MAGASTORE will launch first on the iPhone

One of Japan’s most powerful companies, Dentsu, is trying to extend its control of traditional media to the mobile arena with a new application that will force users to pay for online magazines and maintain its dominance over their ad space.

For years the advertising behemoth has been sitting pretty, thanks to its near-monoploy over media buying and the commissions that go with it. Last week, Dentsu announced the launch of MAGASTORE, a downloadable app that will sell access to magazines on mobile phones.

In fiscal 2008, the digital publishing market was estimated at ¥46.4 billion (US$500 million), up ¥10.9 billion from the previous year. Of that, mobile publishing accounted for more than ¥40 billion, according to research by Impress Holdings. Digital comic books are selling especially well, thanks to improvements in cell phones, with larger screens, faster Web access and simpler billing systems.

MAGASTORE, a collaboration with mobile software provider YAPPA Corp., will begin as an application for the iPhone on the Softbank network this summer, and later be made available to other handsets and carriers. After downloading the application, users can purchase magazines and store them to read anytime. Users will pay ¥115 to for the application and then ¥115 to ¥600 per magazine.

YAPPA has made one-off solutions for magazines in the past, such as Shufuntomo’s éf magazine. But Dentsu’s bundled app will be cost-effective for publishers. They will get access to viewer data as well as an online settlement system and, according to the company, “a new advertising solution combining the characteristics of magazine contents and the technology of mobile advertising.”

Among the publishing houses that have signed up for MAGASTORE are Asahi Shimbun, Fusosha (Numero, Spa!), Condé Nast Japan (Vogue, GQ) and a host of niche publishers of titles about everything from skateboarding and kimono to salt-water fishing.

The control of content by powerful corporations remains solid in Japan, even in mobile, where providers like DoCoMo and KDDI strictly control who gets access to users’ menus. (The App Store model developed by Apple for the iPhone fits nicely with this strategy.) When it comes to the question of whether online content should be free or paid, Japan clearly veers toward the latter. Consumers don’t expect mobile content to be free, and by the same token are more willing to pay for it.

Although the list of participating publishers in MAGASTORE is by no means comprehensive at this stage, Dentsu’s intention seems clear: to control the mobile publishing market by controling the delivery system, its model in print and television for decades, and one that has served the company well, if not the consumer.

If imitation is any sign of success, Tokyo Girls Collection, the live fashion show-cum mobile commerce event created by Branding Inc., should be flattered.

A Japanese printing company, Toppan, has announced that it will diversify into fashion and launch a series of catwalk shows in Tokyo in September, according to WWD and Nikkei.

In a concept almost identical to TGC, Toppan will sell clothing and accessories worn by models in the shows via a mobile website. It will also sell magazines and DVDs related to the event. Toppan hopes to attract 10,000 girls in their teens and 20s paying at least ¥3,000 (US$30) for a ticket. It expects annual sales of ¥3 billion (US$30) by 2011, and plans to export the shows to other cities in Asia.

Branding Inc. (formerly Xavel) held the first TGC in 2005. Attendees can instantly buy clothes they see from an affiliated mobile website, fashionwalker.com. Versions of TGC took place in Beijing in 2007 and 2008. The most recent event was held in Tokyo in early March and featured brandsincluding Alba Rosa, BEAMS, Jill Stuart and Milkfed.

The fim Lalapipo deals with people struggling an a harsh economy.

The Japanese film “Lalapipo: A Lot of People,” currently in release, deals with young people struggling in a harsh economy, dreaming of jobs they are unlikely to get. If the topic hits a little too close to home for some viewers, the theater Cine Quint in Shibuya, Tokyo is sweetening the deal by offering discounts to movie goers who are temp workers, and therefore lack job security.

The free paper Hot Pepper now includes a beauty section.

The beauty section of Hot Pepper, the shop and restaurant listing magazine, is giving out premium beauty goods to 1215 people in celebration of their new mobile site.

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A chandelier made out of popsicles.

Hisakazu Shimizu has made it his job to take ordinary items from day-to-day life and reshape them. As an industrial design artist at Canon, he has done this with his designs for popular cameras such as the Canon IXY. On the side, however, he does his own artwork, and seeks to bring through his own vision with his innovative works.

For his latest exhibition, Shimizu has taken popsicles and made them into works of art. His “The Things We Love” show at the SFT Gallery showcases artwork created out of ice cream spoons and Japanese style popsicles – ordinary, but that’s the point. Shimizu hopes that by taking these everyday items he can stir things up and in turn affect the viewer. He wants to resurrect the simple and powerful memories in the back of our minds that such items can evoke.

Shimizu also uses ice cream spoons in his work.

The title for the exhibition, “The Things We Love,” is a play on the similarity between the words for “love” and “ice,” ai and aisu. Aptly named, since “love” is precisely one of the emotions Shimizu aims to play off of with his work.

Natalie Meyer

A new TV program focuses on parents harassing teachers.

“Monster Parent” a new drama series on Fuji Television premiered yesterday. The story revolves around a female lawyer at a prestigious law firm who is summoned to a public school in the suburbs to help the board of education deal with a “monster parent.”

“Monster parent” is a term that only recently began appearing in the Japanese media. Japanese parents long had a reputation of completely trusting teachers, especially at prestigious schools, and supported the decisions made about their children’s education by officials. This has changed, and many critics argue that the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.

Yoshihiko Morotomi, a professor at Meiji University who has written a book on the topic, says that parents will strongly oppose even the slightest signs of favoritism or singling out students. Morotomi relates stories of mothers insisting on sitting in on their children’s classes and taken pictures or filming while classes are in session to make sure all is fair. In a recently reported case, an elementary school staged staged a performance of Snow White in which all 25 girls in the class simultaneously played the title character, as all of the parents pressured the school not to favor any one student with the star role. In extreme examples parents will harass a teacher they believe has wronged their child until that teacher agrees to resign.

