March 31, 2010

Japanese customers newspaper readship over 51.5 million daily sales

"Japan still boasts 51.5 million average daily sales with virtually every household receiving one or more of the big dailies: The Asahi, Yomiuri, Mainichi, Nikkei and Sankei."





Source: Peter Alford and David McNeill, "Stop the Press? The Sankei and the State of Japan’s Newspaper Industry," The Asia-Pacific Journal, 10-4-10, March 8, 2010.
http://japanfocus.org/-David_McNeill-/3318






Further reading:







See Japan cheaply by motorcycle

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 30, 2010

Japanese customers have watched the Nikkei fall by 75% over the last 20 years, what is next?




"Over the past 20 years the Nikkei (an index of 225 stocks) has fallen,
in round numbers, by 75%....As the Nikkei fell
from 40,000 to 10,000, interest rates fell from 7% to 2%, "


Source:Absolute Return
A Yen For Japan
Lisa W. Hess, 12.10.09, 11:40 PM EST
Forbes Magazine dated December 28, 2009
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1228/finance-japan-yen-currency-absolute-return.html?partner=alerts


Further reading:




Japan on two wheels in 2010?

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 29, 2010

Japanese customers sent over 1.9 trillion emails in 2009 according to study




"According to Tech Crunchies, this year

(2009) in Japan 1.9 trillion
emails, (up) 15.5 percent on 2008"


Source: Terries Take
TT-546 -- Running an e-mail marketing project, ebiz in Japan
December 14, 2009
http://www.japaninc.com/tt546_running_an_e-mail_marketing_project


Further reading:









Be part of the Asian Century

Get up to speed with Japan

March 28, 2010

Japanese men return the thought on white day with special gifts for Japanese women


"Giri choco (義理チョコ, literally, "obligation chocolate" in Japanese) is chocolate given by women to men on Valentine's day. It is a relatively cheap type of chocolate women give to male co-workers, casual acquaintances, and others to whom they have no strong attachment. Giri choco is lower-quality than honmei choco, more expensive chocolates women give to their romantic partners."

Source: Wikipedia

Men in Japan generally reciprocate by giving women chocolates and other gifts on White day, celebrated on March 14th one month after valentines day on February 14th. On Valentines day in Japan women give men chocolates and on March 14th men return the favour with chocolates. Fathers give chocolates or gifts to their own daughters and male acquaintances give gifts at work to female colleagues & friends.


Video

One month after receiving gifts from women on Valentine's Day, Japanese men return the favour on White Day.


videoId=56816588">


Source:White Day: Valentines reply in Japan
March 14, 2010
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/news/video/story?videoId=56816588&videoChannel=4



Further reading:






See Japan by motorcycle and save!

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 27, 2010

Japanese customers decided to stay in over xmas and new year as number of international & domestic flight bookings drop

"Flight bookings during the year-end and the new year holiday season between Dec 25 and Jan 5 have dropped 6.7% from the previous year for international routes and 5.4% for domestic ones"


Dec 19, 2009
Japan Today.com
http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/flight-bookings-down-both-for-intl-domestic-routes


Further reading:







Visit a Japanese onsen when you motorcycle Japan in 2010

March 26, 2010

Japanese consumers consumption of fish steadily declining according to research



"Fish consumption (in Japan) has been steadily declining. Per capita fish-eating fell below that of meat for the first time in 2006. The average monthly household spending on seafood has dropped 23% since 2000, to $74 last year."



Source:The Land That Brought You Raw Fish Is Saying No to Seafood
Japanese Try to Stem Falling Consumption With Songs, Classes; Bones Are a Problem
By YUKA HAYASHI
MARCH 22, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703775504575135952519129266.html





Further Reading:





See Japan by Motorcycle

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 25, 2010

Giving Japanese customers what they want pays off for furniture manufacturer



"Giving Japanese customers what they want clearly has paid off: the company exports 90% of its products a year, up to 70% of which goes to the Japanese market."




Source:Taiwanese Furniture Hardware Makers Undaunted by Slowdown
2010/03/03
http://www.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_31322.html



Further reading:





See Japan by motorcycle?

