I enjoyed reading 5th, April Issue of Newsweek Japan. The featured article titled "NIPPON DAISUKI! ---We Love Japan!---" focused the new meaning of "Made In Japan." As subtitled "Anime and Manga are Old! Neo Japanese Culture Fascinates the World," the article intorduces various "Made In Japan" products that got popular outside the Japan with new usages. SUDOKU got popular in England for training brainpower, a famous actress loves disposable pocket warmers for her painful period, a high-grade KARAOKE compartment in London is the newest and most cool entertainment. Some American girls regard YAOI MANGA, the Japanese homosexual boys story, as "liberation from bondage of gender for women." It seems those "Made In Japan" products set the new way of lives.

Thinking of Japanese style of life, I found I am surrounded by quite unique not-high-tech "Made In Japan" products that I can not think of any counterparts in other world. However, the Japanese companies are enthusiastic in exporting high-tech products and are not interested in the value of Japanese traditional culture and modern life style of the Japanese. There are much business chances because any marketing textbooks tell us selling our uniqueness is the key for success in any business. The standardizations of shipbuilding, iron manufacturing, and semiconductor foundries are quite completed now in the 21st century. Among those once productivity-oriented industries, Japanese companies can not be the unique. Any companies in the world can get the knowledge of production operation and set up factories.

On the other hand, for example, you might start to sell 100% pure KONYAKU as an ultimate diet food. The Japanese people should look back their culture and traditional product in the light of worldwide marketing. They must look aound themselves as if they were foreigners.

During Edo period, the Japanese reached cultural height under long-lasting economic stagnation. As we, the Japanese, must face the aging society with few children, they might find many cultural values and wisdoms in the Japanese history and low-tech products.

the original Japanese article on my Japanese blog.

I enjoyed "nama" PUFFY on the SUMMER SONIC yesterday. I first knew PUFFY has many many boys-fan than girls, and they makes boys roar, not so different with Morinig-Musume... I gave up to dance in mosh of boys, quit it after the second number. they said a 10-year coming soon, and hope to make a something anniversary. 10 years!! I bought two AmiYumi-Tee. cute.

My feature was a the La's, their gig was excellent! and Im going to stand-alone one tonight.

Coincidently, it seems long tail topics got popular both in English blogosphere and Japanese blogosphere.

In Japanese blogosphere, those articles are best.

• "Long Tail and Basic-law of the Internet Businesses" by Mr. Satoshi Watanabe

• "About Long Tail Theory by Mr. Mochio Umeda

BTW, at the recent session of "Power-law and the net trust money talking night," Mr. Ichiro Nakagawa talked about "Long tail of Self Realisation." His discussion was marvellous.

Hopefully, before continuing to read the rest of this article, please read those discussions or some other articles about long tail theory in English.

I want to discuss weather the long tail phenomena really shows the break of power-law or not.

I was interested in Mr. Asakura's discussion where he used calculus to analyse long tail. As it is possible to approximate Zipf and power-law by exponent function, I thought an exponential index is the key whether 80:20 law by Pareto can be applied to the long tail phenomena or not. I used EXCEL to investigate this problem.

• EXCEL FILE

Let's think we are going to open a virtual book shop where we sale 100 books. There must be a top 20 sales books, or "out of top 20 ranking" books. I made 100 hypothesized data on this EXCEL file, using exponential function as power-law. When you open the EXCEL file, please put some index number into the lined cell on left top column to manipulate how the exponential function index changes sales ranking of those item. Clearly, the ranking of sales shows the 80:20, where top 20 items account for 80% of total sales, to 60:20 or lower. I found the index of -1.21 or bigger (+) number shows the long tail portion of our books sales, which are the sales of 20th and lower sales ranking books, makes 20% or more total sales. Vice-versa, -1.21 and smaller (-) index shows more concentrated sales where top 20 sales books accounts for 80% or more.

Though the "real" net book shops like amazon.com have tremendous number of items, the number of items is still finite. The point is that the holding cost and dealing cost of net business is almost negligible, if you compare it for those of legacy "real" business.

One more point is that our virtual shop has only 100 items and I got the conclusion of index of -1.21. However, the "real" net bookshops have tremendous number of items and the index would be different from our conclusion. Still, those items out of top 100 or 1000 ranking can consolidated sales that exceeds that of top 100 or 1000 ranking items.

<reference>

• Long Tail vs. Lessig @ The Long Tail
• The Mass Age to Common Nitch Age (1) by ck (Japanese)
• The Mass Age to Common Nitch Age (2) by ck (Japanese)

Recently, some of my friends discussed about Chubu International Airport, or Central Japan International Airport. The conjunction city was going to change its name to "South Centrair city" due to the fact that the pet name of Chubu Airport is "Centrair", which is a synthesised word of "central Japan" and "airport." (Later, this naming was rejected by citizens of the city.)

To my surprise, though my friends knew the "Centrair," they did not recognise once-called New Tokyo International Airport had become Narita Airport last April....orz

I should say that public relations department of Narita Airport Authority has not made enough efforts to advertise its name.

http://www.cjiac.co.jp/foreign/english/faq/index.html

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html

Wmn, looking the positions of these two airports, I wonder if the Chubu "Centrair" Airport is "centre" of Japan.

Postscript: Oops, I borrowed this map frim CIA site... there written "Occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, administrated by RUSSIA, claimed by JAPAN."

