先日東京スカイツリーっていうところに行って一緒に写真を撮ってきました！世界一高い電波塔だって聞いていたのでワクワクしていましたが、実際行ってみたら思ったより小さくてがっかり….
これがきっと人間界でいう「ションベン小僧・マーライオン」シンドロームなのかな？
……. そんな事はともかく巷では2020年の東京オリンピックに向けてビジネス・チャンス到来！って感じみたいですね。 Continue Reading…
Everyone is thinking everyday about the state of the economy and where the business opportunities lay. The Tokyo Olympics is coming to Japan in 2020 and that means there’s a massive opportunity for Japanese businesses, large and small, to capitalize of the media focus on Japan as well as the large influx of foreigners who will be heading here over the next 5 years.
On that note, I came upon a small news article buried in the very back of a publication. It dropped my jaw. Read on.
Robot55 has been doing video production in Tokyo for Japanese companies that want to target the domestic market, as well as the influx of foreigners heading to Japan’s shores. Long ago, I did promotion, marketing and PR for mostly airlines and travel related industries. I have worked with Delta Airlines, Austrian Air, ANA, Lufthansa, helicopter companies as well as many major hotels and restaurants. Heck I have even made many videos for companies like Domino Pizza and did the voice over narrations on national TV commercials for Smirnoff Vodka, Success, Roomba Vacuum cleaners and many others so I think we at Robot55, have a pretty good grasp of the state of that business.
Excel Air Service offers helicopter rides around Tokyo for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended!
When it comes to airlines, many airlines are cutting routes, services and amenities to passengers. The so-called “premium carriers” seem to be the hardest hit and the mid-class carriers want to change their image to “premium carrier.”
I think there is a big difference between wanting to be a premium class carrier and actually being one. Changing a middle class carrier into a premium one takes much more than a note handed down from corporate; it takes a fundamental shift in corporate culture. Some, of which, by the way, will be impossible for most carriers to accomplish.
On that note, I also am puzzled at how people perceive the term “Kakuyasu” in Japan. “Kakuyasu” means “super discount.” Most people seem to have a bad image in their head about this word, but I think this is nonsense and I also think that perceptions are quickly changing.
While many may gruff and snort at the term Kakuyasu, the public is eating it up. One good example is the discount liquor store that even put the term “Kakuyasu” in its name: Kakuyasu. Kakuyasu is a discount liquor store that originally started out as a family shop in 1921 and was derided as low class when it first incorporated as a chain discount liquor store in 1982. Now they have 140 stores all over Japan and are #1 in liquor store sales… Kakuyasu even outsells 7-11 in liquor sales in Japan!
So, while, still to this day, some people will hold their noses at the term “Kakuyasu,” the public loves it and has turned this particular store into a smash success that has over $860 million dollars (USD) in annual sales.
We at Robot55 are targeting companies that want to make videos for the domestic audience as well as the flood of foreigners coming to Japan in the next 5 years and we aim to do that at a price that blows away the competition. The internet search engines give more weight to webpages that are updated often and that includes videos. Why spend ¥300,000 for one video when we can make your entire annual video campaign, including 3 videos for that price? This video below was made for the incredibly reasonable price of ¥80,000. That includes the entire video production team, editing, music and 100% customer satisfaction.
Albatross: http://youtu.be/E5B41Jio1MI
Won’t you contact us and let us give you a quote? We will not be outsold! Send us an email and let’s get started! Email us at: contact@robot55.jp
contact@robot55.jp
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NOTE: So, while the economy tanks and the old school belittles discount services and products, those services continue to make serious in-roads into to public consciousness and then increase their profitability.
This brings me back to the point of this article and what I set out to write about in the first place. It is an interesting little topic that seems to have slipped between the cracks of the major news outlets. Now, a Chinese Low Cost carrier (LCC) is offering flights from Japan to Chinese for ¥4000. That’s less than the taxi fare is from my home to downtown Tokyo (and that is only about 20 minutes!)
