Marketing strategy trend in Japan:
Reprodution boom (1999-2010) 

     With lots of companies struggling to think of a way to sell more, there is a trend among different fields of industry in Japan this past 10 years.
     Reproducing the past hit products.
To aim the adults who were kids that remember and now have the freedom of using their own money.  This can be targeted to the Japanese baby boomers, the first(now retired) and the second(now working and have their own kids) baby boomers. People tend to remember and have flash backs of what it used to be when they were young by just looking at a very familiar candy package.  They were just kids and couldn't buy as many as they wanted then, but now, hey, "Buying it isn't such an expensive thing.", one realizes. Can even buy a dozen or collect them. The above picture is of a package from a famous/popular sweets in Japan produced by glico pronounced gu-li-ko(http://www.glico.co.jp/) . This particular one was such a hit since it comes with a toy as a giveaway(omake).

This giveaway toy had more than 20,000 kinds and sold over 5 billion.  Now, reselling this same package, they have renewed their toy to miniature wooden toys.  Attracting the used-to-be girls, now mothers of children making them remember their  childhood and also passing it on to their children. The company, Glico said not only the package but the quality and the good design has made this product  become a huge hit once again after so long.

     Another reproduction hit  are products with the reproduced package but renewed taste/flavor like the one on the left and right.  The one on the left are can sodas with Ultraman packaging ...and not only one but many!  The company notices this great sale increase is due to people buying a dozen or wanting to buy all of the Ultraman packaging cans.  

     Poloroid has done it too! 

They have made digital cameras with the "instant printing from the camera " available.  This is sort of funny when it is clear that digital cameras are taking the market share but yet, this easy printing system which is reminded by the name"polaroid" is still alive and well!  19,800yen for this renewed Polaroid Two, lets you get /give away pictures right away, right there for less than 40 yen per photo.   

Can be  popular to the elder baby boomers who doesn't want to struggle reading the manual to understand which cord to plug where between the computer and the printer, let alone  the process of uploading(although it is so easy and simple nowadays).    

     Now the movie industry is also under the process of reproduction.  Making films from famous comic books.  Some making it based on the comic, some making a different stage for the characters.   Now using real people, one can enjoy watching whether you have read the comic or not.   Uchusenkan Yamato: Space Battleship Yamato (http://yamato-movie.net/en/) , premiering in November, 2010 was a big hit in the late 1970s , Ashitano Jo:Tomorrow's Jo (http://www.ashitano-joe.com/) premiering in February, 2011, is older(40 years ago) than Uchusenkan Yamato.

     If we look around, there are more examples of reproduction such as games, toys, etc. 

      Even donuts too!   

Mister donut, a Japanese donut company sells(From Oct 1st, 2010) their past popular donuts again.

Girls want to look taller too... 
the No.2 best seller in the store today at 
PLAZA, IKSPIARI, Japan

Girls in Japan, they want to look taller and of course be taller too!
As you might know, the majority of Japanese women are petit.  
But with this, shown above, you can be 3.5 cm taller without undergoing pain.  Just slip it in your favorite boots and  the height of your knee will change, making your style much sophisticated and well-balanced.  This product has a nice cushion with dark colors which will not stand out in your shoe. (Japanese take their shoes off in their homes so when you visit someone, you will be taking off your shoes.  Check your socks, and shoes before you go.)

Sweet smell from the confectionery factory is harmful!?!!

A confectionery company sued for continuous smell and noise lost in court 3 days ago in Kyoto, Japan. 

The verdict was that the continuous sweet smell is harmful to the residents along with the noise.  There is no law for sweet smells in Japan.  Although 22 material are regulated by the current law for preventing awful smells which includes ammonia. The people who sued the confectionery company won and an amount 2,800,000yen(32987USdollor, Sept.22nd, 2010).  Resulted to 150,000 yen per family that joined the law suit. The verdict was not only due to the smell and noise but also because the factory built on a land which was restricted only for offices, storage places and houses.

