In Japan, expenditure by solo consumers in the 2019 Financial Year was almost 8 trillion yen. These ”O-hitori sama” customers are being courted by a variety of businesses. Let’s take a look at Japan’s emerging solo-oriented services and consider the needs and motivations behind three styles of solo consumer behavior. Read more
Kamikatsu, a town of 1,500 inhabitants on the island of Shikoku, had to shut down one of its two garbage incinerators in 1998. In response, the community completely reconsidered its approach to waste management, and became Japan's first zero waste town. Read more
By entirely outsourcing their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to vendors, Japanese user companies find themselves under-skilled and vulnerable to high profile technology failures. Japanese firms don't know their own IT systems well enough and they lack the capabilities to manage the technology vendors who build them. Read more
In Part 2 of this interview, we ask David Robert of VanMoof what makes Japanese customers different from European customers - and how does this affect VanMoof's mission to make cities more sustainable? Read more
Dutch manufacturer VanMoof is famous for its stylish and cutting-edge electric bicycles. We spoke with David Robert, Brand Content and Marketing Manager at VanMoof to learn how VanMoof entered the Japanese market and convinced style-conscious consumers to buy its premium products. Read more
David Tonge has spent many hours observing the bathing habits of ordinary Japanese people and the bathrooms which support these. Read more
David Tonge has been lucky enough to meet, interview, and work with some of Japan’s best-known designers. Here, he introduces three designers that he loves and explains why you too should get to know them. Read more
Japanese consumers are excited by overseas design and brands, but the market is sophisticated and demanding. David Tonge explores the power of cultural identity as a differentiator for foreign brands - and the pitfalls for brands that don't take Japanese consumers' expectations into account. Read more
David Tonge explores the compelling world of consumer electronics retail in Japan and finds that, like a Las Vegas Casino, once you enter, it's hard to leave. Read more