Chinese discount carrier Spring Airlines will offer a 4,000 yen one-way ticket between Shanghai and Ibaraki Airport, about 80 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, from September 15 to 29 on a total of 14 flights, it said Wednesday. The discount fare will apply to around 10 percent of the total 180 seats per flight, while fares for other seats are set at between 8,000 yen and 26,000 yen.
Spring Airlines launched chartered flights between the two destinations in July, and has recently received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to offer the 4,000 yen ticket.
So, like I said, while some will look down upon and thumb their noses at discount services and products, the public seems to want all it can get…. It reminds me of the old quote about giving the public what they want;
When massive crowds attended the 1957 funeral of L.B. Mayer, the head of MGM, a writer was quoted as saying: “Well, it only proves what they always say, ‘Give the people what they want, and they’ll come out for it.'”
The smart businessman will recognize this for what it is.
Well, a survey of tourists leaving Japan shows what everyone already knows: Sushi is a favorite among tourists (and Japanese alike). Here is a list of the top favorite foods amongst tourists to Japan!
A recent newspaper article I read said this:
Foreign tourists visiting Japan enjoy sushi above any other national dish, according to a survey by the Japan National Tourism Organisation. The state-run agency said it interviewed more than 15,000 foreign tourists as they left Japan and asked what their favorite food had been during their visit.
So what were their favorite foods?
Drum roll please!
At #6: Gyudon! Gyudon is everywhere in Japan too. Gyudon is beef and vegetables on a bed of rice and it is probably the best value for the money in town. You can have a full stomach for under $5 (USD)! I recommend Sukiya as they have nearly 2000 shops all over Japan (and English menus!)
#5: Udon! You need the best and most delicious and inexpensive Udon in Tokyo? Check out Takamoto Seimenjyo: Gaijin Gourmet! Awesomely Delicious Udon in Kamiyacho, Tokyo!
At #4: Tempura! Fish, shellfish or vegetables deep fried in batter! I don’t usually eat fried foods but I have been to Tenya a few times and it is fast, cheap and delicious.
At #3: Sashimi! (good sashimi is expensive so I don’t really know any cheap places… But try out #1 below!)
At #2: Ramen! A noodle soup that originated in China, came in second with 21 percent of visitors placing it top. I can’t really recommend any ramen shop because there’s millions of good ones everywhere in Tokyo!
At #1: Sushi! Four out of ten people picked sushi as #1. Sushi is morsels of vinegar-flavored rice usually served with sliced raw seafood. Well, there’s a million great sushi places in Japan too! (Well, duh!) But if you have kids who are picky eaters and you are on a budget traveling in Japan, then try out Hamazushi! The kids LOVE this place! Gaijin Gourmet: My Favorite Robot (Sushi) – Hamazushi
Of course, as the Olympics get closer, there will be more and more of these establishments making English language videos for the foreign audience coming to Japan and you can bet that Robot55 will be there making these video productions for the shops, especially in the Tokyo area. As we produce these videos, we will post them on the Robot55 webpage.
Bon apetite!
ホモ・サピエンスの皆様こんにちは！ロボット・ゴー・ゴーです♬
2020年に東京で再びオリンピックが開催されるということでロボット界も大騒ぎなんですが、今日はここで今から半世紀以上前に東京で行われた最初のオリンピックのアメリカ・ユニバーサル・ニュースの貴重なアーカイブ・ニュース映像をご紹介したいと思います。
In Japan, a Noren is the cloth sheet that hangs at the front of any establishment that shows that they are open for business. A customer must usually lift the Noren to enter any shop.
If a “Noren is too low,” then it is said that it becomes difficult for new customers to enter because they cannot see the inside of the shop. So, a Noren that is “Too Low” is bad for business. People want to be able to see inside your shop to see the look and atmosphere and staff. If they cannot, many people will hesitate to enter.
But, when you stop to think about it, if a customer is already at your shop’s entrance to where they can just lift up the Noren to look in, then you already have them at your shop’s front door and that’s half the battle of just getting them inside and becoming a customer.