This was the first ruling in history of Japan to judge the smell and the noise of  a confectionery company.  Former  to this verdict, there was a Yakitori (grilled chicken on a stick) restaurant sued, lost and paid 600000 yen.　.

Picture above is Yakitori.

What happens to your paper bags when it rains?!?

In Japan, it is very common to a people holding paper bags covered with thin clear plastic bags on rainy days. Stores will put a plastic cover without being told on paper bags like the one on right. (My bag today. Yes, it was rainy.)

I hear Japan can be said the service(in all kind of industries) is the best in the world. I agree. As a customer, passenger, guest at a hotel, etc., it is wonderful to live in Japan. (If not always thinking about the price of it! I say not always because even if you do think of the price, sometimes it does turn out to be reasonable in Japan.)

However, on the other side, it is a whole different story when you are the one to give the service...

Candy in Japan...impressive!?!



(Each candy has been printed the expire month/year)


So, in your country, when you open a bag of candy which is wrapped one by one, how can you tell the expire date?? From the original big bag?

Well, in Japan, what impressed me recently was each and every candy had the expire date on it. I remember looking at a small imported tomato ketchup and wondering when the expire date is in my refrigerator.

Well, kids, now Mom can look at a small candy and tell you if it is okay or not to eat a candy found under the bed or even in the corner of the living room!

Note: Not all the candy sold in Japan have expire dates printed on each wrap.

おまけ Omake 


This is one of the omake(Free gift, giveaway, throw-in) I got buying a bottle of pepsi for 79 yen. The free gift was something you can hang on your cell phone. A LE CREUSET minature accresory.

Yes, I saw women who don't usually drink pepsi buying a couple of bottles.  With the free gift, is the small paper inviting you to collect 10 points to get a real Le Creuset pot. And of course, you need to write your age, sex, etc for them to know who is starting to buy their product when you send your post card. The internet being such a powerful tool for everyone, we can not forget the URL, where to look on the web, written on the tiny paper as well.

As you know, this marketing strategy has been around since a long long time.  I remember digging in my cracker jacks to see what I got every time my mom bought it.  Asking my younger sister "What did you get?"

Well, with the slow economy, companies are seeking a way to boost the sales, Japanese companies are getting more and more aggressive as to how to use their omake.  Often consumers' decision making may rely on what the omake is.  The omake used to be something only cheap that you would throw away after a while.  Now the quality of free gifts are high and the big and popular, sometimes elite brands are interested to widen their consumer width, too.  

The publishing industry are competing with their free gifts too. Japanese love free gifts.  Omake bags did not have pockets nor zippers. And it was just a thin cloth that could get ruined so quickly.  But now, things have changed.  It's their marketing tool for the sensitive and sometimes picky Japanese consumers!  Japanese men/ladies magazines  have free gifts such as bags that are produced by the popular brands for the age group of their readers.

Yvs Saint Laurent has made lots of women carry their omake bags till people wondered why so many have this particular bag.  One of the reasons that made old and young women use thier omake bag with pride was that the bag was sturdy and black(easy to use in any occasions) with a pocket inside... and also not sold in Yves Saint Laurent stores.

Are Japanese lazy now?

Mikan(mandarine), citrus in English,  used to be a popular fruit to eat during the winter days with feet inside the warm Kotatsu :　炬燵.  But the sales of Mikan have decreased in Japan.  Not only due to the fact that import fruits are increasing and the number of children in one house hold have been decreasing, NHK News watch reported the young generation not eating Mikan because it makes their nails yellow!  The news showed mothers(their children watching next to them) peeling Mikan with tissue paper.  "Reluctant to peel"" Hands gets dirty" were some of the answers people gave to not buying Mikan.  The picture above is the product that has been on the market recently.  Mikan already peeled and frozen. Just like fast food, ready to be eaten.

