The convivial Izakayas

For my last article, I’ve decided to talk about Izakaya. I shall keep a very good memory of these “Japanese pubs”.
An Izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks . The food is usually more substantial than that offered in other types of drinking establishments in Japan such as bars or snack bars.
It occupies in Japan the place that occupies in England the pub, in France the brasserie or the Tapas restaurant in Spain.
We can in an izakaya of quarter simply coming to have a drink and to peck at some tsukemono* by discussing with the patroness waiting to have a bigger hunger or the arrival of your friends.
It is a place very appreciated in Japan. Japanese often go there between colleagues after job.
The way of life of the Japanese city-dweller and particularly the salaryman (working timetables, transports) makes him the first consumer in the world of restoration away from home.
Considering this fact, Izakayas are always full and I think that they make high benefits.
Izakayas are very convivial places where you can meet and discuss with Japanese.
In fact, I realized that they were much more friendly in Izakayas than in Restaurants, the street or any other place.
When you go to an Izakaya, you have to relax, to open yourself and to share.
So lets go and Kampai*…

Kampai : Tchin
Tsukemono : Very small dishes

The luxury in the conquest of new skylines

In Japan, the haute couture does not limit itself any more only to fashion but also explores the domains of gastronomy, hotel business and even the thermal baths, to satisfy rich customers who are always attracted by luxury and by refinement.
Japan, where it is common even for a woman of medium class to have several luxury brands bags, is one of the most profitable markets of the world for the luxury industry. But it is also one of the most saturating, pushing the big foreign houses of dressmaking to diversify.
" Until now, Japanese wanted clothes and luxury articles which lasted for a long time. But newly, they developed a taste for the ephemeral luxury” explains Maiko Manji, chief editor of the magazine Elle Japan.
To open restaurants, coffees, chocolate makers or spas is a way for the luxury groups to find a second breath in the archipelago .
In November, the Italian designer Giorgio Armani opened his store-headlight in Tokyo, one twelve-storeyed building in the middle of the ultra-upper-crust quarter of Ginza. Put apart the fashion store, he also opened Armani Casa (furniture store), an italian restaurant, a SPA, and a private club.
The Italian jeweller Bvlgari opened his store-headlight in OmoteSando and a coffee next to its competitors ( Chanel, Cartier)
Restaurants Armani or Bvlgari serve 8.500 - 20.000-yen dinners .A treatment of one hour and a half in the spa Armani costs 45.000 yens.
Faced to the strong competition in the luxury market in Japan. Luxury brands are successfully diversifying their activities to look different.

New opportunities for the mobile market

With more than 66 million subscribers, Japan is the first market of Internet mobile in the world.
We can explain this high number by the fact that Japanese gets used very early to the mobile phone and are very tied to it today.
The Mobiles are completely integrated to their daily life, to communicate of course, but also to amuse itself, play, listen to music, buy, to pay, etc. You can do everything with your mobile. One interesting thing is to get information of a product you want to buy with your phone, you just need to scan the barcode and you are diriged to the Product internet website.
According To a study of the Japanese ministry of communication made in July, The mobile market has grown about 23% in 2007 to settle about 8 billions Dollars. However this market fragments more and more : We count 16 000 official points of sale managed by 4300 societies.
Sales engendered by contents are almost 3,2 billions € and the music represents 40% of this amount. We note a very strong increase in the purchase of songs online and a 34% i decrease of the traditionnal market of ringtones. The sales of e-books doubled and it represents now 150 millions Euros.
According to the last figure transmitted by NTT-DoCoMo (market leader) in July, its monthly sales in contents is more than 150 millions Euros. The operator notes an inactivity among unique users while the sale by user generated with contents continues growing. Finally, NTT-DoCoMo points out that the number of pages seen on the sites of video advanced of 500 % in one year! One of the main reasons of these strong progresses is the extension of the limitless subscriptions favouring the downloading of "heavy" data and "rich" contents.
Faced to the stagnation of mobile market, the operators found a new way to increase their benefits. In fact the new market of contents is growing very fastly and it’s a real new opportunity for them.
It's also an opportunity for the advertisers because it's a new advertising support. They can reach more people and be more efficient in their advertising campaign.

Did you say kaiinu* ?

The Thing which most marked me when I arrived in Japan is the number of dogs mothered by their master. Comfortably installed in a stroller, he’s the king and the master is attending to every need of the darling small dog.
We Can hardly attend the similar panorama in France and even less in Morocco, my country of origin where I have habit more to see wandering dogs than animals mothered suchlike.
Each year since 2000, Japan's pet market has undergone steady annual growth of approximately 5%, and is now worth an estimated $10 billion.
Indeed, statistics show that dogs are the new children in Japan. According to a Nihon economics newspaper article published in January, dogs currently outnumber children under the age of 12. There are now some 12.5 million dogs, twice as many as there were in the 1980s, with the highest ownership among 30- and 40-year-olds.
So It’s a big market, and a real opportunity for whom want to invest in that industry, That’s how many many specialized stores with plenty pet accessories opened, Dogs beauty salons, and without forgetting of course the famous hotels for dogs.
In fact, when their owners travel, lucky pups stay in a 20,000 yen per night six-mat suite at Pet Inn Royal, the luxury pet hotel that opened at Narita Airport, or the NaYa Court Dog Resort in the countryside two hours north of Tokyo. There they can seat in a Table of a Canine Café eating an organic doggy pizza or licking a Cookies & Cream doggy “ice cream” at Three Dog Bakery in Shibuya district, which sells homemade dog biscuits, cookies and personalized birthday cakes for around 3,000 yen. The Masters can also celebrate a Dog wedding.
A Dogs world has been created in Tokyo where you can find anything you want for your pet.
The fascination of the Japanese for the dogs is such as the more the place is unusual, the more it will be the place to be…


Sources: Japan News, Pet food Manufacturers association of Japan and Personal experience.


*Kaiinu : Domestic dog

The attractive Japanese sports Market

Today, Marketing became necessary in the life of a big club of football.
Japanese Market became a great opportunity for foreign soccer clubs to develop their brand image.
We don’t play soccer a lot in Japan, but since the last decade, The biggest soccer clubs try to establish themselves and to popularize their mark in Japan.
It’s a huge opportunity for them to develop their image in Asia, to sell stemming products increasing revenues and finally to open a New Market.
So, in the last decade many soccer clubs were invited in Asia for a summer tour, allowing asian fans to see their idols. But to see Fc Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester united, there is a price and a very high price.
For their tours, clubs pocket a sum between 3 and 5 millions euros.
It’s not the only advantage. In fact, players like Ronaldinho, Eto’o, Henry or Beckham allow these clubs to develop their brand image and to provoke the infatuation of the Japanese fans. That’s how Fc Barcelona openned an official store in Japan.
And they are real fans, this picture above which went all around the world testifies it. Small Japanese who mourns after a game lost by Barcelona.

It became fashion since the infatuation provoked by David Beckham these last years.
David Beckham is the most famous soccer player in Japan.
The shoots of the Beckham cult began to grow back in 1999 when Manchester united visited Japan, first his appeal was most apparent among young females. Girls hang Beckham pendants from their mobile phones, and wear Beckham badges and there are plans to produce a Beckham brand of soft drinks and snacks. The team spirit of Beckham is what makes him popular in this country where collectivism is more important than individualism. So players as George Best or Paul Gascoigne who were blended in narcotic scandals would never have had so much infatuation in Japan.
The Sports Marketing in Japan is growing very fastly and it represents a real opportunity to developp foreign brands.