JKT48, the Indonesian sister band of ultra-popular Japanese girl group AKB48 (Asiajin), is promoting Rakuten Belanja Online, Rakuten's joint venture with Jakarta-based media powerhouse PT Global Mediacom, on Indonesian TV.

In the 30-second commercial, various members of the group can be seen wearing different clothes and accessories and using gadgets - and apparently all items can be bought on the site.

Rakuten Belanja Online was first announced back in December 2010 and began operations in June 2011.

Here's the JKT48 TV spot:

Video: Girl Band JKT48 (AKB48′s Sister Band) Promoting Rakuten In Indonesia

So far, only YouTube users from Canada, the US and (since October) the UK were able to rent movies, but yesterday, Japan has finally been added to the list, too (the country is the second biggest market for movies in the world).

Youtube users in Japan can initially stream content from a total of five American and local studios onto their PCs and Android phones, namely

• Toei
• Sony Pictures
• Universal
• Warner Bros.
• Bandai Channel (for anime)

On its official blog, YouTube Japan says that the initial line-up consists of a mix between paid and free movies (200 in total), for example Unknown, Red Riding Hood, Take Me Home Tonight, or Sucker Punch.

Paid titles cost either 300 or 400 Yen, depending on how new they are. Movies can be rented from 24 to 72 hours.

The online movie rental space in Japan has seen some movement recently. Apart from established players like Gyao, YouTube Japan's new service competes with newcomer Hulu (which started streaming movies and other content in Japan in September this year) or Nico Nico Douga (which started doing the same in cooperation with Warner Bros. a few days ago).

Japan Gets Its Own YouTube Movie Rental Service

Mitsubishi Electric has developed a prototype app for iPhone and Android phones that could make life for the millions of commuters living in Tokyo a bit easier. The so-called "Yamanote Train Net" [JP] app is currently being tested in one train on the famous Yamanote line that circles the center of Tokyo.

Users can expect to get various information (and ads) delivered to their smartphone when they enter the train.

Mitsubishi explains what's needed for the app to work:

"This is a completely closed Wi-Fi environment in a train. Content from a server on the train is basically provided via Wi-Fi, so the service isn't directly connected to the outside world."

The app tells users how crowded the train in question is (in real-time), what the temperature is like, when and where it's best to change trains, which trains are delayed, etc.

There is also a "channel" for advertisements (videos), but it will be also possible to download coupons or "entertainment" content on your iPhone or Android phone.

Downloads (Japanese only, free):
iOS
Android

This video, shot by Diginfo TV, provides more insight (Japanese/English subbed):

Video: Mobile Train Information Service “Yamanote Train Net”

Japanese high school students made stop-motion animations with blackboard, chalks and all school things for school festival.

The first one uses over 2,500 photos, the second one over 3,000.

According to the poster's comment, free tools like PictBea­r [J] and NicoVisualEffects [J] are used.

via @ryohgo_narita

Blackboard Wars

It is known that Japanese high school girls type Japanese so fast on feature phone 10 digits key, but this person on iPhone could be faster than they.

On Japanese flick input training app, he writes up 45 letters/5 phrases in 6.99 seconds, which is 386 letters per minute.

[Update] Another high-speed iPhone Japanese type video. This person types a real message. (Thanks @StingRaySlapper )

Japanese input is not just typing letters but involves Hiragana->Kanji conversion with selecting the adequate one. These videos show people's good adaptability.

Ultra High-speed Japanese Typing On iPhone

We reported that placeholder public service commercial buzzed crazy a week after the Eastern Japan Disasters. This AC commercial film parodies have been being added more and more.

Each of cartoon character on the original ads calling people in society to greet and care each other, now has its own derivative works by mainly users of Nico Nico Douga, a big Japanese movie sharing service.

