Besides cultural opposition, Japanese citizens possess high, complex standards when it comes to cellphones. The country is famous for being ahead of its time when it comes to technology, and the iPhone just doesn’t cut it. For example, Japanese handset users are extremely into video and photos — and the iPhone has neither a video camera nor multimedia text messaging. And a highlight feature many in Japan enjoy on their handset is a TV tuner, according to Kuittinen.
https://www.wired.com/2009/02/why-the-iphone/
Tag Archives: japan
Japan, with a twist: the provincial town that hosts people from 49 countries
An unassuming industrial town in Japan, far from the busy tourist hubs of Tokyo and Kyoto, is in the middle of an unprecedented social transformation. Ōizumi, rather than the country’s capital, is at the forefront of Japan’s foreigner-friendly future.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/22/japan-with-a-twist-the-provincial-town-that-hosts-people-from-49-countries?
Artificial intelligence and archive film: how The Light Surgeons put a new spin on Japan’s earliest moving images
Using AI to explore early footage of Japan, Tokinokawa is an ambitious installation merging the antique with the futuristic. From startling discoveries in the rushes to working with ambient pioneer Midori Takada, the creators tell us how it happened.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/light-surgeons-tokinokawa
Japan retakes the luxury centre stage from China
There is a saying in Japan: “When rules exist, they have to be obeyed.” (Cultural Knowns and Unknowns)
“In Japan, people have an impression that when someone stands out, they will be targeted or bullied,” she said. “So people learn not to stand out, and young people see this as a survival method. Teachers talk about individuality, and yet people’s uniqueness is crushed.” In corporate Japan, that in turn creates an atmosphere in which people are often scared to speak out, particularly in meetings, and especially if they are women, Oshima and Nozu said. Read more (Washington Post)
Mapping Knowns and Unknowns
Japan is the Canary in the Coal Mine – The Great Virtual Escape
Rich in tradition and material wealth, Japan’s reclusive youths are often completely uninterested in sex, relationships, or work.
The country’s youth – especially men – are seeking escape from the job and romance market. Video game addiction and shut-in adults (almost all male) make up a large part of what could have been Japan’s workforce. Suicide is rampant.
This may involve some unique Japanese cultural and economic factors, but the trend won’t be uniquely Japanese. This transition from productive nation to virtually reclusive, depressed, and aged nation is one that may be the natural course of the First World.
Artificial intelligence, more immersive virtual mediums, and continuing existential loss of purpose and direction. These factors are likely to drive many other rich First World nations into a solipsistic virtual escape. Read more (Dan Faggella)
Analyzing Trends 