Virtual Economy During Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year) In Ameba Pigg

In Japan, New Year’s Eve and the New Year holidays are the biggest events of the year, and it is similar in virtual worlds. CygerAgent‘s virtual world “Ameba Pigg [J]” sold a lot of virtual goods on the end of the year and the beginning of the year. The Japanese eat “Toshikoshi-soba” on New Year’s… Continue reading Virtual Economy During Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year) In Ameba Pigg

Bijin Tenki: Girls Keep You Updated With Weather Forecast On The iPhone

Bijin Tokei, a company known for having developed a hot girl clock gadget, has recently developed the weather girl iPhone app called Bijin Tenki[J] in partnership with mobile app provider Dwango. On the app, cute girls (no idea on how many girls are involved) will keep you updated with weather forecast for the next seven… Continue reading Bijin Tenki: Girls Keep You Updated With Weather Forecast On The iPhone

English, Please: Social Gaming Giant GREE Seeks To Hire International Staff

Tokyo-based mobile social gaming juggernaut GREE (22 million users, US$3 billion market cap) seems to intensify its international efforts. As announced by CEO Yoshikazu Tanaka back in June last year, big G has recently opened an office in the US after having made an investment in Singapore-based mobile social network mig33. But Tanaka also said… Continue reading English, Please: Social Gaming Giant GREE Seeks To Hire International Staff

Like Facebook, “The Social Network” Could Not Top On The First Weekend In Japan

Japan weekend box office ranking for January 15th-16th weekend has just been released by Kogyo Tsushinsha [J]. The first weekend of “The Social Network” appeared on 321 theaters both in subtitle and dubbed versions all through the nation on January 15, 2011. 1. “Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari” [J] (“1778 Stories of My… Continue reading Like Facebook, “The Social Network” Could Not Top On The First Weekend In Japan

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Apologizes To Japanese Customers For Osechi Trouble

A half month after the ‘osechi'(traditional Japanese New Year food) trouble, Groupon founder and CEO Andrew Mason appeared on video on the Groupon Japan official blog to offer his apologies to Japanese Groupon users. “We learn from this mistake, and don’t repeat the same mistake twice.” I think most Japanese customers will be satisfied with… Continue reading Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Apologizes To Japanese Customers For Osechi Trouble

72-Year-Old Japanese Gamer Said, “Playing Computer Games Reduces Crime”

Shiro Suzuki is a famous Japanese announcer. However, it has emerged that he’s also an expert at action game Resident Evil (Japanese title “Bio Hazard”) produced by Capcom. He received a Nintendo console as a gift at the end-of-year party for one of his TV programs many years ago, and has been hooked on gaming… Continue reading 72-Year-Old Japanese Gamer Said, “Playing Computer Games Reduces Crime”

Social Gaming Platform Mobage-town Gets Monthly Price Plan For Virtual Items

Earlier this week, Japanese mobile social gaming juggernaut DeNA added a new pricing plan to its super-popular Mobage-town platform (which currently boasts 22 million users): users can now pay for virtual items through a monthly pricing plan. This first so-called Premium Course on Mobage consists of two offerings, one for the hit game “Kaitou Royale”,… Continue reading Social Gaming Platform Mobage-town Gets Monthly Price Plan For Virtual Items

Chinamode 2010: 45 Finalists Nominated For China’s Best Web Service Awards (3/3)

(Continued from the previous post.) – – – – – – – – – – Category 7: The Most Remarkable Apps From Outside China Twitter (In Chinese, “推特” Tui-te) is a social micro-blog service.  Its unique and simple architecture have highly contributed to the development of social network services. Kik Messenger is an app of… Continue reading Chinamode 2010: 45 Finalists Nominated For China’s Best Web Service Awards (3/3)

Social Commerce Platform Flutterscape Cooperates With Human Translation Startup myGengo

Two Tokyo-based startups, social commerce site Flutterscape and human translation platform myGengo, have announced a partnership that will make it easier for Japanese Flutterscape users to post product discoveries on the site. The way Flutterscape works is that the site lets any individual living in Japan sell any cool product they have seen somewhere to… Continue reading Social Commerce Platform Flutterscape Cooperates With Human Translation Startup myGengo

Mimiuchi: The Twitter Service Helps You Confirm Mutual Love W/O Confession

A group of three guys including an ex-Yahoo Japan employee introduced Mimiuchi[J] (meaning whispering in someone’s ear), a new Twitter service that allows you to confirm mutual love with someone you are interested in only with his/her Twitter account and without confession.   Of course, for making a result, both you and someone of your interest… Continue reading Mimiuchi: The Twitter Service Helps You Confirm Mutual Love W/O Confession