# To turn off Japanese overlaid comments, press icon at the bottom of right.

Great Arigatousagi (Arigatou=thank you, Usagi = rabit)

King Sayonaraion (Sayonara=see you, Raion = Lion)

Hyper Ohayounagi (Ohayou=good morning, Unagi = eel)

Konnichiwan Powered (Konnichiwa=hello, wan = woof)

Sonic Tadaimanbou (Tadaima=I'm back, Manbou = headfish)

Miracle Konbanwani (Konbanwa=good evening, Wani = alligator)

Ultimate Oyasuminasai (Oyasuminasai=good night, Sai = rhino)

Lightening Aisatsubouya (Aisatsubouya=greeting boy)

And, the opening theme of the fictional anime series featuring these animals and kids,

There are over 300 fan-made movies under the tag "攻強皇國機甲" [J, registration required], which pronounces the same as "公共広告機構"(Advertising Council Japan) but the letters mean "Imperial Armored Assault" or something like that.

Public Service AC Commercial Buzz Pulls More Parody Videos

Kamakura based web/app company Kayac reproduced a cyber space in a popular anime series "Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex(S.A.C.)" at Parco Part 1 department store, Shibuya, Tokyo.

By using kinect input device with big screens, visitors can experience to chase and catch out Tachikoma, an AI tank (Wikipedia) in the virtual space.

A new age in interactive technology takes you directly into the world of anime.

Celebrating the 3D re-release of "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society" (ph9.jp/​) from March 26, Kayac Inc. has created a special promotional booth that places you right inside cyberspace.

Using Microsoft's Kinect Sensor visitors can interact with the virtual anime landscape in the Cyberspace System using just body gestures and movement. Your mission: Locate and capture the Tachikoma character in the cyberspace. Be warned, you only have a limited time!

No joysticks, no controllers, no buttons…Float freely through cyberspace just by twisting your body to turn, leaning forward or back to shift perspective, and placing one step in front or behind to move. You can finally "capture" the Tachikoma by sweeping down with one arm.

Try the experience for yourself at the S.A.C. Premium Shop inside monozoku, on the fifth floor of Parco department store in Shibuya, from March 24th to April 19th. It's harder than it looks!

Hat tip to our reader Jake.

Amazon.com

Kinect Driven “Ghost in the Shell” Cyberspace

image from Motivate Urself

The guy who created Kinect Ultra Seven has released his new experiment with wider-known energy wave, Kamehameha from Dragonball.

Kinect Dragonball – Blast Your Kamehameha!

Tomoko Namba, the CEO of Japanese mobile social gaming giant DeNA (and one of my personal heroes), gave a pretty interesting interview at web industry conference LeWeb'10 earlier this month. LeWeb organizer Loic LeMeur asked her for a full 20 minutes about her company's history, present and future plans

Namba, speaking in excellent English, doesn't reveal any secrets, but especially for those of you unfamiliar with Japan's huge mobile social gaming sector (the biggest in the world), the interview should be relevant. She mainly speaks about Mobage, DeNA's mobile social gaming platform (which she repeatedly calls a "social network" by the way).

What's particularly interesting is her mentioning that

• her 99% domestic and mobile company boasts a US$4 billion market cap at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
• there is no "Zynga for smartphones" yet
• Mobage makes an insane US$1.2 billion revenue with 22 million members
• DeNA, unlike Zynga, sees itself as an open platform provider (DeNA doubles as a provider of games on its own platform, so Mobage is more like Facebook and Zynga rolled into one)
• her company will continue to globalize, as Japan's mobile industry is rapidly moving towards smartphones

Here's the interview:

Video: DeNA CEO Tomoko Namba’s Interview at LeWeb’10

Nintendo celebrates 25 years anniversary of Super Mario by TV commercial in Japan.

The commercial depicts that a guy plays the first Super Mario Brothers in 1985 (see TV set and a radio-cassette recorder). It was a common scene nationwide.

But on their special website [J], Nintendo put another short movie and warns users "Don't do that". The text says,

At the time Family Computer(=NES) were sold, people blowing metal terminal surface of its cartridge to clean dust were done all over the country. However, it turned out that this will make it rust to cause malfunctions.

This is the same for all other hardware/software having such metal terminals including Nintendo DS, so never blow on them.

When you care dust and dirt, you may purchase use a cleaning set.

If it is no good, they could have avoided to use such scene on the commercial, then such warning video is not needed, but, maybe it was an integral part for them to draw the good old Famicon days.

via N-Wii.net

Nintendo Admits Blowing-Cartridge Is Not Only Meaningless But Harmful After A Quarter Century