What's in common between Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and H&M (in Japan)?

The answer is a waiting line. A long one.

Every time a foreign retail chain opens its first shop in Japan, it almost always becomes a social phenomenon. Mass media sensationally promote newly-arrived stores, using words such as "日本上陸　Nihon Joriku/Landing in Japan" or
"日本進出　Nihon Shinshutsu/Entering into Japan."

H&M, a Sweden-based clothing chain has launched its first shop in Ginza, Tokyo, on September 13. 5,000 people had been in line even before the shop opened, and many spent four hours just to get into the shop on the first day. Their second flagship store in Harajyuku has opened on November 8, targeting at younger customers. There are still waiting lines at these shops as long as 1-hour.

The following numbers indicate how popular foreign stores are in Japan
(check out the links for the pictures of long lines):

# of people in line before store opened
H&M Ginza-----------5,000
H&M Harajyuku-------2,000
Burger King------------700

# of customers on the 1st day
H&M Ginza----------------8,300
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts---2,700
IKEA---------------------35,313


Many Japanese are buying into something new AND imported from foreign countries. By "foreign countries," they mean North America and Europe when it comes to new retail stores and many other industries.

People wait in lines with patience, believing the product is worth spending time for. Or, maybe they simply like showing off and talking about what they have seen and bought at newly-opened stores. It's not just shopping but more like sightseeing, experiencing something that no one has seen yet OR everyone around you has seen yet.

The aspiration for the Western lifestyle among the Japanese can have its origin in the Meiji Restoration in the late nineteenth century. That was the national policy to emulate or borrow from West to "modernize" the country. Japan opened its door to the world after 350 years of national isolation, and started adopting technologies, systems and life styles from the "superior" world. This tendency still remains among many Japanese today.

Representing the curious Japanese, I love something new and Euro-American. However, I'm not patient enough to wait in long lines. When Krispy Kreme Doughnuts opened in 2006, it took 2 hours to get a doughnut. I decided not to rush. Two years later,when I stopped by a Krispy Kreme at around 6:00 p.m. on a weekend, the line was 40 minutes long. I gave up as soon as I saw the flock of people. Being desperate for an American doughnut, I tried again on an early Sunday morning at 9:30. Thankfully, I waited for only 10 minutes. The doughnut tasted so American, in other words, very sweet.

I've already been to H&M in San Francisco last year. I didn't buy anything, being unable to find something interesting (to me). I'm not buying into the huge promotion going on in Japan at this moment. However, I heard the product lineup varies from shop to shop, reflecting the demography of the area. To observe the differences and conduct hands-on research, I may go to H&M Ginza and Harajuku someday, maybe some time next year or so when the craze calms down.

SATC in Japan

I finally had a chance to go see SATC over the last weekend. It's been doing very well in Japan , and I heard that you may have to get to the theater earlier to get a ticket. So this time, I reserved a seat on-line for my first time because I really needed to see the movie on that day to refresh myself!

I was surprised to see too many women (98% of the audience were women, I think) flocking to the Roppongi Hills movie theater. It was like a popular clothing shop during Holiday season. Many of them seemed to be mature and fashionable working women in Tokyo. I felt a little out of place there, wearing an Abercrombie tank top, an American Eagle top, and a pair of Yanuk buggy pants.

Anyway, as a big fan of SATC, I really like the movie! Samantha is awesome as always. She is hell of funny! I laughed a lot while watching the movie and I even forgot about what I had been worried about these days. The Brooklyn bridge scene was so moving that I cried. I didn't relate myself to Carrie, who is too enthusiastic about her wedding plan. However, I admire Sarah's professionalism and commitment to this movie, in which she looks at herself in a mirror without make-up. That scene was quite effective to present the tough time that Carrie was going through.

I can't wait until the film is out on DVD. I heard it comes out on this Tuesday in the US. I'm jealous of you guys! It's available only at movie theaters here in Tokyo.

I found an interesting column on a newspaper about SATC. The drama's DVD box did well only in Tokyo, not in Osaka, which is in western part of Japan. According to the article, there are fewer workplaces for career-oriented women in the region than in Tokyo. He assumes that the dream life for women in the area may still be like "Get married with a man from a rich family," so that these women may be reluctant to watch the drama in which working women around 40 meet men and have sex a lot.

I don't know if his argument is right or not because I've never been there and I live in Tokyo, a Japanese equivalent of New York. I just can say I feel great to be in this exciting city, may be not as exciting as New York, though.

Airship Flying over Tokyo

You should always carry a camera because you don't know when you run across something amazing and/or bloggable.