But how about people who are far away or standing at the station waiting for friends and looking for a suitable place to dine or shop? Well, that’s where a video on Youtube and then embedded into your webpage or Facebook page or other Social Media can help you to get new customers and to help them to find you and enter your shop! With Youtube video, people can see inside your shop, meet you and see what kind of a place you are running, and then they can feel comfortable entering for the very first time.
You know what the old saying is? “Familiarity breeds content.” If people know what the inside of your place looks like and who you and the staff are, it makes it MUCH easier for them to enter.
There’s an interesting bar and eating establishment near Fuchu station named Chain. The restaurant specializes in a friendly and warm atmosphere and various dishes featuring quality beef and other cuts of choice meat braised or pan fried. I tried several of the dishes and they were quite delicious.
Chain is run by a husband and wife team of Masamichi and Takeo Suzuki.
Chain doesn’t have their own webpage, but they decided to make a video for Youtube and place it on their Facebook page as well as on other social media sites. So we took the Robot55 team out to Chain and made the video for them and their customers as well as potential new customers.
Here is the video. I think with this, you can see what sort of place Chain is and the kind of people running it as well as get an idea about the food and drink menu.
With a video like this on your website or Facebook page or blog, new and first time customers can get a glimpse of what’s inside.
It makes it every easy for folks to lift the Noren at your shop and come on in. And that is good for your business!
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Izakaya? Chain
１８３－００４５ 東京都府中市美好町３－２－２－２０１号
3-2-2-201 Miyoshi-Cho, Fuchu City, Tokyo.
Hours: Mon – Sun:5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tele: 042－207－2941
Map: http://yahoo.jp/fkvWZ9
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are coming. I was searching for information on the subject when I stumbled upon some old video of newsreel footage that show the scenes and I thought you might like to go with me on a blast to the past.
These two are Universal News newsreels (Yes, Universal used to do the news also!) Probably a common denominator between these videos of 1964 and the 2020 Olympics will be that the USA is probably one of the top two medal winners. I expect that China, and not the Soviet Union, will be the ones to beat in 2020.
This first one is entitled, “The Olympics – U.S. Widens Tokyo Lead from Oct. 19, 1964. Here’s the description: “(1) brief shot of Harold Wilson of Britain (2) Tokyo Olympics as Hirohito watches; Sharon Studer wins 3rd medal in butterfly swim race; platform diving won by Leslie Bush; track events include 100 meter spring won by Hayes – slow motion of finish; women’s 100 meter (partial newsreel).”
By the way, did you know that Japan came in third in medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics? Wow! What’s happened since then? It’s anybody’s guess, but Japan has been an also-ran in the Olympics in the last few decades.
Here’s a medal chart:
Wikipedia has all the details:
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan from October 10 to 24, 1964. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan’s invasion of China, before ultimately being canceled because of World War II. The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports. (South Africa was, however, allowed to compete at the 1964 Summer Paralympics, also held in Tokyo, where it made its Paralympic Games debut.)
Tokyo was chosen as the host city during the 55th IOC Session in West Germany, on May 26, 1959. These games were also the first to be telecast internationally without the need for tapes to be flown overseas as they were for the 1960 Olympics four years earlier. The games were telecast to the United States using Syncom 3, the firstgeostationary communication satellite, and from there to Europe using Relay 1. These were also the first Olympic Games to have color telecasts (partially). Certain events like the sumo wrestling and judo matches, sports huge in Japan, were tried out using Toshiba’s new color transmission system; but just for the domestic market, not for any international coverage. History surrounding the 1964 Olympics was chronicled in the 1965 documentary film Tokyo Olympiad, directed by Kon Ichikawa.
The second video is about the dawning of the Bullet Train. Check it!
I think there is one more thing though that might be common about the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; There’s going to be lots of foreigners from around the world coming to Tokyo so Japanese businesses need to up their game and promote their businesses to these wealthy foreigners while they can!
Web video and local productions in various languages will be key to growing your business.
