unevolutionification: Toto Washlet – and cleaner bottoms in the USA

Toto Washlet makes prime time debut in USA after more than 27 years.

“The toilet seat itself has more in common with your laptop computer than your…toilet.”

“Too new wave for you? Since 1980, millions of people around the world have used the Washlet.” (i.e. all 127,433,494 Japanese)

Last year I had houseguests, an urbane couple from NYC stay at my house in Kyoto for about 6 months. They live in Europe and have traveled the world. It was very revealing to chat with them most evenings and hear about what they had found to be amazing and fascinating in their adventures and discoveries in Japan.

Their all time favorites were the Japanese bathtub and the Japanese toilet. They desperately wanted to take both back with them, for their own home.

Bath culture in Japan is a ritual and an art and a science in itself. An entire blog could be dedicated to the subject.

I came across some welcome news on the subject of Japanese toilets yesterday. A promotional website about the Toto Washlet at cleanishappy.com.

A little context first, an entry level toilet in Japan includes (at least) the following features and functions.

– wall mounted wireless control
– ‘S’ and ‘L’ sized flush
– heated seat (a must for winter)
– warm water stream cleanses ‘front’ (gals)
– warm water stream cleanses ‘rear’ (gals and guys)
– blow dry when done
– mechanically removes odors from air
– mini flush or simulated moving water sound to relax the user and mask embarrassing sounds

Luxury models are available with heaps more features.

Of course the Washlet is a much better way of going potty, but the point of this post is not so much about the Toto Washlet and its amazing (no, make that common sense) features and functions.

Why did it take SOOOOOO long for the Washlet (or a similar product) to make a prime time appearance in the US market?

Moreover, why couldn’t a US company develop a product that accomplishes what the Toto Washlet does?

Is there something cultural going on here? Do Japanese prefer clean bottoms and Americans don’t? Now I haven’t researched or focus-grouped this one, but surely the answer is ‘NO’.

Is the concept of a clean bottom something exotic for Americans, something difficult to grasp? Most of us now ‘grasp’ sushi just fine. In our culture, raw fish is surely more exotic and harder to grasp than a clean bottom.

Compared to the Toto Washlet we have far more technologically advanced toilets flying on the U.S. Space Shuttle.

Generally I think that the case could be made that Americans do ‘systems’ well and don’t make ‘things’ quite as well, but I don’t think that this is the reason.

Still pondering this morning, on the train, while listening to Madonna on my iPod I came across a term that I would like to apply to this phenomenon; “stupider than stupid.”

Or my own, “unevolutionification” (slightly inspired by Bushisms). Why? Because I think that there is just no ‘smart’ answer or reason. So, in this case, the stupider the better.

Smart observations may be made though. This suggests several things to me.

– No one is really very good at entrepreneurialism. For example, understanding market needs and opportunities, and in relation to developing products.

– In our perspective of our own world, massive and numerous blind spots abound.

– There are huge, undiscovered regions of the marketplace available to entrepreneurs — not really all that hidden or camouflaged, they are in plain sight.

– Opportunity abounds and is probably endless.

+ The opportunity to ‘knock off’ Japanese toilet technology and undersell Toto in the U.S. market exists.

It does remind me a bit of Rohit Bhargava’s blog post yesterday. He discusses how Virgin America is intending to reinvent air travel in the U.S.

In an air travel market as competitive as the U.S., how can it still be possible to ‘reinvent’ anything? Yet, it is.

If you can say that you have reinvented air travel in the U.S. and people don’t laugh, that in itself is quite an incitement of the established players.

Opportunity abounds, life is good! (especially if you are not being “stupider than stupid.”)

By the way, the Washlet site and message are quite interesting. The subject matter is a bit tricky but the concept is conveyed with tact and a bit of humor.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

さらば、わがLiz Claiborne — Thank you Liz Claiborne.

American fashion designer and entrepreneur Liz Claiborne has died.

While in high school, I don’t think I ever used the word, ‘brand’, however by my senior year there was a clothing line that I had half enveloped myself in, that soon became ‘my brand’, and that brand would be Liz Claiborne.

In about my first year of undergrad, my girlfriend was looking around my wardrobe, trying to find a single article of clothing that was not ‘Liz Claiborne‘. With no luck. She was incredulous. I was immersed.

Now we were students in art school and Liz Claiborne wasn’t ‘edge’, not even close to ‘radical’. But you know, I don’t think anyone else realized this about me. I never made a conscious decision to ‘only wear Liz Claiborne‘, but I did.