That a prime-time series has been based on the topic indicates that it is very much in the popular consciousness, and it is possible that educational or even legal reforms will be made to address the problem.

The cover of Jero

With the success of his first single “Umi Yuki” (“Ocean Snow”) under his belt, tomorrow Jero will release his new mini-album, “covers,” featuring new versions of well-known enka songs. The songs were selected by both his staff and through surveys of fans.

Jero’s new style is paving the way for a more accessible view of enka in Japan. His image is being associated not with nostalgia and years gone by, but with the freshness of “now.”

Things are moving fast for Jero. In May popular beverage maker Kirin began airing commercials featuring Jero and their Fire brand of coffee. His music is set to be released all throughout Asia, a move which has the potential for his fresh new style to challenge perceptions and jumpstart younger generations’ interest in enka even outside of Japan.

Jero at a press conference today.

Jero’s style of singing is surprisingly traditional; it’s his hip-hop-inspired image that has left some hating, some obsessing, and others just plain bewildered. At a press conference today, Jero said that while his maverick style may put some people off, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. He is who he is, and trying to perform in a suit and tie might make him seem like some sort of parody. And he’s not a parody. He’s completely serious about his love of enka.

When asked about any possible girlfriends, he laughed and said there’s no one special at the moment – for now, he said, “I’m married to enka.”

Natalie Meyer

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"Around 40" is a popular new TV drama.

“Around 40″ tells the story of Satoko Ogata, a 39-year-old woman with a fulfilling job as a psychiatrist. Satisfied with her career and her close female friends, Satoko has never married. She suddenly falls victim to sweeping reforms in the Japanese medical field, when the hospital she works at simply closes its doors and leaves her without a job. A true survivor, Satoko keeps her chin up in her hunt for new work while battling ageism and sexual discrimination in the job market.

Not so long ago, Japanese women who remained single in their late 20s were disparagingly referred to as “Christmas cake,” meaning that past (December) 25, they are nothing but stale leftovers. For a female character who is not only single at 39, but happy with her choice to be presented a positive role model is indicative of a Japanese society in flux. Women are increasingly setting their own priorities, devoting their energies to their careers, marrying later in life, or, like Around 40’s heroine, choosing to stay single.

The show

“Around 40″ is written by Atsuko Ashibe, who previously penned “A Nurse’s Job,” a hospital comedy that threw light on the poor working conditions of Japan’s nurses. The popularity of Ashibe’s latest program is reflected in the show’s official homepage, which includes an active online forum for viewers to share their own life experiences, and a section where the cast and crew give career and relationship advice to viewers who write in.

The show

“Around 40″ has also become a hit an unexpected demographic, prompting the launch of a new section on the site for younger male viewers who seem to use the show as a way of understanding older women.

The next edition of the Tokyo Girls Collection is scheduled for March 15th.

Japan’s “Gothic Lolita” fashions, which blend Victorian, punk, and leather fetish and bondage influences, have captured attention around the world and influenced red carpet outfits at the Emmy Awards. However, this is hardly what the majority of young Japanese women are wearing.

AneCan is the top fashion magazine with women in their 20s.

Many OLs (female office workers) in their mid 20s to early 30s closely follow “ane-kei”, literally “older sister style.” The style is feminine, cute and casual, with a sexy edge. Pastel pink tops, short denim skirts and a great pair of heels are the type of ensemble that can be found in the magazine AneCan, a fashion bible currently celebrating its first anniversary.

The latest trends in the style will be unveiled on March 15, at the 6th Tokyo Girls Collection. The current Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo is showing fashions for the 2008-9 Autumn/Fall season in a preview six months in advance for press and industry insiders, with limited effect to the average consumer. However, TGC is all about instant sartorial gratification.

Designs for the just beginning spring/summer season will be featured in the event. An expected 24,000 visitors will register their mobile phone e-mail addresses, and less than two minutes after outfits appear on the catwalk, photos of them will be beamed to the audience, along with convenient links to buy the whole outfit and have it sent to home within a few days. Now that is instant fashion.

Johnny Depp gives his views on parenting.

An unfortunate stereotype holds that Japanese fathers are workaholics with no time for their children or outside interests and no fashion sense. That is all changing if a slew of popular magazines have anything to do with it.

A number of recent “dad mags” offer advice to 40+ fathers on how to be fashionable, cool, and in touch with their kids. The monthly glossy “Free & Easy” offers fashion and lifestyle articles for older men, alongside interviews with the likes of Tommy Lee Jones and Dennis Hopper, as well as historic pictorials featuring Steve McQueen and James Dean.

Throw out that polyester windbreaker and get a beat-up bomber jacket for the weekend, gents! “FQ”, which bills itself as “the essential dad mag,” is equal parts fashion pictorial, car and gadget report, and parenting advice. Each issue features a cover interview with a celebrity pop such as Ewan McGregor or Brad Pitt on a single topic: parenting.

A recent entry to the market is “Rock Dad,” which encourages Japanese baby boomers to dig that old electric guitar out of the closet, tune up, and rock out.

Keith Richards is rocking past 60, and you can too.

While there are countless guitar magazines introducing the latest hits in Japan, “Rock Dad” features interviews with rockers who have been at it for decades, such as Carlos Santana or Eric Clapton, and includes sheet music to classic hits by Ozzy Osbourne and Jimi Hendrix. You’re never too old to rock n’ roll.