Asiajin

On the first day of this new year, Kanagawa-headquartered funny web app developer Kayac launched a new service which allows you to decorate your Twitter icon with sushi items.

The service, which is named Twitter Sushi, works in conjunction with Twitter, you are allowed to choose a sushi from varieties such as a chunky omelet piece, natto (fermented soybeans), salmon, tuna, shrimp, sea bream and salmon roe.   Large fatty tuna can be chosen by the Twitter users who have more than 100 followers.

You may feel as though you had a seat at a revolving sushi restaurant.   In commemoration with the service, for those who apply for recruit from January 1st through 3rd, the company will kindly treat to sushi.

Tags: Japan, Joke, New Service by Masaru IKEDA
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Following the company’s stupid iPhone/iPod touch app serial release (like this), Kayac, a funny web app developer based in Tokyo’s suburb, just made something new to make our hard days more cheerful.

Tanimania, it is a breast enhancer that enables to make the breast of you or your girlfriend much sexier than ever – but unfortunately it’s available only on an iPhone screen, not real one.

Just shoot someone’s portrait including a specific part of her (a male’s breast is not recommended), and adjust the image position so that it should be corrected as you expect.   Additionally, the app allows you to put a mole on her face virtually.

Tanimania is available at AppStore for almost USD1.28 (JPY115), and the app’s title comes from Japanese slang “tanima” standing for a sexy woman’s cleavage formed by the breasts.

Tags: Cellular Phone, Company, Japan, Joke, Software by Masaru IKEDA
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Kayac disclosed their latest ludicrous iPhone application, The Pantienon.

What will happen if the girl in front of you isn’t wearing a panty?
Have you ever had that kind of delusionary thought?
The Pantienon, or Panty Amoralism, will support your delusionary thought!

You may take a photo of a girl by iPhone,

then, choose one out of four variations of underware on the picture, as if she is taking it off.

The application is now waiting Apple’s review, as Kayac explains.

Tags: Japan, Joke by Akky Akimoto
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24th night at Roppongi Hills, the third Monetize Hacks meeting was held by some web directors from Livedoor and Hatena by welcoming 120 web directors and entrepreneurs in and around Tokyo.

The first monetize Hacks [J] was called for web directors greeting and exchanging ideas around 15 people, the second one [J] was a group competition style with 30 people, now the third one with seminar style is with 120 web people who are keening on how to maximize website monetization in Japanese websphere.

The main theme is “User Billing”. Seven Japanese popular web services directors/leaders made presentations.

1. Yahoo! Japan Research [J] (Asiajin articles)

Researcher of Yahoo! Japan Research Masao Kakihara gave a general view of service monetization strategy.

2. Pixiv (Asiajin articles)

Takanori Katagiri told Pixiv and its monetizing experiences.

Pixiv is now getting a million users, 0.7 bilion page views/month and 15,000 new illustrations per day. 140 servers supports it.

Currently not so profitable (yet). They combine banner ads, contents match(Overture), Amazon affiliate, membership fee (525yen/month).

He also talked how to increase affiliate income by pushing well-sold items heavily.

3. Unoh

Unoh is a 15 people company which is running Photozou(photo sharing), NeoAd(mobile ad), Machi-Tsuku (mobile game). CEO Shintaro Yamada’s talk was about their new mobile geo-location game Machi-Tsuku monetization. How fixed-rate billing and item-sales systems make difference on sales and user behaviour.

He pointed out how avatar/item charging services (like Gree) are designed carefully not to exchange money and virtual points directly, which is often done in social game sites in west, which seem less successful on profit-wise.

4. Kayac (Asiajin articles)

Yui Tamada, director, Kayac said “No one can predict what service takes off. Small start, get user feedbacks.” They impose themselves to create 99 new services in one year, which results making one service every 2-3 days.

Combination of web application consulting and a lot of original services for selling brand works effectively as free advertising/technology-showcase.

Success stories: Wonderfl (online Flash builder), Koe-bu (voice social network community), Pocket Friend Conti (mobile avatar)

“Make things first, monetization comes later.” “Originality is important.”

(continued to the part 2)

Tags: Event Report, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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Kayac[J], a funny web app developer based in Tokyo’s suburb, and Tokyo Sports[J] (a.k.a. Toh-spo), a daily sports newspaper company,  jointly introduced a blodget[J] on Wednesday, which may make your blog much catchier.

Toh-spo covers sports and show biz news everyday, and it is an yellow paper having a large circulation.   Tokyo businessmen love the paper because of its catchy and unique headlines.   When you put a mouse cursor over the blodget, a catchy headline generated from the content on your blog will be appeared as the paper’s cover page alike.   It has three lines of news ticker which keep you update with a number of “real” and interesting Japanese showbiz news.

The two companies are planning three web-based services starting with the blodget.    Kayac released 77 web services in 2007, and 88 services in 2008.   The company is stretching itself to make a new record in the number of services released by the end of this year.

Toh-spo is being sold here and there in Tokyo, and the catchy headlines attract passers-by.
(The picture above is a news stand at Hachiko Square, Shibuya Station.)

Tags: Company, Japan, Joke, New Service by Masaru IKEDA
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