By the way, this year's mikan are very sweet since Japan had dry weather from summer to autumn(2009) and made mikan sweeter than usual.  Also the mikan in stores now have been kept in storages since December to increase the suger content.

Seven spring herbs porridge
Nanakusagayu：七草粥

The set of seven herbs are in stores.  After new year goods are taken away, we start to see this herb set.  Japanese use these 7 herbs to make a rice porridge.  On January 7th, we eat this porridge to wish an year long health.  This is a traditional Japanese porridge with seven spring herbs.  This custom was introduced from China and then became a custom in Japan by the Heian Period ( 8^th century).  Generally, a  nanakugayu is cooked with salt and seaweed broth.  The spring seven herbs are suzushiro (radish), suzuna (turnip), seri (Japanese parsley), nazuna (shepherd’s-purse), gogyou, hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (henbit).  People believe these herbs would protect them against evils and invite good luck and longevity.　　 However, another thing that this porridge does is to heal your stomach after eating and drinking  too much in New years!  Happy New Year 2010

Lavatory cleaning at school!
Did you clean the restrooms when your were in elementary school?

So, in your country, do the students clean the class rooms or is it the janitor's job?
In Japan, elementary/junior high school students have cleaning duties at their school.
Of course starting from grade 1.
Not only do they sweep but they usually use a wet cloth(Zoukin 雑巾) to wipe the floors as well.  When entering  schools in Japan, you will notice the children changing shoes to indoor shoes(uwabaki　上履き).  Although they wear room shoes, the dust and eraser debris piles up.  Time for cleaning is in the schedule every day.

Today, I found an article in The Japan Times, that lavatory cleaning will be one of the tasks from next April(School year begins from April) for students in all the Yokohama city's 500 public elementary, junior high and high schools.  This is a change since 1985.  Before 1985, students used to clean toilets.  After janitors took over the job of cleaning since 1985, the lavatories increasingly accumulated garbage and graffiti.
As a solution, came this change.  A school survey  showed 88 percent of the children from the third through sicth grades responded that they have been making a more conscious effort to keep lavatories clean.  

Yokohama may seem unique in its taking of lavatory cleanup chores to children, in reality most public schools nationwide(Japan)  consider this task a responsibility of students.  The  School Toilet Study  Group, established by six toilet-affiliated companies, reported that 62 percent of all elementary scholls and 78  percent of juniour high schools have their students clean the lavatories, according to a survey carried out in August, 2009.   And A Yahoo Japan survey last year found 92 percent of the public supports this activity, both at the elementary and junior high school level.

As for the indoor shoes, my kids bring back their indoor shoes every Friday to wash.

Two of the popular stores 

for foreigners when they visit Japan

See-through 13.3 inches　TV for 18,700 yen

Don Quijote　ドン・キホーテ, the fun shop to find all kinds of inexpensive products from costumes to TVs.  With more than 218 franchise, they sell more than 480,856 million yen as of June, 2009.  This winter season, my friend can go there to find Santa Claus costumes, and also buys her kids yogurt, 10 kg rice for 2970 yen and Sake for her husband and tells her husband she saw a good sofa!  She can order her Osechi there too!

100 Yen shop, the shop that sells products that are mainly all 100 yen. (Now, they have products that are 300 yen, too)  Many of you know this kind of shop since it's found all over the world. So I'm not going to write about this.

Gobo(牛蒡)

Japanese food is good for you. Except sometimes high in salt.
Let me introduce gobo, burdock today.

Burdock(English: edible burdok, French: grande bardane comestible) also known as Bardane, Clotburr, Beggars Buttons and Gypsy Rhubarb.

Gobo(edible burdok) is a very commen root that is eaten in Japan.  We use burdok in Tempura, Nimono, salad, etc.  My kid's favorite is fried burdock.  Becomes like potato chips, crispy!  I often haven complimented by foreign guest when they try the burdock Tempura.  Burdock is sliced or cut into sticks in the size of matches and deep fried with Tempura flour.  For most foreigners eating burdock is new to them.  Burdock is from the Northern part of the Eurasian Continent.  It is said to come from China before the 9th century.  Before, It seemed that burdock is only cultivated in Japan to eat.  Nowadays, it is also cultivated in other asian countries to export to Japan. 