Why?

– simple and attractive designs
– DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS FABRICS
– not particularly expensive
– NO VISIBLE LABEL

That’s right, no label or logo on Liz Claiborne‘s clothing. Ralph Lauren/Polo was all the rage around other environs, and that guy just can’t get his logo in your face enough. I have some Polo socks now, one sock (not pair) has like 10 Polo logos embroidered on it.

So ‘Liz‘, as my mother called her, was my brand. I loved Liz‘s clothing because it was restrained and sophisticated, AND I didn’t have to advertise her just by getting dressed.

In recent years I have lived in Japan, and ‘Liz‘ is unavailable and unknown here. I wear other brands now, and I can definitely say that I don’t feel much affinity to them. They are not ‘me’.

Thank you Liz Claiborne.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

Twitter and the Attack of the Twitter mash-ups — What are you =^..^=ing? — necoったー

What are you =^..^=ing?
I am telling you the story of 「necoったー」.

Well, if you have brainwaves you will know that twitter is ‘raging full-on‘, the story is the same here in Japan too. Crank up twittervision and watch the world-wide ‘tweet’-fest, live. Lots of tweets popping up from Japan and a lot from all over the world, popping up in Japanese.

Twitter is not only exploding all over the world among retail users, developers are piling on, making a so far endless stream of super funky mash-ups apps utilizing twitter‘s API. This openness is of course is not only cool, it is going to be an integral part of communications and business — probably forever.

The only twitter mash-up app that I had seen from Japan was one that helps people automate adultery. Yeah, as sad as that maybe, not a first in Japan. The best twitter mash-up Japan could come up with so far. It ‘tweets’ predefined tweets at a predefined time. So, when you come home from a tryst and your spouse asks you if you were at a love hotel you can say, ‘Who me? No, no. I was…(alibi)’. Then, ‘See, look. Look at my twitter page.’ Spouse looks at the tweets and tweet times. Does that math. Feels relieved.

Today I ran into a something a whole lot nicer. It’s called neco.tter (JPN: necoったー) and I am still trying grasp it. ‘neko’ (猫) means, ‘cat’. たー is the not quite right pronunciation of the English …’ter’.

Instead of folks answering the question, What are you doing? It is for cat owners to answer the question, What are you =^..^=ing?

Cute! & Fun!

‘=^..^=‘ is a cat’s face. There are multiple variations; Happy cat. Sleeping cat. Angry cat, you cat owners get the idea. Someone will probably, or more likely, already has wikied the glossary.

And this mash-up is fresh. Officially release on June 19, according to their blog.

The developers have done a very clever job of branding on this. There are dozens of cat face icons to choose from. All very nicely drawn. Even though there are dozens of variations, anyone smart enough to be on twitter can easily recognize the iconic connection. They are branding the mothership. Any why not?

The ranking gallery shows the icons.

I spent a few minutes on the home page of twitter, hitting the reload button and there was usually a necoったー icon on the page (in the top 9, it looks like. twitter must be too cool for something as pedestrian as a ‘top 10’、笑).

So that is a little about how folks in Japan are mashing up twitter.

OK, now I have to get back to my own mash-up project…

necoったー

the twitter page

the company

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

Shell’s Real Energy Stories — How To: Corporate Communicate

Shell’s Real Energy Stories — Eureka from Shell Films

Preamble:
Corporate Communicators — Hey, don’t BS me, or even finesse me, especially if you are in the environmental destruction business.

I came across ‘Shell’s new global communication campaign using real-life stories about Shell employees solving complex challenges’ thanks to Rohit Bhargava’s Influential Marketing Blog.

I was fascinated by those BMW short films, The Hire that Fallon did in the earlier days of the internet. Even though the films never quite blew me away, the concept certainly did.

With the YouTube/podcast era web, delivering infomercials to the masses is a viable way to get a message out, especially to a niche audience.

Shell’s Real Energy Stories:
As for Shell’s Eureka (LP|45), this is, as advertising and public relations, a really great approach. The film itself is great film. It is supposed to give me a ‘real’ look into Shell. I have come to demand this real life look into a company, especially one that exerts as much influence upon the world as Shell does.

Now I am willing to believe that Shell and other oil companies are overflowing with people who care about the environment even more than I do and are doing more than most of us to ‘save the environment’, all the while chasing the mighty petrobuck.

But you know, great film, great storytelling aside, I REALLY felt that this film is pushing my buttons and while to an extent I do expect that from corporate advertising, coming from an oil company it just feels creepy.