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 24, 2010

Japanese customers use less than 50% of their allocated paid holidays according to new study




"..workers in Japan on average use only 8 1/2 days of their paid holidays — or 47.4 percent of their total average annual entitlement — according to the latest data from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. "


Source:Moves afoot to make Japanese holidays a pleasure not a pain
By TOMOKO OTAKE
Staff writer
The Japan Times: Sunday,
March 21, 2010
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/fl20100321x3.html


Further reading:





See Japan by motorcycle in 2010

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 23, 2010

Japanese buyers have have high expectations of supplier performance according to new research

"we found that buyers in the United States had lower normative expectations of supplier performance than buyers in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom."




Source:Exploring Cross - National Differences in Organizational Buyers Normative Expectations of Supplier Performance
by M.Steward, F.Morgan, L.Crosby & A.Kumar.
Journal of International Marketing, American Marketing Association, Vol.18, No.1,2010, pp23-40




Further reading:








See Japan by motorcycle in 2010


Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 22, 2010

Senior Japanese consumers provide a unique opportunity for tourism industry if they can meet their needs



"From Japan to Germany, senior citizens make up a lucrative and fast-growing opportunity in the tourism industry, with deep pockets, disposable income and free time. But just don't mention their age."



Source: Baby-boomers spark world tourism boom
March 17, 2010
AFP
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-business/babyboomers-spark-world-tourism-boom-20100317-qesp.html



Further reading:




See Japan by motorcycle

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 20, 2010

Number of digital movie screens rises in Japan as Japanese customers go high tech

"digital movies have swelled to around 440 screens in Japan at the end of 2009, up 150% from a year earlier".



Source:Theaters Rolling Out Red Carpet For Digital Movies
The Nikkei
Dec. 24
http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/e/fr/tnks/Nni20091224D23JFA03.htm



Further reading:




Study Japanese in 2010?


March 19, 2010

Japanese female customers turn to school to find a husband

Japanese women in Japan are turning to school for help to find a husband as this Reuters report explains finding a partner in Japan is now harder than ever.

Watch the video here



Source: Japan husband-hunting school opens
Mar 11 2010 - A newly established school in Japan teaches aspiring brides how to find a husband.
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=55184722


Further reading:





See Japan in 2010 and find your new partner?

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 18, 2010

Pssst..foreign food manufacturers Japanese consumers prefer ring pull cans



Photo: Non ring pull top can

Japanese consumers love convenience and when it comes to canned foods there is no exception. Canned foods are referred to in Japanese as kanzume. 缶 is the symbol for can. So when Japanese customers go shopping for canned foods they look for products and features they know. Ring pull topped cans are prevalent in Japan so consumers think that is the standard so when they see cans that have no ring pull they think they are well let's say inconvenient and may also lead them to think what is inside may be different also. Once a doubt is raised in their mind more doubts are created, so if the standard is ring pull top then thats what they look for, seek and feel comfortable with. It matches all the other cans they have at home, they like the ease of use and they always buy it. In Japan cans are recycled and have to be cleaned and sorted. A ring pull topped can is easily washed and sorted as the product stays intact as a one piece object.



Photo: Ring pull top can


If your a foreign food manufacturer and you want your product to be seen and considered by Japanese customers put it in a ring pull topped can. Yes, price is important to Japanese customers but packaging, presentation and how it fits in with what they already know and use is also important.



Further reading:






See Japan in 2010 by motorcycle


Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 17, 2010

Japanese workers typically wear slippers in the work place

"In Japan, the practice of removing one's shoes extends even to the office. I often find people changing into slippers or sandals when working in the office."




Source: Shoes-off OK, but toilet slippers bewildering
BY ETIENNE BARRAL, SPECIAL TO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/03/06
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003050389.html



Further reading:








See Japan in 2010 by motorcycle

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 16, 2010

Japanese tourists enjoying eating kimchi when they travel

"One thing that Japanese tourists find pleasantly puzzling is that kimchi is offered for free at all the restaurants in Korea. "



Source: Kicking it with kimchi
Saturday, March 6, 2010
By Yang Sung-jin
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/
html_dir/2010/03/06/201003060023.asp


Further reading:







See Japan by motorcycle


Visit Motorcycle Japan


to learn more!

March 15, 2010

Cancer is the leading cause of death for Japanese

"Japan's health ministry data indicate cancer is the leading cause of death for the Japanese."