I went to the library located on the 49th floor of Roppongi Hills the other day. When I was having some lemon and cranberry soda, something huge caught my eyes. It was flying close to the tower. "What the heck is that?"

It's an airship called the Zeppelin NT. It's sort of like a moving billboard, flying faster than I imagined so that it was a little difficult to capture it. (Sorry about the quality!) Don't you think it looks like a whale?

The airship is very rare.

At present, there are only three Zeppelin NTs in the entire world and only two of those can be used for commercial purposes. Nippon Airship Corporation's Zeppelin NT is the only one outside of Germany.
(Source: Nippon Airship Corporation website )

The price for a 90-minute-sightseeing flight over Tokyo is from 148,000 yen (≈$1,375.20). I heard that the flight tickets are often sent as anniversary gifts. If you are interested, please contact Nippon Airship Corporation and have an unforgettable flight!

Speed Racer + Sex and the City

As I mentioned in Tokyo Movie Experience Part 3, I went to see Speed Racer! I'm planning to go see it one more time at the movie theater. Yopiko, a huuuuge fan of Jin Akanishi and one of the most prominent fan blogger, went to see the movie twice! Some fans say they saw it three times! I admire their enthusiasm.

I fully enjoyed Jin's voice acting for Speed Racer and the movie itself, of course. My favorite line is, "What should I do with you?" Speed calmly talks to his car when it's stopped, trying to figure out what to do next with the gear. Speed's (Jin's) heavy breathing right after the race is incredibly sexy. Jin's voice is a gem!

I watched on TV that Jin and Emile Hirsch (aka Speed) chatted in English at the press conference in Tokyo. In the photo session, Jin helped Emile with interpretation because photographers gave instructions to them in Japanese. (Source: oricon style 7/21 issue, 2008) Among Japanese male celebrities, who else can communicate with Hollywood stars in English? All I can think of are Masi Oka and Ken Watanabe. Jin was so stunning on the stage that he looked like a Hollywood star to me. Check out this video. Other related videos were already deleted.

Sex and the City will finally open on August 23 in Japan. This is a flyer that I got at the movie theater. Flyers are available at theaters and we can get information on upcoming movies. It's a popular PR tool in Japan to get moviegoers back to the theater.

Have you seen the movie? How do you like it? Guess what, I love the series so much that I watched all of the episodes. I like not only its fashion but also the way it portrays women's friendship. I even have the SATC official guidebook, "Kiss and Tell." The book has a lot of funny pages, including who they "did" and "didn't."

I'm sorry to say this to Carrie's fan, but I often get annoyed by her for some reason. I love her shoes, though. :) I want to be a woman who is sort of half Miranda and half Charlotte. Smart and beautiful. Have a good balance of being logical and emotional. Who do you like most? I can't wait to see SATC the movie!

Related posts:
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 1
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 2
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 3

Happily Ever After Fantasy? White Man Cafe

I just watched CNN world news yesterday, which was about "Butlers Cafe" in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The cafe is full of white male "butlers." It's the male equivalent of Akiba's maid cafe for female customers.

Before I start talking about it, please check out the video first. The image is more powerful than text to explain what it's like at the cafe.

So, what do you think?

My first impression was, "Are they really wearing tiaras? Or is it just for TV?" I don't want to say bad things about these women, but the tiara thing was kind of silly...

The point is all the butlers are WHITE men. This shows how many Japanese women are into the image of Western men appearing in Hollywood movies and TV series--today's fairy tales. If Japanese men served tea as butlers, female customers would not get refreshed because Japanese men remind them of their daily lives. Talking to good-looking Westerners in ENGLISH is surreal for them. These women come to the cafe to free themselves from stress, according to the CNN report.

I'm surprised that there are women out there who are so stressed out that they end up going to places like this. Unfortunately, Japan is still male-dominated society so that a lot of females may be stressed out as CNN points out. However, are they really that tired? If so, I want to let them know my blog URL to share their thoughts with me and hopefully, to make them feel better. It's totally free! Or, are they just interested in white men and looking for opportunities to speak English?

To heal your mind is not simple. Of course, I'd love to talk to good-looking gentlemen. But not at the cafe at least for me. I'd rather find a more constructive way to make me happy, not an instant relief but a long-lasting solution. Maybe I'm not good at just having fun at ease with someone unknown.

For details, check out Butlers Cafe website and a female writer's report of her experience of being a "Princess" at the cafe. It's a fun reading with lots of photos (mostly in Japanese). The reporter looks cheerful in every picture, I don't understand what's good about some guy holding and lifting you up, though. Note that you have to pay extra for the lifting service.

