Author: Serkan Toto

Which Foreign Startups Are Doing Well In Japan “Under The Radar”?

It’s no secret that in recent years, quite a few foreign (mostly American) web brands have made it big in Japan: Google, YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia, Amazon etc. But what about startups that don’t have huge budgets to internationalize, no staff in Japan and – in some cases – not even a Japanese user interface (usually… Continue reading Which Foreign Startups Are Doing Well In Japan “Under The Radar”?

BeeTV: Docomo’s Mobile TV Service Hits 1.5 Million User Mark

Mobile TV is often cited as being a dream of the future in most markets, but it has been around in Japan, the world’s most advanced mobile nation, for years. The majority of the 100+ handsets Japan gets every year comes equipped with a 1Seg digital TV tuner (some even have 2 tuners to watch… Continue reading BeeTV: Docomo’s Mobile TV Service Hits 1.5 Million User Mark

Who Are Japan’s Top 10 Celebrity Bloggers?

Tokyo-based CyberAgent, one of Japan’s oldest web companies (founded in 1998 and currently listed with a $1.7 billion market cap), issued two interesting press releases earlier this week. On Tuesday, Cyberagent said their flagship product, blogging platform Ameba, has hit 13 million registered users and continues to be the country’s biggest destination for bloggers. And… Continue reading Who Are Japan’s Top 10 Celebrity Bloggers?

Online Train Timetable Service Ekitan Goes IPO

An online train timetable service that goes IPO? It may sound ludicrous to people living outside Japan, but Tokyo-based Ekitan is doing exactly that. The company will be listed at the Mothers Market (for high-growth and emerging stocks) of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 3 (code 3646). Ekitan started as a Toshiba in-house venture… Continue reading Online Train Timetable Service Ekitan Goes IPO

Japan’s Mobile Social Gaming Giant GREE Partners With China’s Tencent (QQ)

Big news from Asia’s social gaming world today: Tokyo-based mobile social games juggernaut GREE ($3 billion market cap) just announced it will tie up with China’s biggest web company Tencent ($45 billion market cap), which operates the massive QQ platform. The plan is to “export” GREE’s social apps to the rapidly growing market for mobile… Continue reading Japan’s Mobile Social Gaming Giant GREE Partners With China’s Tencent (QQ)

For Social App Development: Mixi And CyberAgent Launch Joint Venture

Japan’s social apps boom isn’t ending: Today, two of the country’s biggest web companies, namely Mixi and CyberAgent, announced they will launch a joint venture to produce social apps for mixi, Japan’s biggest social network, on February 1. CyberAgent is best known for its massive Ameba blog platform, Japan’s biggest (12.4 million registered users). The… Continue reading For Social App Development: Mixi And CyberAgent Launch Joint Venture

Q&A: What’s The Japanese Equivalent Of [enter foreign web service here]?

Are Japanese people using different websites than users in other countries? Back in July 2008 and 2009, we made two lists that showed some similarities and differences in usage, and now it’s time for a reboot. Note: We know that this list is highly subjective. We know that some sites are not identical in nature… Continue reading Q&A: What’s The Japanese Equivalent Of [enter foreign web service here]?

15 New Games: GREE Beefs Up Smartphone Offering

Another day, another GREE-related news item on Asiajin. Today, it’s about GREE’s web site for smartphones for which new games by third-party developers have been added. If you access GREE through an iPhone or Android handset, you’re now able to play a total of 15 games from twelve different companies (full list in Japanese here).… Continue reading 15 New Games: GREE Beefs Up Smartphone Offering