Japan's digital content struggles: the country of the future remains stuck in the pas

[Davey]

Interesting article about Japan's digital content.

Wat are your opinion and thoughts about this:

[h=1]Japan's digital content struggles: the country of the future remains stuck in the past[/h]As anyone who's spent much time in Japan can tell you, rumors of a technological paradise have been greatly exaggerated. While the country may be a world leader in things like high-speed rail and mobile payments, a lack of public Wi-Fi and an over-reliance on fax machines persist. So it is with the transition to digital content, where ﾂ― despite the country's huge appetite for consumer electronics ﾂ― Japan continues to lag much of the world in offering services for the living room and beyond...

...With typically cramped living quarters, it's not particularly common for families to have regular access to a large screen for movies and so on ﾂ― witness the Wii U, heavily pushed as a ﾂ"second screenﾂ" so that you don't dominate the TV ﾂ― and Japanese people have in the past been happy to get as much done as possible on their phones, being as they are the most personal of devices...

..game-changer in all of this is Hulu, which surprisingly chose Japan as its second market last year. The Japanese version of Hulu Plus is a fairly robust service that actually beats its American incarnation in a few areas, most notably with its complete lack of advertising. There's no free Hulu site in Japan ﾂ― following an early price drop, the service exists solely as a premium, \980 ($12.33)-a-month subscription package that works across the web and various devices, making it a unique offering in Japan...

Read the whole article here

 

[ewww]

Yeah, I could tell Ya funny story about ATM machine in Shiga Kogen

 

[Alecksander]

That's so interesting. Honestly, I see it as a good thing. They aren't focused on clouding their daily lives with access to crap programming like the US. The minute Japanese want to watch Tokyo Shore live and streamed to their phones is the minute I will no longer love the country, for it will have failed. But they really should work on their public Wi-Fi capabilities. That's a shame.

 

[Mike Cash]

You apparently are not familiar with the pure sh*t that constitutes about 95% of Japanese television programming.

 

[DannyN]

Despite the late reply, I honestly find it very worrying TBH. A country that was the frontrunner in technologies not so long ago just can't and shouldn't just get stuck because of any possible reason they could bring up. After all, countries that are advanced technologically always make a hell lot more money above others and it has always been that way. Part of Japan's success was in technological innovations and that shouldn't be lost at any cost.

 

[Glenski]

To be honest, I didn't really like a lot of the article.

Let's start here with a quote:

the lack of a traditional ﾂ"living roomﾂ" in Japanese homes

What the heck does that mean? Traditional in what sense (and to what country)? Assuming a family situation (with kids), I don't know of too many places that lack a living room.

With typically cramped living quarters, it's not particularly common for families to have regular access to a large screen

1. Who says they don't have large screen TVs, even in 1DK apartments? They do.
2. Cramped quarters don't mean the screens don't exist. They do. Go to any electronics store and open your eyes. There's your "regular access". In fact, I'd say Japan probably leads the field in quality flat-screen TV technology.

and Japanese people have in the past been happy to get as much done as possible on their phones

Yup, including watching TV. How's the U.S. doing these days with that technology? To compare phones and TVs is apples and oranges. Japanese live on their phones with various reasons (email, photos, Internet, Line chats, etc.). They don't replace the TV, though. What can you do on the TV that can be done on the phone? How common are email and Internet features on TVs nowadays?

the reality is that most Japanese viewers detached themselves from live broadcasts long ago.

What is meant by a "live broadcast"?

The vast majority of homes have a DVR, DVD recorder, or TV with similar functionality built in

Sounds pretty technologically savvy to me (and contradictory to the earlier point of not having a TV).

the concept of actually paying for TV shows is a hard sell to many Japanese consumers.

Ever hear of SkyPerfect?

The Apple TV and Sony's PlayStation 3 offer a reasonable selection of local and international movies for rental or purchase, but neither has a subscription plan

Ever hear of SkyPerfect?

The real question, however, is whether or not Japanese consumers even want these services that we from the West can no longer imagine life without.

BINGO! Don't compare cultures and insult one just because it is not like yours.
1. Where are the electronic toilets in America? Don't you want your butts cleaned, provided with a warm surface, etc.?
2. Why is the U.S. behind the Japanese in cell / smartphone technology?
3. Where are the deep bathtubs and built-in shower facilities that let you splash anywhere you like?
4. Where are the washing machines that save space by serving as dryers, or that save energy by using cold water for all fabrics, or that save water by allowing you to pump from the tub after its use?
5. Where are the bilingual capabilities of American TV or DVD players?
6. How's Japan doing in the field of nanotechnology and robotics?

To say that digital technology is all that important is hooey. Look at some of the comments after that article. Americans sit on their butts far too much watching movies and sports on a couple of hundred channels. Result? Obesity.

Ah, different culture, you say! BINGO.

 

[Mark of Zorro]

I really don't appreciate Japan bashing articles. Japan is stuck in the past in some ways, so are western countries, America included. But if the consumers of one country embrace a tech or two and others do not, it does not constituted being "stuck in the past".

Japan is under no obligation to copy American consumers wholesale. Japanese are actually capable of doing their own thing and judging some American thing for being either the miracle or the crap that it is.

I have free content on Youtube and I have Hikari TV. I am not going to pay one red cent for Hulu, which blocks my access to its free content in America. In fact, fck Hulu for that.

Adding to Glenski's list, can you use your cell phone to pay for things in America, or pay your train fare at the gate using your phone?