Japanese know that gobo is very good for your digestions.  

For more information about the health benefits of burdock,  please take a look at this link.

We rarely see the burdock flower since burdock is harvested before the flower blooms. 

Men, don't choose the wrong flowers for your Japanese ladies/friends!

Taboos on flowers in Japan

Once, I received flowers but didn't make me happy... and I like flowers.  The flowers were Bukka(仏花).  Bukka are flowers for graves or family buddhist atar.  Hey! I'm not dead yet!


Flowers seems to be the perfect gift but be careful in Japan.  These Bukka are available at the florists especially in August when we have Higan(the Buddhist memorial services centering on the spring and autumn equinox).  
You can recognize that the flowers are Bukka since it uses bright colors.  These are some of the names of the flowers used for Bukka.  Chrysanthemums,  Z. elegans, iris, gladiolus, Chinese lantern plant.  Or to double check, why not just ask? 

Other taboos about flowers in Japan. 
To bring or to send a friend in the hospital.
DO NOT GIVE...

1. Plants with pots which have roots on them. :Makes people think the patient also will stay long because of the roots. 
2. White, blue, purple, flowers :Makes people think those colors are for the deceased. 
3. Red flowers Red can make people think blood.
4. Flowers with strong scent : Just not appropriate for the ill/hurt
5. Cyclamen: Cy or shi(し、死)　is death in Japanese、ｃ or ku(く、苦)　means suffer in Japanese
6. Camellia :Camellia drops it's flower after it is done blooming and Japanese feel uncomfortable when ill.
7. Hydrangea :Hydrangea loses it's color as time passes and makes people think negative. 

Ladies, ... how many magazines do you read?  And husbands, do you know which magazines your wife picks up at the book store lately?

Magazines are targeted to certain people...
This time I would like to introduce a magazine "Very".  This magazine seems to be targeted to the ladies in their 30's, probably married, may have children, and who are in the middle class and above.

In this magazine, I found articles of  "Inter Mama" , Moms which stands for moms who sends their children to international schools in Japan.  These moms are perceived as the sophisticated, fashionable, right on the trend with food, interior goods, kid's toys, etc. And of course knows a lot about foreign countries including where to shop, which lounge in the airport has what and many many things that ladies like.  Akogare (憧れ)、meaning envy is the word which average Japanese women have for Inter Mamas.

One thing that worried me in one of the article was that Japanese first graders have been losing their self esteem by around 60 percent till they become 5th or 6th graders.  The word self esteem can be translated but there is no word that exactly explains it in Japanese.  Knowing that it is very important, I am sad to say it is not taken seriously in the Japanese society as in the US.  This article wrote about Abraham Harold Maslow's theory. That human beings want ...

1. physiological need
2. safety need
3. social need/love and belonging
4. esteem
5. self actualization                     

The 4th need, esteem is the one that they were referring to with the elementary school kids.      

I myself have felt this necessity when I just came back to Japan after years in the US.  To able to like yourself although you might not fit in the circumstances.  I assume there are quite a few things that can be an obstacle when kids in the elementary school want self esteem.  Parents might scold them, after all the bad economic situation, parents themselves are striving for their own self-esteem coping with the stress and pressure from the society.  Also, the Japanese tend to be serious which makes it hard to giggle, play around, joke around, relieve stress by hugging each other, etc.  

As a mother of 3 children, this article was a good reminder to always be positive about your own child and show that to the children.  I believe that saying only good things can change the thoughts of the children too.                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Kudaranai Things?　くだらないもの？

I love small cute things just like the key chain you see on the left. Adorable! And look at the sock purse on the picture below.  Hey, I can surprise my sister taking that out of my bag and say "No, it's not my kid's(my child is 1 year old and wears the same size sock) sock, it's my purse!"