The film does a great job making the main characters human. That is important, because, let’s be fair, oil companies are not filled with monsters.

This film shows that Shell innovates in order to not damage the environment.

I had this red flag moment though. I found particularly creepy the suggestion that no one had ever thought of this flexible drilling technology until Jaap Van Ballegooijen had the Eureka moment watching his angst ridden son slurping up the last remnants of a malted milk. I recall seeing concepts like this on public television when I still had one.

I understand that you have to summarize and use some shorthand in advertising. But I think that the way it is done shows the true heart and values of the organization.

An oil company has got to know that they are suspect. Suspect even among relative cut-throats. The boardroom scene where Jaap Van Ballegooijen demos the ‘bendy straw drill’ to the team, I don’t believe that ever happened.

Then I had a look at Shell’s site for ‘Real Energy Stories’, the graphics are so circa 1998 that I am just left with the feeling that Shell doesn’t really ‘get it’.

A better way?

I heard this podcast interview on Inc.com’s Inside the Issue about Bzz Agent. (article | podcast) They hired a blogger to come into to company for several months, basically as an embedded reporter, and just blog about the company. I think that is more like the future of authentic, corporate communications.

If a company is really innovating, offering value to customers and of course being a good corporate citizen, then this ought to be a very, very attractive mode of communicating. Also, it’s really cheap.

Shell, show the good the bad and the ugly. In the end, I will buy your product if I believe that you are REALLY doing everything possible not to rape the Earth. Trust me, I’m not stupid, I realize that you are in a position that’s really, really complex.

Best Line in the Film: “Just like facts don’t stand in the way of a good story?”

Disclosure: I have not owned a car in about 15 years. I ride a bicycle around town and take the train or subway a lot. I do fly, and that is really bad for the environment.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

Spreading the Thunder — The Social Web, Podcasting, Business Blogs — Changing the (Wine) World

I haven’t been doing a lot of ornithology or cosmology recently but in my teens and twenties this is what I lived and breathed. Now, I live and breathe entrepreneurialism.

In recent months I have been immersing myself in the length, breadth and depth of the social media/UGC revolution, podcasting and blogs, especially business blogs. I especially like what business blogs are doing for (to) capitalism.

I thought that I had had a pretty good handle on all of this, but NO. Not even close. This thing is huge AND more importantly, getting huger. In a natural, organic way.

Expanding in scope and breadth, filling and creating space in the process.

Evolving in ingenious and often unintended ways, occupying every conceivable niche.

Offering unprecedented opportunities for business development. What’s more, the barriers to entry are now so low that anyone can do their thing. It makes me think of that Apple TV commercial, ‘A great time to be alive’.

What a Wonderful World!

Recently, I have been grooving on a certain podcast that intends — with my help, I understand — to ‘change the Wine World’.

I love this kind of thing! Yeah Gary! Let’s ROCK the wine world.

This would be Gary Vaynerchuk‘s wine library tv.

Gary is … the greatest, shockingly good looking, imaginative, very charismatic, (and a really) wonderful with the wines guy. (笑)

And I really love the fact that Gary doesn’t go in for any of that snobby or ‘pretty boy’ wine tasting. Gary literally tasted his ‘sweaty sock’ for his fans.

Check him out!

Among my favorites are his classic episodes where he braves the winter cold risking life, and surely palate too, to investigate the effects of weather on the taste. And demos building your palate. Gary is not a stunt man, he is a maverick and a master, I believe.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

White, Beige, Yellow, Pink, Vivid Pink, Red, Purple, Orange, Green, Mint Green, Light Blue, Blue, Navy, Brown, Grey, Black, Gold, Silver, Metal Blue, Pearl Pink — T-W-E-N-T-Y colors courtesy of Pantone

Softbank + Pantone = Softbank 812SH — another US/Japan mashup!

This is the story of some very imaginative and unprecedented co-branding — out of Japan…and America. The likes of which I am unaware of. This is generating a lot of vivid, multi-colored buzz here.

Pantone, yes, Pantone teams up with a mobile phone company.

First a little about my experience in Japan with the limited palette of mobile phone colors.

Now, I am a J-Phone… I mean, Vodafone… I mean Softbank mobile phone subscriber.

My first ever mobile phone was a Nokia model something or another. Get this, the color was called, Mysteric Purple! It was this sparkly deep purple.
(One maybe two colors to choose from on this model.)

I loved that phone! Still have it in a box!