If you need anything concerning video production in Tokyo and video production in the English language, please ask us at Robot55.
お店やネットビジネスをされている方々にとってビデオを制作してYouTubeやFacebook、TwitterといったSNSを使って拡散するのは非常に効果的です。初めて行く場所や２軒目を探す時に食事する場所やカフェ、バーをネットで探した経験のある方も多くいらっしゃると思いますが、沢山良さそうで似たようなお店がリストアップされてしまったら、そこにビデオがあるかないかで初めて扉を開く勇気がもらえるかどうか、全然違いますよね。 Continue Reading…
Making a video to place on Youtube and Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and other cool Social Media is a great way to get the word out about your business. Lots of people are now searching for videos on Youtube when they look for a restaurant or coffee shop or other businesses that are in the local area.
Here is a video for a local hairstyling shop. In just 30 Seconds, you know the staff and the interior and atmosphere of this small, friendly hair styling salon:
Think about it: You are at the train station waiting for your friends to go, say, drink some beer and eat Yakitori. But you don’t know any good places around. The usual way is to search Tabelog or Gurunavi, and that’s OK, but static photos don’t show you what kind of place or the atmosphere as well as we want. The new way people are doing the search is on Youtube. Why? Because a Youtube video can show customers your place and the food or products/services and the atmosphere much better than any still photos can.
Here is the screen capture of a web page for a fabulous bar in Shinjuku named Albatross:
This is your typical web page today. It serves a purpose, but it doesn’t make people “want” to visit.
We went to Albatross the other day and shot the video for them that they need. Here is is. Compare this video with the webpage above and tell me which makes you want to go check the establishment out!
Watching the above video makes you want to visit Albatross. It looks like a very cool place to stop for a drink while visiting Tokyo. It’s very “Japanese”!
The plan for this video is to embed the video into the Albatross webpage above and to make the page “come alive.” A webpage shouldn’t just be a “digital poster,” it should offer the visitor a total multi-media experience that actually makes them want to visit for themselves. I will post the new page as soon as they embed the video. But I think you get my meaning here; the video makes the place “come alive” and shows you exactly what the interior is like and how warm and fun and what the staff are like; you needn’t be a stranger on your first visit!
Of course, the Albatross video above is made by the professionals at Robot55 and cost ¥80,000. It is classy and effective. If you use the video for, say, 5 years, that comes out to a price of only about ¥43 per day; there isn’t a cheaper, more effective way to increase your business today!
¥43 yen per day? Think about it!
But what about a guy who isn’t sure of spending the money and wants to make a video on their own just to “try it out”? Great! Good idea! We are here also to give you support. There are lots of people who we call “Youtubers” who are making their own videos and doing well at selling their product or service.
Here’s a funny one: Cooking With Dog!
Cooking With Dog is one of the better homemade productions, but, I think you can see it is an amateur production. I think it is good enough for what they want to accomplish. Perhaps if they were a restaurant, they’d want better quality (and not have dogs in the kitchen! Ahem…)
I figure they spent a few days shooting and putting this together. Which might not be good for you, especially if you are trying to run a business. But, all in all, still pretty good for an establishment that hasn’t the money for a proper professionally made video; no matter how cheap it is!. Heck this is of a lot better than nothing! Depending on your goals, any presence on Youtube is better than no presence at all.
There are many small things that can be done to “up your game” when making a video to help increase your business.
Here, on Robot55, we will start this new series on “Making a homemade video” that can help your business; starting today. It will include tons of tips and tricks we’ve learned from over 30 years experience in the video business and we are giving this advice away for absolutely free.
Next week, I will help you out with the most basic problems of these homemade videos: Composition of images and making your sound better.
Hope to see you next week!
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For more free tips on how to better make your business video for free:
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 1 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-1/)
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 2 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)
Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 3 – You Need a Map: How to Write a Script! (http://robot55.jp/blog/make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-3-you-need-a-map-how-to-write-a-script/)
Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 4(（www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-4/)
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ― Isaac Asimov
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ― Henry Ford
“I’m unpredictable, I never know where I’m going until I get there, I’m so random, I’m always growing, learning, changing, I’m never the same person twice. But one thing you can be sure of about me; is I will always do exactly what I want to do.” ― C. JoyBell C.
