3WAVES BLOG

Monday January 23rd, 2012 | Posted in Travel & Tourism | Comments Off

Winters in Japan can be bitterly cold and while there are fun times to be had skiing and snowboarding in the cold months, for me personally a day trip to a hotspring cannot be beaten. There are thousands of hotsprings (‘onsen’ in Japanese) scattered throughout Japan many of which have existed for centuries. They are enjoyed by both young and old for their relaxation and healing properties and with many onsens containing different combinations of minerals they are all said to have their own unique therapeutic benefits.  Due to their ubiquity and relatively low cost they are easily accessible to short-stay travellers – many located close to Tokyo.

While there are many onsens catering to modest tourists who prefer to keep their privates well and truly private, the majority of onsens require patrons to leave their sensibilities at the door and embrace the Japanese tradition of going nude. There are small towels which one can use as a modesty towel as you walk into the onsen, however, for water purity reasons no clothing or towels are allowed to enter the water. And while it may seem superfluous, it is customary that you shower before you enter the hotspring.

For travellers looking to experience a Japanese onsen while they are here, yet not keen to go the full monty, there are many resorts which allow swim wear to be worn. And many are located just one hour by train from Tokyo – easily accessible for day-trippers staying in Tokyo. For those adventure seekers looking for something truly unique check out a resort called Yunessan (http://www.yunessun.com/english/yunessun.html)  offering some interesting variations on the traditional Japanese onsen. It is one of the more reasonably priced onsens and bathers can enjoy thermal water mixed with Red Wine, Coffee, Green Tea, Chocolate, and Rose Petals all promising different health benefits – and of course they also have the traditional onsen versions for those looking for something a little more ‘natural’. 

So if you are conducting field work in Tokyo during the winter months and have a day in between groups then be sure to visit a Japanese onsen. It’s not only a trip that will warm you up, but it’s an experience that allows you to get closer to Japanese culture and Japanese nature in a way that not many others can.

Wednesday January 18th, 2012 | Posted in Bits & Pieces | Comments Off

Power saving has never been high on the agenda in Tokyo. The vast abundance of neo-signs and illuminations quite easily made Tokyo one of the brightest cities in the world - it was not only cool to wear sunglasses at night, but quite frankly it was absolutely necessary.  Since the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent power shortages, however, power saving has become a national obsession and both private citizens and businesses alike have all made major efforts to cut their overall power usage.

The streets of Tokyo at Christmas time are usually lined with the brightest of illuminations attracting people from all over Japan throughout the Christmas period. This year, however, local businesses and councils were faced with an interesting dilemma – how to light up the streets and attract the crowds, while at the same time fulfilling their power saving obligations. Many businesses simply turned to power saving LED lighting while some others got a little more creative. Some councils turned to bio-diesel made from used cooking oil collected from restaurants and private homes in their respective areas. Other businesses turned to solar energy generation installing solar panels on top of buildings to power their lighting.  

In summer time the hum of air-conditioners can be heard far and wide. So how did residents respond to the dilemma of dealing with the summer heat while cutting back on air-conditioner usage? Many local councils distributed fast growing vines which could be grown in front of sun exposed windows. These proved very popular and not only did they provide a cheap and long term solution to cooling in summer, but they also greened up 100s of thousands of homes throughout Japan. Many other residents simply put up blinds on sun exposed windows to keep out the heat, while many businesses in Japan encouraged workers to dress in light clothing with short sleeves, and ties were of course a no no.

Which makes one wonder just how easily our behaviour in regards to power savings can change and how simple solutions can often be the most effective when faced with the necessity to do so - a lesson every country and in fact every private citizen can learn from especially as the issue of climate change becomes ever more serious and governments fail to take action themselves.

Thursday January 12th, 2012 | Posted in Market Watch, Socio-cultural Insights, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Above: Crowds gather at Tokyo’s Senso-ji in Asakusa to celebrate New Year’s Eve

Last year saw some monumental and fundamental changes in Japanese consumer behavior.  The March 11th tragedies shaped this to a large degree… but so did the excessively strong yen and the fact that Japan was late to embrace some larger global trends like Facebook and smartphones.  In the following post, we look at some major consumer trends for 2011 and see what’s in store for 2012.  One thing is for sure, Japan will try it’s hardest to keep us guessing throughout the year:
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Wednesday January 11th, 2012 | Posted in Social Media | Comments Off

Social media has really made inroads in Japan especially over the last 12 months when social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and the home grown Mixi have all seen large growth in membership and usage. While Mixi has always been the front runner of social networking sites in Japan a recent Nielsen report found that Facebook is now pulling ahead for the very first time with around 11 million users. When the report came out, however, Mixi quickly issued a statement asserting their membership is actually double the 8.4 million users stated by Nielsen and the discrepancy came from the report’s failure to include mobile phone users within their findings. Around the same time, however, Mixi announced a partnership with Twitter which suggests it is somewhat concerned about the emergence of Facebook here.

The mobile phone is still a major access point to online content especially for younger users with many foregoing purchasing home PCs in preference for cheaper smartphones which now offer many of the same capabilities. However, limitations with the mobile phone became evident when the Tohoku earthquake hit in March 2011 and the mobile phone network went down. So where did people turn to connect with friends and family? They turned to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi which all experienced record use over this time. The video above gives a clear depiction of just how social media came into its own in 2011 with an illustration of Twitter usage in March.