Japan, the country of Nintendo, Sony and Sega, doesn’t have a decent casual gaming site anymore (Hangame is big but doesn’t really count in this area). That’s what Timo Meyer, fellow German and founder of Tokyo-based gaming portal Wazap, told me recently (Wazap has recently launched their own casual gaming section). The reason: On January 31,… Continue reading Shockwave closes, Japan loses one of its biggest casual gaming sites
Author: Serkan Toto
$8.70: Emobile Introduces Japan’s Lowest Monthly Phone Fee
Emobile, the No. 4 major cell phone carrier in Japan, said Wednesday that it will introduce a new cell phone price plan on February 7, which is the most attractive in Japan – at least if you aim for the lowest possible prices. For an almost unbelievable basic fee of 780 Yen ($8.70/6.80 Euros), Emobile… Continue reading $8.70: Emobile Introduces Japan’s Lowest Monthly Phone Fee
A Brief History Of Japan’s Social Media Scene
This rough overview shows how the social media landscape evolved in Japan from 1987 till today. Hideyuki Yoshikawa is the man behind this. The original blog post can be found here [JP]. In the past, Asiajin covered Kakaku.com, 2channel, Hatena, Nico Nico Douga, Mixi, Twitter (Japan) and Pixiv.
Japanese and French giants shake hands in e-commerce deal
Sumitomo, one of Japan’s almighty general trading houses (sogo shosha), will buy a 34% stake in Hachette Fujingaho [JP], the Tokyo-based subsidiary from Lagardère Active, a media conglomerate headquarted in Paris. The two companies already signed a basic agreement on January 14 with the deal being worth 5 billion Yen (55 million USD/42 million Euros). Sumitomo… Continue reading Japanese and French giants shake hands in e-commerce deal
Gree says net profit is up 500%, expects yearly sales of 123 million USD
Mobile social networking site Gree [JP] said Friday that their net profit will probably increase by a whopping 500% on a year-by-year basis to 3.5 billion Yen (38.6 million USD, 28.7 million Euros) in the current fiscal year (which ends for GREE on June 30). This is 300 million Yen (3.3 million USD, 2.5 million… Continue reading Gree says net profit is up 500%, expects yearly sales of 123 million USD
100 Japanese companies to participate in new online mall in China in January
Japan’s biggest business newspaper, the Nikkei, is reporting that around 100 Japanese companies are planning to participate in an online shopping mall to be set up on the Chinese web next month. According to the Nikkei, major electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera, drugstore operator Matsumotokiyoshi, children’s clothing retailer Narumiya and mail order company Cecile are among… Continue reading 100 Japanese companies to participate in new online mall in China in January
Japanese company expands to India, will sell mobile games there
India with its massive population of 1.1 billion people and nearly 300 million mobile phone users (second only to China) should be a natural target for any company that’s in the web or mobile web business. But still, relatively few companies, for example from Japan, are seeing the subcontinent as a lucrative target market, at… Continue reading Japanese company expands to India, will sell mobile games there
Coming soon: Sushi encyclopedia for the iPhone and iPod Touch
This news should be especially interesting for anyone who loves sushi and happens to be an iPhone owner: Major Japanese publishing company Shogakukan is planning to release a virtual sushi guide for the iPhone (J). The sushi encyclopedia will be available for download on both the iPod Touch and the iPhone by the end of… Continue reading Coming soon: Sushi encyclopedia for the iPhone and iPod Touch
Nintendo ties up with Hatena, opens door for user-generated content
Nintendo, a company that’s usually not really famous for embracing the web, now lets users publish content they create through Moving Notepad (“Ugoku Memo Chou”) online. Moving Notepad is a free notepad application for Nintendo portable gaming machine DSi. Users can write memos, record sounds and create animations with the downloadable program (that’s made by… Continue reading Nintendo ties up with Hatena, opens door for user-generated content
Big shake-up at Mixi: Apps possible, no invitations anymore, kids OK
Today Mixi, Japan’s biggest social network, sent out a press release (J), announcing some of the biggest changes the site has seen in recent months. The company of the same name also held a press meeting today. And they are opening up pretty radically for Mixi standards. Here are the details: New age limit –… Continue reading Big shake-up at Mixi: Apps possible, no invitations anymore, kids OK