Then I got this Made in Japan, metallic clunker. In the end, I set it down on a street in Kyoto. In the bus lane. Literally flattened like a … senbei (rice cracker). Still have ‘it’ in a box.
(One ‘color’ to choose from.)

Then, a totally kickin Nokia flip-phone. Kind of femmy shade of light blue, but a real sweet phone. Still have it in a box!
(Two colors to choose from.)

Then I got this totally rad bright orange Made in Japan flip phone, circa J-Phone bought out by Vodafone. Nice phone. Still have it. The color turns heads. It’s the phone to take deer hunting with you — blaze orange.
(A couple colors to choose from.)

Then, the phone I waited for, for like months, the Nokia N70-1. What a dog!
(One ‘color’ to choose from.)

I was able to get it hacked to Bluetooth sync with my Macs and install an OSX theme to the interface.

I truly hate this phone! And I love Nokia!

Now Vodafone has become Softbank — surely the world’s most retarded name for a major company. I sometimes give my office mates the literal translation in Japanese and they are like… yuck! What a dumb name!

But, never-the-less, Masayoshi Sung has pulled a major rabbit out of his hat!

Lots of folks, not just me here are totally goovin on the SoftBank 812SH.

Softbank teamed up with Pantone… Pantone? Hello? Yes, Pantone for some super funky co-branding.

Now I know what you might be thinking if you are a creative type. Pantone, as in The Pantone Color Matching System. Yes.

So Pantone goes mobile in Japan? Yep.

Pretty clever!

They have hit a homerun with this one!

And the television commercial:

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

Azuki Frappuccino — Coming Soon (5/30)

Starbuck’s Azuki Frappuccino

Azuki is that ubiquitous Japanese (Asian) bean that is used in traditional sweets, even contemporary, popular ice cream flavors. Häagen-Dazs has had Azuki ice cream here for many years now. Any over there?

Somehow that venerable Azuki just fails to move my tastebuds.

But Japanese love the Azuki, always have. Like for millennia. And Japanese love Starbucks. And Japanese are going to be head-over-heels in love the Azuki Frappuccino.

I suppose I will try one, out of respect to the venerable little red bean.

The Azuki Frappuccino is a mashup, the likes of which Rockwave is building, minus the tech, of course.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

The End of a 1,400-Year-Old (family) Business

Kongo Gumi (‘construction company’)
Since Asuka Era, 6th Year of the Reign of Emperor Bidatsu
— Out of Business —

Family businesses here in Japan, were I am currently on duty, are very prominent. Back home in Minnesota, I am quite sure that I never met anyone who was the 15th CEO in the family enterprise. I have a number of acquaintances like that here though.

Well, this family business, builder of temples and shrine — and a few palaces and castles, Kongo Gumi, in Japan for 1428 years goes out of business. 1428 years! Now, to me, this is a major bummer!

As a ‘family business’, Kongo Gumi is ‘out of business’. They are not out of existence though, Kongo Gumi is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takamatsu Corporation. It could be worse, I guess. Call me old fashioned, but I would rather a 1428 year old company not be a cog in the big wheel of just another publicly traded corporation. But, who knows, Takamatsu Corporation is an above average company.

Now, I am all for private business being private and all, but I think that someone should have bailed this company out. Like maybe in the government, or something like that.

Oh! Or, how about the Emperor? Maybe the Emperor should have bailed out the company? Ah, but he’s a cream-puff sissy. Not going to happen.

If the Emperor can’t do the honor, then I think I would like to nominate Mickey Mouse over at Tokyo Disneyland to do the job.

Come’on, the oldest continually operated family business in the world! There’s only one of these!

A little about the history of Kongo Gumi (and and ancient Japan):
Now this is one cool company, started by some Koreans brought over (not by force — this time) by none other than Prince Shotoku (Shotoku Taishi). Shotoku Taishi is the founder of ancient Japan. He was, by all acounts, a real poet warrior (in the classic sense). He’d order underlings to do things that had never been thought of before. Like, hey, you guys over there, you write down the history of our country while I sit over here and write our constitution. Constitution? They were like, this dude is nuts! Then after some time passed, they were like, this guy rules!! What’s more, he was the boss of Ono-no-Imoko* (wikipedia | Tokyo Gas TV CM).

