Japan Pulse

Recent Posts

• Augmented Reality taking it to another level

  Augmented reality is coming into its own, revealing more and more hidden layers of info. It’s all there for the taking.

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• Smokers escape the gas chamber

  Smokers in Japan are losing ground but Japan Tobacco and other companies is doing what it can to find safe havens for puffers.

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• “Ryomaden” romanticizes (and monetizes) history

  It’s official. Japan is in the throes of what’s bound to be a long-term romance with a certain rebel samurai named Ryoma Sakamoto.

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• Gachapon grows up

  Capsule-toy machines attract collectors like moths to a flame and as cheap thrills go, the novelty of gachapon is still burning brightly.

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• Fukubukoro hunting tamed by the Internet

  Fukubukuro are a time-honored New Year’s tradition, but in 2010 some stores were making their lucky bags with marriage hunters in mind.

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• Best of luck in the year of the tiger

  In the year of the tiger, some Japanese businesses have decided to kick it off with inventive giveaways and competitions.

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• Trends in Japan 2009: changing gender roles

  In 2009, traditional gender roles were tweaked slightly in Japan by herbivorous males and carnivorous females.

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• Trends in Japan 2009: fast fashion

  A few high-end fashion names were forced to pull out of the Japan market in 2009, but the fast fashion outlets picked up the slack.

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• Trends in Japan 2009: celebrity drug busts

  Following a brief period of reefer madness in 2008, celebrity drug busts in 2009 threw a searchlight on the availability of harder stuff in Japan.

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• Trends in Japan 2009: virtual love

  In 2009, a lot of hype surrounded human’s attachment to virtual and 2-D characters. Was it just hot air, or a sign of things to come?

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