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Yesterday was a great day editing our Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story movie. It was fun.
I felt happy because of two important things:
1) We were creating our dream. I mean, it was me, us, we. We were creating our dreams by making the effort. There was nothing stopping us from making what we wanted to create and, therefore becoming who we are destined to be.
2) We were learning. We were all learning a new skill and how to become better at our craftsmanship. We learn by doing; by being; by making the effort. Isn’t this the way to live a fulfilled and happy life?
Today? I woke up happy and feeling good. It’s nice to be nearly sixty-years-old and wake up in the morning feeling good and thinking, “Gee! I learned something totally new yesterday.” No matter how old we get, we must continually keep learning and expanding ourselves and our universe.
There are quotes at the top of this page by the famous, but in my own Hollywwod, the quote might be:
“Life happens to people.”
Folks, keep learning! Live life to the fullest.
Yesterday, we had a day of editing and color correction on the Japanese Rock N Roll Ghost Story movie. It was the first time to have ever used Da Vinci software for color correction. I had never seen the software before. I now know why all the big Hollywood movies use it.
I mentioned before that we had finished the initial stages of video production and the trailer now looks set to be of “Hollywood” quality. I am expecting the trailer to be ready for your viewing within two weeks of this posting.
I look forward to more video editing, shooting, and post production in the next few days. I hope you do too.
We will keep you posted.
Mr. Pan, lead vocalist and guitar of the Neatbeats. Mr. Pan is starring in the film. (Photo by Osamu Arai)
To read more about: A Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story – click here: www.robot55.jp/rock-roll-ghost-story/
(Image at top: Movie shoot before Jan. 26, Shin Nen Kai “New Year’s Party” event.)
This post is about keeping a constant theme throughout a marketing campaign regardless of the media. It involves print media, FM radio, and Digital Signage.
We held our annual “Shin Nen kai” (Rock and Roll New Year’s Party) on Jan. 26, 2014 at Milky Way in Shibuya, in Tokyo. It was a wonderful event and was “sold out” months in advance. When all was said and done and the concert/party over, I was told by the manager of Milky Way that this night had set the record for attendance (and alcohol and drink sales) at his establishment.
Sold out months in advance and setting a record for attendance? A promoters dream come true.
From November of 2014, the concept for the entire concert/party was established. This was the event poster:
Jan. 26, 2015 at Shibuya Milky Way
I designed the poster concept based on an old Motown poster that I had always liked. I thought the red and yellow tones fit the image of a New Year’s party in Japan. So we went with this.
In order to keep the concept consistent and marketing all on the same theme, I made a FM radio commercial that ran on the radio station from Mid-December 2014 until the morning of the actual event on Jan. 26, 2015.
Using the radio commercial as the sound base we also made a Youtube commercial for the event. It was a commercial in Japanese and English. For the images for the Youtube commercial, we simply imported the data from the poster created in Photoshop (and a few images from a former Digital Signage work) and made a “moving poster” as seen here:
The poster was created on Photoshop. A radio commercial for the radio station was created. Then the elements from the poster were layered over the radio commercial to create the “TV Ad” (Digital Signage).
In this way, we can make an effective advertising campaign with an easily recognizable and consistent theme… And we can do it for very low costs.
Was this a successful campaign and event bringing the station several months worth of promotion for dirt cheap? The venue was “sold out” a month in advance and we set the record for attendance at that establishment; people are still talking about it now…
If the proof is in the eating, then I guess that’s proof of a smash success.
Oh, by the way, why are people still talking about this event (and I suspect they will be talking about it for a very long time)? Because all of February, we are giving away 7 posters signed by all the band members along with an official backstage pass.
Signed Poster
Want a poster? Send an email to: wtf@interfm.jp by Feb. 22, 2015.
*Of course, in fact, this blog post is a continuation of that promotion!