I really love their company introduction page on their site:
Established: Asuka Era, 6th Year of the Reign of Emperor Bidatsu (578AD)

578: By order of Crown Prince Shotoku…(our company came into existence) our ancestors came of over from Korea and built, Shitenno-ji and Horyu-ji.
…

2006: Became a member of the GWA Group (A.K.A. wholly owned subsidiary of Takamatsu Corporation)

This is actually a really great article. Especially, the last paragraph, it’s got the outline for the secret sauce recipe gleaned with the wisdom of James Olan Hutcheson. Jimmy, over at Regeneration Partners, tells how the Kongo family managed to keep it together for more than 1400 years and outlast 11 historical periods of Japanese history.

the article is right this way:
BusinessWeek

*This dude, he was from the Country of Omi too. Here at RW, I can see his ‘hood right from my desk.

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

aiship/aidrop service release

PRESS RELEASE
Otsu, Japan
April 2, 2007

Today Rockwave, Inc. announced the beta release of aiship and aidrop (Japanese language service).

www.aiship.jp, www.aidrop.jp

The aiship/aidrop service, packed with first-ever and ground breaking features, auto-generates language independent shopping sites for not only PCs, but all mobile services in Japan. aiship/aidrop provide an unprecedented and complete solution for both vendors and resellers.

Resellers gain instant access to a massive and constantly growing catalog of varied products to resell without need to stock inventory, manage shipping, handling and etc. Within immediate access to Rockwave’s aimew mobile community, currently with over 40,000 members and 300,000,000 accesses per month, resellers have the opportunity to promote their business and acquire customers – pronto.

Vendors gain access to not only a new and world-wide distribution channel, but a dedicated and passionate network resellers.

aiship/aidrop is a one-stop destination for next-generation e-commerce and product distribution.

Functionality and Features:
tanpin kanri function (demand chain management), inventory prediction function, order management function, sales analysis function and etc.

Online payment processing, convenience store payment processing and mobile telephone payment.

JAN code ASP
Rockwave, Inc. in partnership with The Distribution Systems Research Institute developed and delivered the world’s first JAN code (Japan Article Number) barcode ASP, provided free to all aiship/aidrop users. Resellers can add a product (text description, image, etc) to their store simply by inputting the JAN code number. JAN code is the Japanese product database with more than 20,000 manufactures participating.

Order-to-Ship:
In partnership with Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. and Yamato System Development Co., Ltd., Rockwave, Inc. delivers Order-to-Ship system. Upon order placement by the customer, the reseller receives electronic notification, the packing slips, delivery statement, receipt and so on are automatically printed for the vendor, and electronic pick-up notifications are sent to Yamato Transport Co. drivers in the field.

Partners:
Yamato Transport Co., Ltd.: www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp
Yamato System Development Co., Ltd.: www.nekonet.co.jp
The Distribution Systems Research Institute: www.dsri.jp

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp

Japan’s Pop Power

While developing aidrop/aiship, I listen to a lot of podcasts, I get some incredible information from them. Podcasts are, of course, those radio program-like dealies that you can download off the net to your iPod, Japanese mobile phone, etc and listen to them offline, when you please — while jogging, on the train, taking a bath, etc.

I came across this one from American RadioWorks recently. This is HOT, check it out! It’s all about how Japan has become a pop culture super power. Did you know that there are 2 anime conventions a week in the US? Do you even know what anime is?

I was listening to it at home today and thought that I would tell you all about it. Be sure to check out the site at the link below.

an excerpt:

“Ah, Japan.

That ancient Buddhist country. Home to the kimono, the tea ceremony, and kabuki. Westerns have long been fascinated by Japan’s rich, and very old cultural traditions.

But in the 21st century, JAPAN IS COOL!

Kids are gobbling up Japanese animation, comic books, toys and video games.

These pop culture products now bring in bigger sales that Japanese automakers, and make up the nation’s fastest-growing export industry.”

Fastest-growing export industry?

Bigger sales than Japanese automakers?

Whoa!!

Here at RW, the team of course knows that Japanese anime, manga and games are big, big business all over the world and we are very aware that these products, especially used, are BIG, BIG, BIG on eBay and other online outlets.

We will be focusing a lot of energy on providing our resellers abroad with the best catalogue of products in these hot and dynamic categories. Drop us a line and tell us what you would like!

Here is the link to the program. Great! DL the podcast and have a listen!
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/japan/

Charlie Rockwave
aidrop Development Team

Get plugged straight into the HOT info:
info@rockwave.co.jp
www.aidrop.jp/en/

keywords:
Japanese anime, Japanese manga, Astro Boy, Speed Racer, Hello Kitty, Transformers, Robotech, Nintendo, Sailor Moon, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Pokémon, Sony Playstation, Studio Ghibli