: The way its proponents spin it, 3D will be the next big thing not only in movie theaters, but in home electronics as well. One…
It’s true that in comparison to the hardware/electronics/gadget and other sectors, the Japanese web industry is relatively weak from a global perspective. I think though the industry is better than its reputation. There are three factors at play here: language, market size and the importance of the mobile web. Language: Most homegrown web services (easily…