Above: Shinjuku, Tokyo (1024x768 version here)

Trends in consumerism.

What comes to mind when you think of Japan? Probably a diverse mix if images: traditional Geishas, cherry blossom and tea cermonies alongside humanoid robots, anime films, ultra-trendy urbanities, high-speed trains, and high tech consumerism.

Why is this important to us in the UK? Well because there is an established pattern in global history of west leading east and east leading west. Approximately every 900 years the pendulum swings, and at the moment east leads west.

So if something becomes popular in Japan, then the chances are it will take off there too. Whatever is the latest must-have in Japan now, you can expect to find it, or a Europeanised variant, in a shop near you soon. Consequently a quick glance at Japan today could well offer us a window into our own future...

Now that would mean that Japan is the 'future'! I remember that some guys (American) who hosted an electronic gaming TV program called X-PLAY mentioned that if they were to pick a country to migrate to, Japan would be their first choice! So, yup, there are westerners going to the east, especially to Japan.

The 'Ubi-Wa'

...another truly odd gadget is the 'Ubi-Wa'. Its name has two meanings in Japanese: "finger ring" or "speak by finger", and this is precisely what it allows you to do, yep, it's a ring that is a phone. Cleverly, the Ubi-Wa converts the vibrations, which travel down your hand and arm bones into your ear canal, into speech you can understand. It may be a bizarre gadget now, but given the rise and rise in girl power in Japan, it can only be a short of amount of time before it becomes one of the must-have accessories....

Girl Power, Japanese Style

In fact, girl-power is having a big impact in Japan, in particular schoolgirls and teenagers, who are the true arbiters of cool, and the Arasa, the 30-something single girls with spending power. There are even shopping malls, such as Yurakucho Marui and Marronnier Gate in Tokyo, targeted exclusively at Arasa, and there is a rapid rise in brands directly appealing to this affluent market because it's all about fashion and luxury, which equals a lot more spending.

Anime and Manga

However, it is not just girl power in Japan, Otaku are also having an impact on retail trends. These are geeks who are devoted to the grown-up Japanese animated films and comic strips. Many of them are hitting silver-surfer zone and bringing some serious spending power with them. While many of the younger ones still live at home with their parents and thus have a lot of disposable income, are also joining the craze. With the biggest phenomenon at the moment being 'moe', which is basically an obsession with a particular type of character. Retailers are pandering to the 'moe' as the consumers are willing to spend big bucks on their obsession. While alongside the inevitable rise of memorabilia is the growth of 'maid-cafes', where the waitresses are dressed in Anime- or Manga-inspired uniforms. While you may think this is a uniquely Japanese phenomenon, experts are predicting that as Anime and Manga increase in popularity globally, so too 'moe' will eventually go global too.

Above: The SOS Dan (randomly picked from Moyism Blog)