The Asian nation's pharmaceutical companies,
attracted by the Golden State's entrepreneurial culture,
are making deals with California firms to develop new drugs.
By Yuriko Nagano
December 26, 2009
latimes.com/business/la-fi-biotech-japan26-2009dec26,0,2746813.story




Further reading:




See the real Japan on two wheels on a Harley Davidson in 2010!

March 14, 2010

"Consumers in Japan are spoilt for choice and short of time"

"Consumers in Japan are spoilt for choice and short of time. "



Source:So you think you have a great business idea?
BY Marcus Yeung
CEO, Smooch Japan K.K)
February 24, 2010
http://insight.japantoday.com/powering-business-towards
-tomorrow/so-you-think-you-have-a-great-business-idea/




Further Reading:






See Japan by motorcycle in 2010

Learn how to tour at

Motorcycle Japan

March 13, 2010

Consumer buyer behaviour of Japanese customers who undertake study abroad






Gaman - A Japanese Students Four Year Journey in Australia

A holistic international education documentary

By JapaneseCustomer.com





“Amazing insights into a Japanese students
“total” study experience”




Editorial Reviews



"International study is an enormous undertaking for an individual in terms of resources, language, culture & risk. This documentary reveals the four year journey of a Japanese student studying in Australia. “Gaman” is a Japanese word that means endure. JapaneseCustomer.com reveals the students journey from beginning to end. He begins with the student’s life in Japan before study, then follows the student to Australia & the students return to Japan. A fascinating cultural documentary


Book Description:

A holistic international education profile of a Japanese students four year journey in Australia.


Readership:

● Government ● Education institutions ● Third party suppliers ● Employers


Special Features:

● Holistic profile of a Japanese student’s journey – before, during & after study
● 26 page cultural marketing guide
● Unique perspectives of culture, language & experiences.


Product Details:

Title: Gaman – A Japanese Student’s Four Year Journey in Australia
E-Book: Video & 26 page booklet
Publisher: JapaneseCustomer.com
Language: English
ISBN -13: 978-0-9580582-5-4
Preview:  Video
Payment: PayPal
Only available online at www.japanesecustomer.com



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March 12, 2010

Japanese consumers consume approximately 3.3 kg of coffee beans per year according to research

"Japan is currently the number 3 importer of coffee globally and consumed about 412,000 tons of beans in 2005. Per capita consumption, however, is still around 3.3kg, putting the country at Number 41 in the tally of coffee drinking nations"




Source:TT-556 -- Coffee Shop Business, ebiz news from Japan
March 9, 2010
Terrie's Take
http://www.japaninc.com/tt556_coffe-shop-business



Further reading:






See Japan in 2010 by motorcycle

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 11, 2010

Japanese customers get their first taste of low cost airfares today as Ibaraki airport opens





"Ibaraki Airport, about 53 miles north of Tokyo, opens on Thursday (March 11th) and is intended to be a completely new type of Japanese airport: a no-frills facility that could finally open up Japan’s expensive capital city to low-budget airlines."




Source:In Japan, No-Frills Airport Lures Bargain Players
By HIROKO TABUCHI
Published: March 10, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/business/global/11airport.html?ref=asia




Further reading:








See Japan by motorcycle in 2010


Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 10, 2010

Japanese consumer prices fell 1.7% in January excluding food and energy according to article

"Japanese consumer prices, excluding food and energy, contracted 1.7 per cent in January (2010), and 2.2 per cent in December (2009).


Source:Japan's finance minister battles for licence to print money
Peter Alford, Tokyo correspondent
The Australian
March 10, 2010
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/japans-finance-minister-battles-for-licence-to-print-money/story-e6frg8zx-1225838888705




Further reading:







Want to visit Japan in 2010?

Visit Motorcycle Japan

March 08, 2010

"Japanese consumers are more diverse and fickle as ever "

"Japanese consumers are more diverse
and fickle than ever.
Just ask eBay, Carrefour and Prêt a Manger.."





Source:So you think you have a great business idea?
BY Marcus Yeung
CEO, Smooch Japan K.K)
February 24, 2010
http://insight.japantoday.com/powering-business-towards-tomorrow/so-you-think-you-have-a-great-business-idea/




Further Reading:






See Japan by motorcycle in 2010

Learn how to tour at

Motorcycle Japan

March 07, 2010

Japanese customers are seen to be the slimmest in the industrialized world according to research

"Japan has long been the slimmest
industrialized nation,
thanks, in part, to a diet
that emphasizes fish, vegetables
and small servings."




