The Japan Business Insider Newsletter is the only English newsletter concentrating on success strategies and niche business opportunities in Japan. Stay informed and know where and how money is being spent and made in Japan.

 All You Need To Succeed in Japan ... For Free!

Published by
Richard Posner

Website
http://www.successinjapan.com 

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newsletter@successinjapan.com 

Thoughts From Above And Below

The Chicago Incident

"No matter what your product is, you are ultimately in the education business. Your customers need to be constantly educated about the many advantages of doing business with you, trained to use your products more effectively, and taught how to make never-ending improvement in their lives."
~ Robert G Allen~

In Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret, he mentions a swank department store in downtown Chicago that did swimmingly well a half-century ago.

That store had many mink stoles and the affluent clientele would regularly rummage through the very expensive furs just to find that perfect one suitable for a glamorous evening out on the town with their hubby.

They would buy the coat on credit and then the very next day after the glamorous event would return to the store and demand a refund.

One of the store clerks was on to these thieves and went to the store manager and barked, "Mr. Green, are you blind to what these conniving women are doing? Can't you see that they are using us?"

At that point, Mr. Green pulled out the client's record file, flipped it onto the desk, and told the nonplussed employee to take a look. The employee reluctantly did so and was astonished to learn that that very lady he was complaining about had spent (without return) nearly $10,000 on apparel and accessories that year.

Then the manager stared at the employee with an amused grin and said, "That lady plops down a lot of cash here each year. She more than pays for your salary every year. If she wants to borrow a stole for an evening gala, so be it."

In today's highly competitive markets online and offline, you need an edge. You need to develop mutual trust with the people whom you want to buy your goods and services. In some cases, that might figuratively mean giving away half the store as an ethical bribe.

If all you have is all you ever intend to produce and deliver to hungry buyers, then sadly your days as a marketer or an entrepreneur are numbered.

Japanese have often played it safe. They look for the path of least resistance and greatest security. But in the modern world, the play-it- safers are going to be left behind in the planetary dumpster. The mom-and-pop shop may be quaint and sometimes can be profitable, but only if the owners have a plan rather than a "I just wanna get by" attitude.

The enemy of Excellence is always Good Enough. Give with pride, passion and excellence and know you will receive your fair share in return.

TAKE THE TEST AND BECOME YOUR BEST!

Japan Niche Opportunity of the Week

The Stage

The short essay above sets the stage for this week's niche.  Luxury jewelry dealer Ginza Tanaka is now offering for rent 70 million yen tiaras and other eye-popping jewelry for weddings held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo.  Japanese like to look rich, if only for a day.  Take a look at that tiara...

The Opportunity

The  possibilities of selling temporary elegance and glamour are endless:  Wedding-engagement proposals in a Rolls Royce-chauffeured vehicle before dinners at a five-star restaurant overlooking Tokyo Bay; flambé champagne breakfasts in bed for newlyweds served by elfin folks overlooked by a Cinderella look-alike.  Or how about a private singing lesson and intimate lunch with the Japanese diva or musician of choice for your spouse or mate?  Or here's one to my heart:  a weekend private consultation in a first-class hotel suite with a mega-successful Internet marketer who will leave you on a Sunday night with a marketing income stream that will pay for the cost of the indulgent weekend in less than a month.

These are only a few off-the-top-of-my-head ideas, and just the tip of the proverbial iceberg once you get your brain rumbling.  What could you rent out to a high-class hotel guest for one night to make him/her feel like royalty?

Want to Introduce Your Product or Service to Japan?  Looking for partners?  CLICK HERE.

Empowering Japan Resources

Becoming a Tarento

This is a Japanized word meaning entertainment talent.  The term tarento, I'm afraid, is used very loosely because most of these people are talent-less or mediocre at best.  They are often photogenic and young, but are often short on the brain side.

That being said, there is something to what pop icon of yore Andy Warhol once said:  "Everyone has their fifteen minutes of fame."

Below is a short list of famous tarento, sites devoted to such ephemeral performers and a few agencies that promote them.

One thing to keep in mind, using aidoru singers for an introduction to a movie or anime in Japan will surely boost your chance for success.

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Move Over Amazon

The recent release by Fujitsu of Flepia Color Ebook Reader (above) raises the bar for Amazon's Kindle Reader.  The Flepia has a bigger display. It has an 8-inche 1,024x768-pixel XGA touch screen and can display 260,000 colors.  It's initial drawback, however, is its hefty $1000 price tag.

The unit also has built-in wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi options, an SD card slot capable of holding up to 4GB of storage, and a battery that, according to Fujitsu, is rated at 40 hours of continuous use (we assume that using Wi-Fi would drain it quicker, however). The Flepia runs on Windows CE 5.0.

This technology will no doubt be a game changer.  The companies which will provide content will be looking for lots of genre to satisfy the quirky Japanese consumer.  Start translating and packaging your masterpieces before the price war heats up.

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The Price of Being a Single Mother in Japan

The number of households receiving allowances for low-income single-mother families has topped 1 million for the first time on record, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.. Over 1,000,000 families are in this grouping, and the mothers of such household only earn 40% of average households.  Moreover, the welfare system penalizes women if they did not marry the man responsible for the child.  Thus, the high rate of abortion without parental consultation here.

This is a desperate group in Japan and many of them suffer numerous indignities.  But they also represent a group desperate to work and a good source of labor.  My experience of 28 years in Japan tells me that the number of English-proficient women is much higher than that of men.

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Woofing It Up at the Ritz

Thirty years ago dogs were never allowed in hotels or guesthouses in Japan.  In fact they were seldom welcomed in any rental property.

Times have changed.  The ANA InterContinental Tokyo is launching Pet Pamper Experience (only dogs).  This program will allow canine lovers to bring their furry friend  to this five-star hotel and lavish the animal with a range of bow-wowing services including grooming and a boutique.  The cost for such an extravaganza starts at 35,000 yen.

Rent-a-dog services for hotels everywhere can't be too far around the corner.

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Wrestling Mania

This is not for everyone, but I know it's for  someone.  The Japan Pro Wrestling Association is taking applications for pro wrestling school.  This is the only organization of its kind in Japan - a potential niche market project - and the school will accept experienced wrestlers as well as novices.  View the offer by CLICKING HERE.

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Splish Splash,  I Took My iPod  to Bath

In a country where people wear headphones as if they were hearing aids, Dreams Japan has found a market.  The  above contraption, Zumreed Drop Speakers, lets you bring your iPod into the shower or bath with you.  Better give your iPod swimming lessons.

When you look at such a contraption, it makes you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"  And that's the point.  You can nurture your creativity by everyday taking an object such as a ballpoint pen and coming up with ten alternative uses for it other than writing.

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This Week's Challenge

Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails

~by Michael Josephson of Character Counts~

When I confronted my daughter after she hurt another child with a mean comment, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better.

I told her the parable of Will, a 9-year-old whose father abandoned his mom two years earlier. Will was angry, and he often lashed out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!"

Unable to cope with his cruel outbursts, she sent him to his grandparents for the summer. His grandfather's strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean thing.

For a small boy, this was a major task, and he couldn't return until the nail was all the way in. After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. Eventually, he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said.

That's when his grandmother stepped in. She told him to bring in the board filled with nails and instructed him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it.

His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology, and of course I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know an apology is like pulling out one of these nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. Your dad put a hole in you, Will, but please don't put holes in other people. You're better than that."