 

When I discussed the crisis of Darfur among Japanese bloggers, a friend of mine, Mr. Yamaguchi, told me that my logic and usage of "Democracy" are not persuasive. I explained what I felt about Democracy and he suggested me to write it in English. Therefore, I write.

When I was in the US, in the "Business and Society" class room, an American girl student made an impressive speech. She expressed the world without Democracy was where one cannot walk streets with her heads up.

I find the Democracy is more than a mere political decision-making system. It means that one accept the other's presence and existence. It means that one permit others to survive, to live, and to share communities. It is a reciprocal process. A person has to bother each other from the moment she was born. I believe Democracy has ethical aspects and ethics is the way to coordinate interests among the community members.

On the other hand, "MINSHUSHUGI," which is a translated Japanese word of Democracy, means a little different in Japanese people and the definition of "MINSHUSHUGI" is a little narrower than that of Democracy.

By the way, Mr. Joi Ito wrote very charming essay titled "Weblogs and Emergent Democracy." It shows how our net community affects the real world by emergent power and I found a new hope of Democracy and MINSHUSHUGI.

[Reference]
-Views from Japan
-Joi Ito

Some Japnese bloggers introduce English articles about Darfur into Japanese blog society, however, I do not know any case of vice versa. As Mr. Munaguruma suggests in his article (Japanese), it is significant to introduce to English-speaking bloggers on how some international problems are discussed among Japanese bloggers.

I believe the crisis in Darfur is the most urgent problem in the current international problems because it touches the life of Democracy. Those bloggers started a wiki site to collect and share the information in Japanese #1.

I am not sure how the Crisis in Darfur is reported, discussed and treated in English-speaking bloggers, but some might understand there are people who care about this problem in the far east Asia.

#1
Trial translation by Google:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://wiki.fdiary.net/sudan/

It is my regret that Google translates "Darfur" as "dull fool." Also, "Bu logger" means "blogger."

February 2nd, 2005, Future Planning Network (FPN) chose 11 alpha bloggers. "Alpha bloggers" means originally technological mentor on the net, however, they intentionaly meant very affective bloggers to lead opinions in Japanese net world. The event was so popular that FPN site down on the day.

The chosen bloggers are;

[Rondan Blogs] (The Best Opinion Leaders)

Mr. Ichiro Yamamoto on
Kirikomi Tiachou Blog (Drawn Sword Platoon Leader)
http://kiri.jblog.org/

Mr. Finalvent on
Kyokutou Blog (Fareast Blog)
http://finalvent.cocolog-nifty.com/fareastblog/

Mr. R30 on
R30::Marketing Shakai Jihyou (R30:: Marketing Socio Critiques)
http://shinta.tea-nifty.com/nikki/

Mr. Tetsuya Isozaki on
isologue
http://tez.com/blog/

[Antena Blogger] (The Best "Antena" Leader)

Mr. Hajime Taguchi on
100Shiki.com (Dot-com of the day)
http://www.100shiki.com/

Mr. Daiya Hashimoto on
Passion for the Future
http://www.ringolab.com/note/daiya/

Mr. Koichi Orita on
Ad Innovator
http://adinnovator.typepad.com/ad_innovator/

[Tech. Blogger]

Mr. Mochio Umeda on
Eigo de Yomu IT trend (Reading IT Trend in English)
http://blog.japan.cnet.com/umeda/

Mr. Chika Watanabe on
On Off and Beyond
http://www.chikawatanabe.com/

Mr. Naoya Ito on
NDO::Weblog
http://naoya.dyndns.org/~naoya/mt/

[The Best News Site Bloggers]

Mr. Masato Kogure on
[N]Netafuru (Give you a Dope!)
http://netafull.net/

[Lady's Selection]

Ms. Ramune Murayama et al (Group Blog) on
Working Mother Style
http://www.wmstyle.jp/

I just read an micro-economic analysis which maximize our utilities whether we should have two children or, say, four.

http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2005/01/the_selfish_rea.html

Have the number of children that maximizes average utility over your whole lifespan. When you are 30, you might feel like two children is plenty. But once you are 60, you are more likely to prefer ten sons and daughters to keep you company and keep the grandkids coming.

I was so surprised how different people think about the number of children between in US and in Japan. Writing blog articles in Japanese, I found many people in Japan, especially those who write their blogs, do not like the idea of having children. Some of them want none. It seems having children is a burden both economically and psychologically for young generations in Japan.

While people in the U.S. wonder to have their fourth children, in recent article, there is a discussion if Japanese people would have their second children or not.

http://nv-club.nikkeibp.co.jp/members/COLUMN/20050111/105697/
(in Japanese)

I hope someone explain why.

Today, I am trying to discribe why I dont like THE LORD OF THE RING...

I really love to read some fantasy story from a young age, and I had hope would like to read it long time. so I thought it is a chance when I knew its filmization.

But I watched the movie after, unfortunately I didnt enjoy it profoundly.
In that story, I feel have no place for me. and I felt a doubt to expression of Gollum.
But I know it needs a great prepared to render.
I tryed to read the book too, but I gave up. It is difficult for me same as James Joyce or more.

Anyway, Earthsea stories and Narnia now on picturization! I hope I can understand them and fell cozy...

Earthsea Director, Cast Named
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004-04/05/16.00.film

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT WITH WALDEN MEDIA TO PRODUCE "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE"
http://www.narnia.com/movie/news/movienews_030104.htm