TT-952 -- Hello Kitty in Free-fall, Who's Going to Save Her? E-biz news from Japan

Well, after nearly 40 years after her creation, the cat who is really a be-whiskered pre-teen British girl named Kitty White (yes, really, according to Sanrio), has been responsible for most of Sanrio's JPY60bn in sales last year.

Newsletter:

TT-951 (Tourism Edition) -- Japan Travel - Several Pivots Later and Many Lessons Learned

The japantravel.com website and Japan Travel KK company were both started in December, 2013, but the idea and test version of the site came in mid-2011, shortly after the devastating 3/11 Tohoku earthquake.

Newsletter:

Tags:

TT-950 -- Island Revitalization - The Challenges Are More Than Just Cash, ebiz news from Japan

The Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education announced that it would open an International Baccalaureate school on Osakikamijima, serving local middle and high schoolers, not just expat kids.

Newsletter:

TT-949 (Tourism Edition) -- Airbnb Meltdown, Losing Sight of What Makes a Company Successful

I wasn't going to write about Airbnb again, but the meltdown of the firm's business here in Japan over the last 2 weeks has been spectacular.

Newsletter:

Tags:

TT-948 -- The Nuclear Issue: Missiles, Meltdowns, and MOX, e-biz News from Japan

For the Japanese, the Trump-Kim summit is a bit of a slap on the face as they are being bypassed by Trump in his eagerness for a North Korea deal. Essentially the White House is relegating Japan's interests to being of minor concern.

Newsletter:

TT-947 (Tourism Edition) -- What Comes After Airbnb Listings Fall 90%?

An Airbnb competitor told me that they think Airbnb will lose up to 90% of its listings in Tokyo, and that in a perverse sort of way, it levels the playing field for the other industry players.

Newsletter:

Tags:

TT-946 -- Japan's Tulip - the Akoya Pearl Industry, ebiz news from Japan

Few farming-marine sectors in Japan have seen such extreme boom and bust conditions as the pearl industry. A recent report in the Nikkei says that Japanese pearls are now experiencing a mini-boom.

Newsletter:

TT-945 (Tourism Edition) -- Art of Travel in Japan - Screening Out the Ugly

There is a big perception gap between what the Japanese tourism and infrastructure authorities think they should spend their money on and what foreign tourists are actually seeking.

Newsletter:

Tags:

TT-944 -- Feudal Bank Culture Collides with International Laws, e-biz news from Japan

Even in 2018 the capacity for Japanese major corporations and politicians to shock us with their obliviousness towards social trends and changing standards is astounding.

Newsletter:

TT-943 (Tourist Edition) -- The Coming Tax Grab on Tourism

There is last week's approval in the Diet of the JPY1,000 Departure Tax on every traveler leaving the country, Japanese or foreign, and the money will likely not be used for tourism at all.

Newsletter:

Tags:

Pages