Sep 05
26
On The Road – Japan #3
Tokyo is fascinating. One of the things that struck me when I first
came here about 4 years ago was the cars. Japanese automotive companies
test market vehicles domestically up the kazoo before launching
globally. When I was on my way to buy some sushi on Sunday night I saw
a car that looked suspiciously like an old style mini from the rear. On
my way back I checked out the front of the car – still pretty
mini-like, but different enough. It was a Daihatsu – and I think the
model name was “mini”. Coming to a street near you next year?
I went back to the Yodabashi Camera Store again yesterday and purchased
a digital camcorder. I bought the Sony 5.1 model. It has a microphone
array on the top that enables you to record in surround sound. I have
heard the result and it really is something. I think this is going to
be one of those products that establishes a new way of doing things and
is going to be part of the next big change in the way we entertain
ourselves.
I have been using skype more and more on this trip. Normally I rent a
cell phone when I fly into Narita (6th time this year that I am in
Japan at present). This time I didn't. Now that is going to save money.
No cell phone and calls to the US and Australia on skype for free.
Gotta love that.
I finished the Thomas Fridman book last night, and it is certainly
interesting reading The World Is Flat while travelling from country to
country in the East – through the places that are truly helping drive
this change. Disturbing thing is to see the price of energy leaping
up…. and to talk to people who are just not seeing the knife edge
that we are all balanced on. When national media is so controlled in so
many countries, when the stories that are World Is Flat stories don't
make it to the front page because they are perceived to be against
national interests, but where those same stories are about massive
social change, you have to worry. These are the things that are going
to cause the serious tectonic shifts that we are about to face.
I have been listening a lot to podcasts during the time that I have
been on the road. One of the things that I love is this whole concept
of the Tivo for audio. There is more intelligent commentary available
in audio form than in audio/visual to start with. That is because
content creation is a snip. Cheap and easy. And you can consume the
content while sitting on the Tokyo metro or in a restauant or wherever.
Multitasking to generate more business intelligence. This combination
of podcasting, blogging and of course RSS is what is going to rock our
world. Particularly with a future in which I see substantially more
expensive or curtailed travel – whether it be because of cost of oil or
the breakout of bird flu. And that will lead to a need for greater
communication and more inventive forms of social marketing.