Asiajin

I found this on YouTube, Audi Japan and its sales subsidiary Audi Japan Sales’s making movie of a huge QR code in gymnasium.

According to Nikkan Jidousha Shimbun [J], this was made in July 2009.

I could read the QR code on the movie with my Android phone with Barcode Scanner app. The code points http://audi.jp/qr , which does not respond. It is too early to finish your campaign site.

There have been many huge QR code ads are all around Japan for 4-5 years.

Here is a 9 meter squares QR code appeared [J] on the building wall in Tachikawa, Tokyo in November 2009. (photo by Asahi Shimbun)

You may see another one in Ginza, the high street in Tokyo (photo by malpocha).

At Shibuya 109 shopping building’s wall (photo by Barks),

Another one in Shibuya (by obanajun),

In Akihabara, of course. This one was by Disney Channel reported by Akibamap.info

Northwest Airline put their bug QR code ad on Shinjyuku building in 2005 (photo by Nikkei Media Lab).

Shinbashi building shows mobile online loan ad.

In Fukuoka, Kyushu,

The first huge QR Code claiming the world record was in 2006 in Hiroshima [J], on the wall of apartment building under construction. Advertisement by the constructor.

You may check more QR code samples in usage on Asiajin.

[Update 2010-01-05]

Blog 2d code told us that the one displayed on the big screen at Cowboys Stadium, Texas, USA might be the current largest. Thanks Roger.

[Update2 2010-01-05]

We also got a message from Audi Japan’s twitter account @AudiJapan.

@asiajin Thanks for the QR code article. Ours was 12×12m, done at Makuhari, and it looks bigger than Dallas Cowboys.

Hmm. Which is bigger do you think? Theoretically projecting on screen can be easily bigger but the one at the Cowboys Stadium seems not to utilize its maximum potential. Both are interesting but I salute to Audi Japan’s as it involves a lot of people and hard work.

Tags: Japan by Akky Akimoto
1 Comment »

Ryoho-ji Temple [J], located at west suburb of Tokyo, is known on the web as its “Moe“-based proselytization.

This time the chief priest Nakazato, a person of ideas, introduced new mobile movie service.

After purchasing a pre-paid card, user can read QR-code on its back and access to the movie on which Nakazato chanting Buddhist sutra “Nanmyouhourengekyou Nyoraijyuryouhon Daijyuroku Jikage” (It’s not a Japanese but mantra. The priest explains it means “Budda is always with you”).

The movie QR-Code is protected by QT-Card system [J], so it is accessible only by the first person scanned the 2D barcode, and the movie cannot be copied to other’s cellphone.

See Also:

Moe Temple Report – Ascii.jp [J]

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan, New Service by Akky Akimoto
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Seal Cutting(篆刻) is a Chinese traditional art. You cut a stone block to make a stamp with, usually, Chinese letters like name, poet, etc.

Blogger Masayuki GT tried to combine this Song Dynasty originated stone art with the latest technology, QR Code, Japanese 2D barcode now widely used with cellphone camera to guide mobile website URL-s.

I am sure that cutting stone consumes much time.

Soak with ink.

Then stamp it.

Of course, it is readable from your cellphone.

You can read whole process of seal cutting with different size of QR Codes on Masayuki GT’s blog. [J]

Tags: Japan, Joke by Akky Akimoto
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I Love Maker (English version) is a new Flash based generator for “I ♥ NY” style logo.

You can customize texts, texts-size and mark (heart or others).

For various users, different sizes are provided for typical cellularphone background image size (can be set by using QR Code), Mixi profile image size and three other sizes.

Satoru YANO, the creator, is known his series of web services, including Jimaku.in (English version subtitle.in), comments overlaying video community service (similar to Niconico Douga, slightly later appeared), and recently Yokoku.in, a mashup site which collects sentences including “kill” and related words from several BBS to report police, raising a huge controversy among Japanese internet users.

[Update 2008-08-09] They seem to make the English version of I-love-maker and that links to us!

See Also:

Satoru YANO – Wikipedia [J]

Tags: Japan, New Service by Akky Akimoto
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iPhone 3G provided by Softbank on coming 11th July will be the first iPhone in Japan. Since Jobs’ announcement, there are bunch of Japanese medias and blogs have been discussing if iPhone 3G is worth buying.

To clarify how iPhone and the latest Japanese cellphones spec are different, Asiajin called for comments on what functionalities they have/want/use, to potential Japanese iPhone buyers on Comparison Chart site Narabe. Here is the result,

This was originally asked in Japanese on Japanese version Narabete. Then, I copied the result of votes to the English version.

I initially set “All” and “Some” but “All” can have rare exceptional case, for example special model phones for kids or eldery. Most of “Yes”/”No” look correct but as it is “by polling” so some could be inaccurate.

If you have any features you cannot understand what they mean, please ask by comment.

[Disclosure] Narabe is run by Akky AKIMOTO.

[Update 2008.09.17] Thanks for digging this up. There are no “iTunes” and “Safari” on Japanese cellular phones, but of course those counterparts exist so with all cariiers you can enjoy music/movie download purchase and PC viewable browsers (“Full Browser”).

Tags: Cellular Phone, Japan by Akky Akimoto
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