Archive for February, 2008
“Unbelievable! You look so young and great!”
This is something that many women and men want to hear. Staying forever young is the dream of everyone, especially in an aging society like Japan.
Japan is undoubtedly becoming an aging society. According to a white paper on the aging society by the Cabinet Office in 2006, the number of Japanese aged 65 and older in 2005 for the first time reached 20% of the total population. The government also estimates that the senior population will reach 25% of the total population in 2025.
Under the present circumstances there has been growing interest and a need for anti-aging products among Japanese. TheJapanese government estimates that the market for health foods and health nutrients such as foods with health promoting benefits, food with nutrient function claims, health supplements, and specified health foods will increased to 3.2 trillion yen by 2010 from 1.3 trillion yen in 2001 (source: 2002, Outline for Government’s strategy in biotechnology).
INSIGHTS OUT – What’s Booming for Anti-Aging
1. Cosmetic surgery for youthful appearance
Cosmetic surgery such as wrinkle removals and procedures for diminishing dark spots has become especially popular among Japanese women. Some of the most popular anti-aging treatments at cosmetic surgery clinics include Botox treatment, removing sagging skin and diminishing aging spots on the skin. Cosmetic surgeries, which used to be socially forbidden, have become more widely accepted in Japanese society.
2. Brain exercise to prevent mental aging
‘Brain exercise’ is a popular exercise to prevent age-related memory loss or dementia. ‘Brain Training (Nintendo DS)’, which was released in 2005, is still a very popular software in the Japanese market. There are similar brain training games and exercises on websites, and there are also many books for brain exercises.
3. Proper diet and exercise to slow physical and mental aging
Eating properly and exercising are popular approaches taken to prevent mental and physical aging. There are many books and TV programs covering diet regimen to help slow down aging. Regional communities also promote diet regimen at cooking exercises or seminars. In terms of exercising, fitness gyms and regional communities offer various training programs for senior citizens that can help their physical well-being.
There seems to be much in the way of untapped business opportunities for anti-aging in Japan. Anti-aging businesses do not have to limit their customer base to older people alone; even people who are in their 30s and 40s who a starting to become concerned about aging in the future can be targeted.
February 22 2008 | Health Care | No Comments »
Just after 12p.m., restaurants on the shopping street are crowded with office workers. They are forming long queues in front of restaurants and shops. They form the lines not to enter the restaurants, but to buy Obento (boxed meals) for lunch.
Obento or Bento are boxed meals which can be taken anywhere to eat. School children bring hand-made Obento for lunch if their school does not provide any kyu-shoku (school lunch). At the workplace, Obento is eaten at the desk or outdoors. Ekiben (railway boxed meals) are another popular Obento which are sold on trains or at train stations in Japan.
Increase of Nakashoku (Take-out foods)
Take-out foods such as Obento and Souzai (cooked dishes) have recently become popular among Japanese households.
According to the Food Service Industry Research Institute, the market size of Nakashoku (take-out foods) in 2006 increased from the previous year by 1.3%, while the overall market size for dining-out industries decreased by 0.1% in 2006. Cooked dishes can be served at the dining table at home, or can be put into hand-made Obento as main or side dishes.
INSIGHTS OUT – Why Obento attracts Japanese?
1. Choice and Appearance
Various types of good-looking Obento attract the Japanese. There are many kinds of Obento, ranging from Japanese-style Obento consisting of rice, fish or cutlets, pickles and vegetables as a side dish; to Donburi (rice ball dish) consisting of rice topped with meat or steamed vegetables. They are garnished beautifully with different colored ingredients. The variety ensures that consumers do not get tired of eating Obento.
2. Nutritionally Balanced
Obento also attracts health-conscious consumers. For example, Makunouchi Bento, consisting of rice, fish or meat, and a side dish such as vegetables, looks colorful as well as being nutritionally balanced. Recently, ‘Anti-metabolic syndrome Bento’ has become popular among people who are worried about metabolic syndrome.
3. Convenience
Obento can be eaten anywhere. Busy office workers eat Obento at their desks or in meeting rooms with their colleagues. On sunny days, groups of office workers eat Obento at the Hibiya Park in Tokyo at lunchtime.
4. Low Cost
Obento is good for households who wish to save money, especially during economic downturns. Buying Obento is normally cheaper than dining out for lunch. You can pay only 500 yen for Obento, whereas you may pay 1,000 yen or more to eat lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Furthermore, hand-made Obento using left over foods means that lunch can cost almost nothing.
5. Communicating Feelings
Last but not least, hand-made Obento is a good way to communicate your feelings towards loved ones. Even very busy working mothers prepare hand-made Obento for their children because they want their children to enjoy their lunch. Also, their children look forward to eating the Obento that their mothers make for them.
Recent incidences such as frozen Gyoza (dumpling) poisoning and scandals of mislabeling hamburger patties has encouraged Japanese to hand-make their own dishes. By hand-making meals, you can make sure every ingredient you use is known, as well as knowing how it is cooked; though it is burdensome for working families to cook all dishes on their own.