I showed these pictures to my sister. And what she said was, "Kudaranai yo Onechan." (What she meant was...Sister, this is something useless it's cute but it's a waste of money.)  Well, knowing that I replied, "Well, that's why I took pictures and didn't buy them at ikspiari..."

Kudaranai くだらない　means trifling; trivial; insignificant; silly; absurd; useless; worthless; trashy in goo dictionary. 

Greenｔea nowadays...
Not bitter like the Japanese traditional tea ceremonies.

Nana's green tea website

Below, is a part of an article from about.com
Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

What makes green tea so special?

•  cancer
• rheumatoid arthritis
• high cholesterol levels
• cariovascular diseaseinfection
• impaired immune function

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

Trend 2009: Japanese Young Men Drinking tap water!

With the bad economy, young men are starting to rediscover Japanese tap water.(From the news、Channel Asahi, Nov 27, 2009)  Japanese tap water are drinkable and it has been for a long time.  We have been  taking this for granted since Japanese are not used to ordering water in restaurants. Just because it's free everywhere in Japan and since the waiter/waitress brings a glass of water after greeting you with "Irashaimase" (いらっしゃいませ＝Welcome).

Japanese men in the offices are drinking tap water since it's free and tastes good.  Of course, they might use BWT which is a portable filter.

I have been told from my Indonesian friend that the concept of good water as in tasty water was not understandable.  He thought water tastes the same.  In reality, no water tastes differently depending on where and what is in the water.

So, in Japan, don't hesitate to drink your hotel water when in need...unless it is written not to.  Be ware... do not drink Onsen (hot spring) water!

Look what I have found.  Sweets displayed like an Osechi.　　￥6,000 yen at Brighton Hotel Urayasu.    Please click to read about Osechi.

Some of the things that reminds that the year is coming to and end in Japan...

Right after taking down Halloween decorations stores are ready to transform themselves to join the competition of Christmas in early November!  And Japanese are as almost rushed into the season of "Shiwasu"(師走), which means the month when the teachers are busy running around,  meaning December in an old Japanese term.

This time I am going to introduce some of the thing that reminds me that this year, 2009 is almost coming to an  end here in Japan too.

Nenngajou(new year greeting post card), Calenders, schedule books, cute things to keep you warm, white radish etc

Let me start off with the not so Japansese things...

Ladies... choose your pick.　Yes, gloves and cuddly pillows are not the most Japanese things but with the display you can see the taste of Japanese ladies.

Warm clothing, cute blankets, cuddly stuffed animals, pillows etc.

Calenders and calenders... This one is full of Japanese drawings.

Schedule books that comes in all kinds of designs.  With the top sellers you can see what design or motif Japanese women liked this year.  The trend like with fashion, changes very quickly in Japan.  And this also boosts up the economy since a lot of women like to be the same as other Japanese friends.  This starts from an very early age...being able to fit in with others.  Ex. Randoseru A backpack used in Japanese elementary schools that are NOT compulsory, but every student has them when they enter elementary school.  The prices range from 20,000 yen (around 200 US dollars) above.

Gerato/Ice cream flavor...

The famous Japanese flavor is  Matcha ( Green tea ),  It's all over the world but how about Houjicha flavor?

Wow, I wonder how many people order that flavor a day.

For your info, there are unique flavors like jasmine tea, afternoon tea with scone, hybiscus tea, Yuzu tea (Korean).

Houjicha flavor can be bought at http://www.follettigerutta.jp/

Blog

I found an interesting blog. The author is a Japanese woman who is in an international trading bussiness.
I've been reading her blog for few years.

In Japanese. 誰でもなれる国際人
http://www.tamagoya.ne.jp/mm/yoko2/b/
http://www.tamagoya.ne.jp/mm/yoko2/prf.htm