Source:Body image, diet pushing Japanese women to lose weight
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 4, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030401436.html




Further reading:











See Japan by motorcycle in 2010.

Learn about touring Japan by motorcycle at

Motorcycle Japan

March 06, 2010

Japanese customers see book and magazine sales drop in 2009

"book and magazine sales is expected to be around 1.93 trillion yen in
the year, down 90 billion yen from a year earlier"


Sunday 27th December,
Japan Today .com
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/book-magazine-sales-fall



Further reading






Study Japanese in 2010?

March 02, 2010

Six reasons why Japanese Customers are important to your business in 2010



Photo:  A Japanese Customer




 Six reasons why Japanese customers are important to your business in 2010



1. Japan -  the largest economy in Asia

"Asia has accounted for 50 percent of world GDP for most of human history".

Source: The Mad Hedge Fund Trader
November 24, 2009
http://www.japaninc.com/Taking_the_Long_View_on_Asia




2. Japan's GDP per person the highest in Asia

"the average Japanese generates more than ten times the GDP as the average Chinese, and the average Taiwanese, more than six times."

Source: Resistance Is Futile, You Will Be Bought
December 12, 2009:
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/china/articles/20091212.aspx





3. Japanese customers are still the world's best savers


"Households have saved up about ¥1.41 quadrillion in financial assets"

Source: Less work, more play to lift economy: DPJ
By AKIKO IKEDA and SATOSHI KAWANO
Bloomberg
The Japan Times: Saturday,
Sept. 12, 2009
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20090912n2.html






4. Japanese customers world's best hotel guests

1."The Japanese retained the top prize, with hoteliers worldwide naming them the world’s best tourists, ahead of the British and Canadians. Japanese tourists were ranked the quietest and most polite, as well as the cleanest and least likely to complain."

Conducted by online travel company Expedia


Source: World’s worst and best tourists revealed in new survey
July 9th, 2009
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/worlds-worst-and-best-tourists-revealed-in-new-survey_100215649.html




5. Japanese Customer Service - The world's best

1. "Perhaps it is easiest and most logical to conclude that Japan simply provides the best customer service training in the world and that it is derived from a culture of principles"

Source: Best customer service in the world
By ISAAC UCHIYAMA
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/rc20091220a6.html







6. Japanese customers are online

"Japan is one of the world’s most wired countries, with more than 90 million regular Internet users — of which three-quarters use fast broadband connections and two-thirds also log in from cellphones".

Source: In Japan, an Odd Perch for Google: Looking Up at the Leader
By HIROKO TABUCHI
November 30, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/technology/internet/30google.html





Learn more about   Japanese Customers    at   JapaneseCustomer.com



* Market research reports
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* Statistics
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 Be part of the Asian Century in 2010 !

March 01, 2010

International education research on the Japanese international student market by JapaneseCustomer.com




Japanese Student - Buyer Behaviour - Australia

Learn how Japanese students purchase international education



By JapaneseCustomer.com

Qualitative research on the buyer behaviour of the Japanese student market
Behaviour insights across eleven critical decision areas
Ten point customer profiles developed for each visa class
Includes findings, interpretation & recommendations


" how do Japanese students evaluate & buy education? "


Editorial Reviews

" International education is a billion dollar industry, cultural understanding backed with market research is the key to success. JapaneseCustomer.com using qualitative research has undertaken a detailed analysis of the buyer behaviour of Japanese students in Australia. His study uncovered the unique buyer behaviour characteristics of Japanese students across four different education sectors. The findings will be of interest to those wanting to recruit, manage & retain Japanese international students as customers "

Book Description:

Qualitative market research detailing the buyer behaviour characteristics of Japanese international students in Australian education.

Readership:

Government 
Education institutions
Third party suppliers
Employers

Special Features:

In depth interviews with 101 Japanese students results in English

Findings broken down by visa type.
37 charts & 35 references to current articles.


Product Details:

Format: E-Book
Publisher: JapaneseCustomer.com
Language: English
ISBN -13: 978-0-9580582-6-1
Payment: PayPal
Order: Only available online at www.japanesecustomer.com

Key words:

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