Would you like to go to a cafe where good-looking Japanese men in samurai costumes serving you drinks?

Tokyo Movie Experience Part 3

About 50-60% of the movies here in Japan are Japanese, but I rarely see them. I've never seen any Kurosawa films. I'm so into Hollywood movies and TV series.

American movie titles are often renamed and become longer than the original titles when these are translated into Japanese. Take a look at Japan box office below to see the diffrences. The titles in boldface are the original ones. Japanese movies are written in purple.

Japan box office Weekend of June 21, 2008 - June 22, 2008

(Japanese->reading in Katakana->English translation->English original title)

1. インディ・ジョーンズ　クリスタル・スカルの王国　Indy Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ---> Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2. ザ・マジック・アワー 　The Magic Hour

3. 奇跡のシンフォニー　Kiseki no shinfonii/The Miracle Symphony--->August Rush

4. ナルニア国物語　第2章：カスピアン王子の角笛　Naruniakoku monogatari dainishou: kasupian ouji no tunobue/The Chronicles of Narnia Chapter 2: The Horn of Prince Caspian --->The The Chronicles of Narnia:　Prince Caspian

5. 相棒　劇場版　絶体絶命　東京ビッグシティマラソン42.195km Aibou Gekijyoban Zettaizetsumei Tokyo Big City Marathon 42.195km /Partner the Movie: Catch-22 Tokyo Big City Marathon 42.195km

6. 西の魔女が死んだ Nishi no majo ga shinda/ The Witch of the West is Dead

7. 僕の彼女はサイボーグ 　Boku no Kanojyo wa Saibougu/ My Girlfriend is a Cyborg

8. 築地魚河岸三代目 　Tsukiji Uogashi Sandaime/The Third Generation of Tsukiji Riverside Fish Market

9. ラスベガスをぶっつぶせ　Ras Begasu wo buttsubuse/Beat Las Vegas--->21

10. ダイブ!! 　Daibu!!/Dive!!

Source: MovieWalker /Kogyo Tsushinsha

Click on movie names to get details. Some of these websites will automatically start with movie trailers.

Ta-da! Speed Racer will finally open on July 5. Have you seen it? Jin Akanishi is a voice actor in the movie. I can't wait to see (or listen to) it!

Related posts:
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 1
Tokyo Movie Experience Part 2

Tokyo Movie Experience Part 2

I've written previously on going to see movies in Japan in Tokyo Movie Experience Part 1. I must confess that I'm a huge chick flick fan. So I had already decided to see"27 Dresses" before I arrived at the multiplex.

In the first part of the movie, Jane (Katherine Heigl) goes back and forth between two wedding receptions. That is too much. One or two round trips are enough to describe Jane's personality. But overall, I like 27 Dresses. One of the funniest parts is the conversation between the nosy aunt and Jane at her sister's rehearsal dinner. I give it ★★★★ out of five stars.

Here are my "Lessons Learned from 27 Dresses":

1. Live your own life. Listen to yourself and focus on what you truly love.

2. Don't be too nice to people. Have the courage to say "No."

3. James Marsden (Kevin)has astonishingly beautiful eyes. He is cute, but not as sexy as Jin Akanishi (to me).

Whenever I go see a movie, I have caramel popcorn and coke. It's a must-buy to maximize my movie theater experience. The sizes are smaller than in the U.S., but they are huge for me. I feel like an American with these "stimulating substances." By the way, I drink coke only at movie theaters, which means I have about 10 cups of coke a year.

It's medium. The width of the popcorn container is as wide as my paper mate pen. I enjoyed my third or fourth cup of coke this year.

Do you have any idea what Japan box office is like? I'll talk about it in my next post. Till then, see you!

Tokyo Movie Experience Part 1

Do you know what it's like to go see a movie in Tokyo? It's pretty much the same as in the U.S. except for the ticket prices* and movie lineup.

Multiplex cinemas, シネマコンプレックス cinema complex or シネコン in Japanese, was launched in Japan in 1993. The number of multiplex cinemas increased rapidly like mushrooms after a rain, and by the end of 2006, 72% of the total movie theaters had become multiplex cinemas--a sort of American cultural invasion, which I welcome. (Source: TV station.jp )

TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills (shown above) is one of the most "Americanized" movie theaters in Tokyo. It's clean, large, and new, and I love it. The interior is suggestive of the near future. Click here to see great photos of the interior design.

