Hasta La Gadget!

We recently were lucky enough to meet the makers of the Meguru, an electric car made with traditional Japanese crafts and techniques.

Resembling a kind of rickshaw eco car, the Meguru is comfy and looks pretty stylish, in a funky antique sort of way. The main body is iron coated with urushi (lacquer), the flooring made from real bamboo and, most noticeably, the “door” is a fan-shaped washi (Japanese paper).

Developed jointly by Yodogawa Group and Kinki Knives Industries Corporation in Osaka, the makers hope that Meguru will become a hit in traditional towns like Kyoto and Nara. They plan eventually to offer the light vehicle at a cost of around a million yen (c.$10,000).

Its batteries can be powered by ordinary household electrics and a two-hour charge lets you drive non-stop for forty kilometers (about 25 miles). Fairly leisurely in pace, Meguru can still pick up some speed, apparently up to 40 km/h (25mph). The car is actually already registered as a road vehicle and can be driven in public. so keep your eyes peeled!.

On the right is a picture of me enjoying the cushioned seating with the very friendly Kiyonobu Agata-san, one of the people behind the project.

A few years ago a Japanese university developed the BamGoo, a small EV made of bamboo. Could this be the start of a new Back to Japan eco car trend?

They look like cosmetics…but they’re not. Recently several “fake cosmetics” products have emerged that blend style with discretion into a great lifestyle accessory for female consumers.

First up is the Pocket Doltz from Panasonic (below, right). Coming in a series of slick, metallic colors, this, in spite of appearances, is not a mascara but a sonic toothbrush. It’s small and light, slipping easily into your handbag or purse — and you won’t have to feel embarrassed by your oral hygiene habits when someone happens to see what’s inside your bag.

The Crystal Lipstick Mouse (above, left) is pretty self-explanatory — a mouse that looks like lipstick. Ultra light and charging via your laptop’s USB port, this is an ideal accessory for OLs who are often out of the office. The Swarovski Elements Crystallized decoration adds an edge of brand luxury so you also look good in the cafe catching up on work between meetings.

Finally, the Sweet Lip from Ameya Eitaro may not be electronics but the product’s resemblance to lip gloss fits with the trend. The tubes do function as lip gloss but are in fact confectionery, ideal to be spread on bread or even put into tea and beverages.

With six flavors like honey and raspberry to choose, young female consumers can enjoy their coffee break at work even more now.

Finally, one of the latest in KDDI’s great range of mobile phone accessories is “macal”. A winner at the recent iida Award 2010, this cellphone cleaner kit made by Yukiko Yano is shaped like a macaron but opens up like a compact makeup mirror.

[Image via ITMedia.]

You can get the Pocket Doltz and the Crystal Lipstick Mouse from the Japan Trend Shop.

When we were scouting the FABEX 2010 trade show for food and drink developments we came across these new bento boxes (お弁当, or “lunchbox”). Debuted at the fair as part of the “Stylish Eco”, the One-Ori Hard from Acta is an eco product that also pays real lip service to design too.

Although the name might not slip off the tongue in English, the One-Ori Hard (ワン折りハード, “ori” means “fold”) comes in a range of funky colors and have three parts: a silicone lid (fully flexible depending on the model), a fold-up outer box, and a throw-away middle tray.

Once you’re done you just get rid of the tray, collapse the other parts and slip them into your bag. Throwing things away might not sound very eco but actually the materials are 40% lighter than typical bento box plastic.

The Acta staff told me that the company is currently starting negotiations with bento shops to form return systems using the One-Ori Hard. Obviously if you already have your own bento box it will likely be fully re-usable (and thus, totally “eco”). The issue is tackling the mountains of waste generated by the plastic disposable bento boxes from convenience stores and bento shops.

Acta’s attitude is great: rather than just focusing on ecology they created a product that looks fun too. Available in several colors, this is the kind of lifestyle accessory that you could definitely see people in Tokyo liking.

During our frequent scans of retail developments in March we noticed a few new convenience store products recently that give a perk to their respective target consumers in interesting ways.

First up we have this collaboration between Aquarius and adidas, a beverage and sports shoe-maker work together in this way in Japan. The new drink, Aquarius Pro, has a slick, professional athlete tone, complete with its slogan, “Recovery Shot”. You are meant to drink it as an energy boost during your sports session (when fitted out with adidas wear, naturally).

Otona no ryugi (大人の流儀, “adult taste”) is a canned coffee drink that is supposed to make you feel mature and “erai” (偉い) when you drink it. With zero sugar or fat, apparently, it’s a “sophisticated” taste not for youngsters who just want a dose of sweetness.

No doubt this is an idea very appealing to a prime consumer of these beverages: male salarymen. However, notice the cute toy that you can get with some of the cans. This might seem a rather incongruous incentive to offer businessmen — but then we all know how the Japanese consumer loves to be childish!

Lastly, we have the bizarrely named She Her Her menthol. Coming in brightly colored packaging, the product’s name suggests a female target, and the ingredients (non-sugar) match this (along with the resealable wrapper for those OLs who only want a little snack one at a time).

We at CScout Japan are currently looking to recruit some new copywriters for one of our clients, an online retailer based in Japan. This is a great opportunity to hone your copywriting skills editing content in several areas.

Job 1
Japan Trend Shop sells select Japanese gadgets, cool designer accessories, wacky toys and more to customers all around the world. Your job would be to write copy that accurately describes products in an exciting way. Sometimes these products might be hard to understand for non-Japanese audiences, so part of your job would be using words to traverse those cultural gaps. You would also be preparing images and video links to accompany the text.

Job 2
As above you would be writing copy for products, but this time for Kanojo Toys, a specialist adult online store. We are also looking for people who can write for the shop’s blog, in which you will report on the seedy Tokyo underworld, covering unique stories, idol news, and JAV gossip.

Who
We want you if you are based in Japan (preferably Tokyo) and are enthusiastic about Japanese products. You may be a geek, a design fan or just adore hi-tech gadgets. Whatever you are into, you will love writing about it. You are a web-savvy person who likes blogging and image editing. As you will be researching in Japanese, your language skills should also be good.

Requirements
You need to have a valid working visa and be based in Tokyo (or least Japan). Equally important, though, is having a good ear (and eye) for how to sell cool Japanese stuff to an overseas market.

Payment
You’re not going to get rich, but payment will be per piece. Strong experience and skills will be rewarded with higher reimbursement. Further, there may be opportunities to expand into working with us in other projects from research to marketing.

Apply
Please email your information to contact (at) cscoutjapan.com, with “Copywriter application” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!