February 15 2008 | Clothing, Food and Housing | 3 Comments »
On February 13, I gave a presentation, titled “Tips for Japanese Consumer Research” at the Pink Cow in Shibuya, Tokyo.
I talked about what is often overlooked when conducting customer research and several tips for doing consumer research in Japan, including how to select/use research agencies for your projects. I gave several examples from my experience about how sensitivity to consumers is important: is how it’s not always about culture, but it’s about consumers. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of the audience - the majority was non-Japanese.
The Pink Cow Conspiracy (PCC) holds a monthly business event that consists of a presentation that gives participants practical tips, advice or knowledge that they can use instantly to help grow their business. The PCC is an excellent place for networking with other people who are building or want to start their own businesses.
My presentation material is available in the News and Event section of the following link:
http://www.jdr-japan.com/e/
February 15 2008 | Research | No Comments »
Around 8a.m. on a crowded train in Tokyo, a young businessman in a black suit was glued to a book that he was reading; it was a comic book.
The popularity of Manga and Anime has been growing continuously. According to the research institute for publications, Comic-shi (comic books) have had a solid growth in sales from 1999 to 2006, while sales of magazines and books have been on the decline since 1997. Furthermore, the market size of Anime reached about 234 billion yen in 2005, a 3.6% increase from the previous year according to an estimate made by the Media Development Research Institute. Manga and Anime is one of the fastest growing industries in the Japanese economy.
INSIGHTS OUT – Good things about Manga and Anime
- Manga and Anime help contents to be easily understood
Manga and Anime contents are sold not only for “Otaku.” They can also be used for non-Otaku by aiming to communicate something difficult to understand. For instance, you find several Manga publications that cover the tax system and real estate business at Kampo (Japanese government publication stores). Likewise, the cabinet office uses Anime for promoting the judge system on its website. Some students find that Manga on Japanese history is useful for preparation for school examinations. Manga and Anime, therefore, are part of the communication tools used in our daily life.
- Old Manga and Anime remind adults of the good old days
Even adults in their 30s, 40s or 50s enjoy reading comic books or Anime related to their younger days. Anime songs such as “Uchuu Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato)” from the early 1970s, and “Kidou Senshi Gandamu (Moble Suit Gundam)” from around 1980, are some of the most popular Karaoke songs among Japanese men in their 30s and 40s. Comics written by Osamu Tezuka, who was called the God of Manda, are still popular even though he has passed away.
Manga and anime are not something that kids have to read and watch secretly anymore. They are now recognized as part of the Japanese arts, which Japanese enjoy watching regardless of their age.
February 08 2008 | Culture | No Comments »
One day at a bank branch office, an old lady rushed up to the counter desk as soon as her turn came. “I want to change my US dollar deposits to Japanese yen. I really need to do it!” The old lady said, pointing to the electric display of foreign currency exchange rates on the wall.
The influence of the U.S. subprime loan crisis on the Japanese economy is much greater than initially estimated. A Financial
Services Agency (FSA) survey, which was released last November, showed the financial losses among large Japanese banks were 1.2 trillion yen as of the end of September 2007. However, at the press release on January 17th the head of the FSA said that Japanese banks’ subprime valuation losses have expanded since then. In fact, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial announced on January 29th that the group had a 59 percent decline in second-quarter profit associated with U.S. mortgage investment losses.
INSIGHTS OUT – The influence of the crisis on Japanese attitudes
The influence of the U.S. subprime loan crisis is not limited to the economy, but also Japanese attitudes on personal financial assets.
1. “Saving for a rainy day”
Since the subprime loan crisis, foreign currency trading and stock investments among Japanese are not as hot as before. Japanese appear to be keeping their money in their deposits without engaging in any active investments. Japanese stock prices have experienced a downward trend or have maintained similar price ranges, although there are unexpected daily fluctuations. Recently, total deposit amounts among Japanese banks have seen a slight increase. According to the Japanese Bankers Association, the total deposit amounts among Japanese banks in December 2007 increased 2.1% from the previous year. Quite clearly, interest rates for bank deposits are NOT altered for the increase, as even the interest rate for 10-year deposits in yen is below 1%.
2. Shopping without borrowing
Furthermore, Japanese have seemed to become less reliant on loans for shopping. Statistics from the Japanese Consumer Credit Industry Association shows that the total amount of consumer loan shopping in 2007 saw a 1.4% decrease from the previous year, while credit card shopping saw a 10.3% increase. Japanese consumers, therefore, use credit cards for cashless shopping, not borrowing.
The subprime loan crisis in the U.S. appears to have brought back Japanese investment attitudes: risk-averse and conservative. Also, we are not certain how the outlook of the Japanese economy will be over the coming year. But who knows? Right now, what is certain is that most Japanese are worried about possible uncertainty of the Japanese economy in the future.
February 01 2008 | Economy | 4 Comments »