As I explained in Golden Week and Movies, when it comes to movie release dates, there are the time lags between the U.S. and Japan. I've taken some photos of posters outside the movie theater. You will get some idea on the movie lineup in Japan at this moment. The Bucket List is still showing.

The movie that I chose was...to be continued in my next post...

*A movie ticket costs 1800 yen (≈$16.68). We don't have matinees here in Japan. Do you want to save money? Special rate tickets are available at 1000 yen (≈$9.27) per ticket, such as "Ladies Day Tickets" on Wednesdays and "Movie Day Tickets" on the first day of each month.

iPhone: To Buy, or Not To Buy, That is the Question

I took the above picture at an Apple Store in San Francisco last summer. It was so crowded that we had to wait for about 10 minutes or so just to touch the phone. The iPhone is that popular in the U.S., and I've been hoping that it would make its way across the Pacific.

Now, Apple and its partner Softbank will finally launch the iPhone in Japan, as well as 21 other countries around the world, on July 11. Fortunately, it's a lot more affordable than the old model. I was amazed that Apple announced a partnership with Softbank because I assumed Apple would close a deal with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading carrier, not with Softbank, the third leading carrier.

Anyway, I can't wait to buy an iPhone. But the problem is that I'm a DoCoMo user. In fact my entire family uses DoCoMo. I'm wondering if I should switch to Softbank right away or wait and see. Sources say Apple might make a contract with DoCoMo as well. It's hard to tell when the right time to buy is and what the right cell phone is.

Another concern I have is the size of the phone. It's perfect for browsing the Internet, YouTube, and other media sites, but I can't imagine actually using it as a phone, which is supposed to be the main reason for getting an iPhone. I use my cell for emails, but I still need to make calls on it. That's what makes it a cell phone. The iPhone is incredibly large and it might look kind of silly if I use it as a phone. What do you think, iPhone users? Are you comfortable with making a call on your iPhone?

To buy an iPhone, or not to buy it, that is the question.

Jin Akanishi: Japan's Sexiest Male Celebrity

Are you living outside of Japan and are into Japanese hunks? If so, the list will definitely catch your eye!

Jin Akanishi tops the list as oricon's "10 Sexiest Male Celebrities" by an overwhelming margin. The Internet poll was conducted May 22 through 26 among 500 high school students who are registered as oricon monitor research members(250 males and 250 females).

According to the poll results, the reasons why they voted Jin Akanishi the sexiest include:

*All aspects of him, including his voice and dance, are sexy.

*His vocal style and gestures are erotic.
He gives off a sexy vibe.

*I love the way he casts a seductive side glance.

*His way of looking at the camera is so hot.

If you are getting interested in him and residing in the US, I have good news for you. Jin Akanishi, who studied English in Los Angeles and writes lyrics in English, says he hopes to launch a career in Hollywood. To American women: when he realizes his dream, please blog him to help Japanese girls keep up-to-date with his work. His fans will definitely flock to your blog. He was born on the 4th of July, sharing his birthday with the US, btw.

I've heard that Japanese male celebrities are getting popular in the US. Many American women find them attractive because they are androgynous looking and have good skin. These features may not be found in Americans and Europeans. It totally depends on the person, of course.

FYI. Here's the complete list of 10 Sexiest Male Celebrities:

1. Jin Akanishi
2. Masaharu Fukuyama
3. Takuya Kimura
4. hyde
5. Mocomichi Hayami
6. Hiro Mizushima
7. Hiroshi Tamaki
8. Gackt
9. Jun Matsumoto
9. Yu Shirota

Last Friends: Japan's Popular TV Drama

Domestic Violence(DV), Gender Identity Disorder(GID), sex phobias, child abuse and neglect, office romance and extramarital affair, AND love triangle of a DV victim woman and her best friend who suffers GID, and a man who is a child sexual abuse victim and a sufferer of sex phobias. All of these serious issues are being featured in a single TV drama called "Last Friends."

It's sort of like a mixture of Boys Don't Cry, Antwone Fisher, The O.C., ER(extramarital affair), and Beverly Hills, 90210(Remember Donna and Ray?) Moreover, these sufferers and the office romance couple share a house all together. To share a house with friends is not common in Japan, btw.

Last Friends is doing well and ranked No.3 most-watched drama of the season last week. I think it's a reflection of the current atmosphere in which we realize that we need to address these social issues. Pop culture always mirrors social phenomena and vise versa.

The theme song of the drama is "Prisoner of Love"by Hikaru Utada. The single has been downloaded 1.5 million times so far (source: Listen Japan). Utada writes music and lyrics that sound fresh and new. You can hear a little bit of the sentimental song at Listen Japan. People's comments are available on oricon style music.

Unlike American TV series, each season brings new dramas in Japan. As these programs are replaced quarterly, conversation topics and fashion trends shift accordingly. Or, current trends change so rapidly that the dramas need to follow them. No wonder it's hard to keep up with the trends even for locals in this fashion-conscious country.

Studying is In-Part 2

I can't believe it's been about two weeks since I posted Studying is In-Part 1. Sorry for your waiting for Part2, in which I was going to explain the reasons behind the enthusiasm for study. I have been busy with...er, studying.

So why do we study, anyway?

I've been thinking about the reasons why. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Study sells.
It's a kind of "hegemony" in which we buy into the ideas which mass media, publishers, and schools for working people promote through advertisements. These industries make us believe that we need to keep studying, otherwise we are going to get behind and have trouble. That's the way marketing is. Companies always want us to pay more, sending us messages that they will solve our "problems." Hence, we seem to have developed "we've got to do something about it" mentality.

2. Studying as a safety net
The industries are probably fueling demand for studying.
At the same time, we are convinced to do so because we actually face a lot of challenges. Younger generations, especially the second-generation of baby boomers in their late 20s and early 30s, or 団塊ジュニア(dankai junior), are called one of the most disadvantageous generations because they have been exposed to intense competition. They tend to be serious about improving their skills.

According to official stats, Japan's economy was booming in the last few years or so (I didn't even realize when it happened). However, it seems that those who receive benefit from the boom are newly hired employees and college graduate job-seekers. Not second-generation of baby boomers who struggled to survive "the glacial age," or 氷河期 (hyoga-ki), when jobs were so hard to come by. The survivors have become programmed to keep studying for an anticipated difficult situation. Studying is a solution to cope with anxieties and live through the seemingly uncertain society.

3. The Paradigm Shift
The uni-cultural society is finally getting diverse and once-unusual ways of life are now being widely-accepted. . Being a generalist used to be a norm for most of the Japanese company employees. However, we have seen a shift towards being a specialist in the last decade or so. Starting your your business is becoming common in this conservative country where people tend to rely on lifetime employment, rather than challenging yourself in a new field. Getting a certificate and/or achieving special skills is a plus (maybe a must) to be successful and stand out in your company, even if you choose to remain to be a company employee.

4. Instinct
Like appetite, we simply want to learn something new. We love it because it's entertaining. It's inherited through genes. Look at kids. Their eyes sparkle when they try or find something new. My curiosity about foreign countries has been the main drive of learning English. It makes my life more fulfilled.

5. Meditation
This is a very personal reason. Studying is a process in which I trust myself, believe in a better future, and gain confidence by listening to my inner voice and spending time by myself. (The photo shown above was taken at a place of quiet "meditation.")


The above list turned out be shorter and simpler than I expected. I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't come up with more. I have to improve my skills to analyze current social phenomena. Oh, I gotta go now to study...

Studying is In-Part 1

Petunias are blooming, a crisp breeze is blowing, and I'm hoping to begin something new. Spring air makes me feel like learning. And I'm fortunate to live in Japan because studying(勉強benkyo) is in and helpful tips are everywhere.

New school term and fiscal year begin in April in this country. This is the season when young and old alike flock to bookstores, hoping to learn something new. Bookstore shelves are filled with titles, such as "Study Skills to Increase Income 10 Times", "Leverage Studying," "How to Study-Making the Most of Your Brain," and even "Study Hacks!(The title is in English. I didn't translate it)."

One of the new business trends is "study room." You may not believe this, but it's true. There are about 50 places offering charged study rooms in the Kanto region.* For a cubicle in Shinjyuku, Tokyo, it costs up to 23,000 yen per month(≈US$221 as of April 20, 2008). (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Newspaper*, evening edition, 4/19/2008) I myself go to a study room in Roppongi.

Any trend, including this study craze, experiences booms and busts. It seems studying is most popular ever throughout its history(at least to me). So why are many Japanese into studying now? In the next post, I will elaborate the story of why we are seeing the trend.


*The Kantō region (関東地方, Kantō-chihō) is a geographical area of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. The region encompasses seven prefectures which overlaps the Greater Tokyo Area: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kant%C5%8D_region)

*Nihon Keizai Shimbun (日本経済新聞, lit. Japan Economic Times), or Nikkei (日経, Nikkei) is a leading economic newspaper. (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihon_Keizai_Shimbun)