Also, a big welcome to visitors coming from the Japan Times! If you’ve just landed here and don’t know what to do, why not check out some of the featured articles at the top of the gakuranman.com homepage and follow me on Twitter for regular updates? If you just want to say hello, leave me a comment below or send an email. Let me know what I can do to help you :).

You can find the original How to Argue in Japanese article that I wrote here, as well as other related articles under the Culture category. I also blog a lot about the lesser known aspects and places in Japan under Secret Japan and often write posts about the Japanese language and my hobby of exploring ruins. Very occasionally I’ll also drop in a post about bioluminescence – that light fireflies and deep sea jellyfish emit!

To regular readers – a big thank you for all your support! The comments and feedback I receive continue to make blogging a real pleasure. The Japan Times article is in the print edition of today’s newspaper too, so send me a picture if you happen to see it! Here’s to good times ahead ^^.

See the end of this post for a light-hearted video collaboration illustrating the points I explain here!

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My friend Hikosaemon is a learned, friendly guy who has been living in Japan for around 10 years or so and pursuing the Japanese language and culture for much longer. He’s often remarked how my views remind him of himself at my age and he offers great insight into often misunderstood aspects of Japanese culture. He’s also quite a dab hand at the old debate, clearly and eloquently making points while acknowledging the position of the other person.

So for two pretty relaxed Westerners like us, frank discussion is quite a normal thing. Subtle humour flows, opposing viewpoints are exchanged and logical debate prevails. And I use ‘Westerner’ in a very loose sense – he is originally from New Zealand and me from the U.K. As close as our cultures are on the surface, they are still somewhat different underneath. But arguably not quite as different as when compared to East Asian countries, especially Japan.

I fear I will only be able to touch the tip of the iceberg in this post and risk running aground of the notorious problem of lumping countries into general categories – namely ‘East’ and ‘West’ – but please bear with me. This isn’t a studious, academic essay, but rather based on the observations and experiences of Hikosaemon and myself (and much more from the former!)

Guided Questioning

Let’s begin by thinking about a style of speech, in particular the dialectic method present in both Eastern and Western philosophy. The old Greek philosopher Socrates was famous for using this method and took to the streets of Athens with his unique form of persistent guided questioning. The method is a way to illuminate ideas and expose the cracks in the other person’s arguments, thus strengthening one’s own position.

Here’s a good example of classic Socrates in Eurythphro.

It’s widely regarded that this style of questioning – the Socratic Method – is one of the best ways to help people to learn the skill of critical thinking. Alas, used the wrong way it has the tendency to completely piss the other person off, especially when they aren’t familiar with the technique or are good at using it themselves.

Debating with Japanese People

Now this dialectic style of conversation is not unique to the West, although it does seem to me to be somewhat more ingrained. Or perhaps it would be better of me to say that the confrontational approach it inevitably brings with it is more tolerated in the West. One can go forth and express views, ask questions and raise counterpoints quite frankly. Of course, not everyone will be quite the placid philosopher when having a discussion, but in my experience most people can keep a level head even when faced with viewpoints directly opposed to their own. In short, there is less of a need to show empathy for the other person’s views and try to keep the discussion harmonious when arguing with a Westerner.

With Japanese people however, there is a perceived need to recognise and comment on the validity of the other person’s views almost as readily as expressing one’s own views. It’s simply not acceptable to listen to your opponent, consider their argument and then fire back a question exposing a weakness or let loose with a contradictory counterpoint. No. The moment the other person feels like you are dismissing their opinions, the conversation is pretty much over. This is the big lesson that I learned recently, despite having been warned in advance by Hikosaemon to be careful when having debates on controversial topics with Japanese people. I slipped right into the trap, went into debate mode and fired piercing questions that exposed logical inconsistencies in the other person’s views. Basically, I was an asshole.

Hikosaemon notes that constantly reinforcing your own viewpoint is seen as self-centred (自己中心) in Japan. For me, explaining my argument with absolute clarity has always been the utmost important thing to do. It has been drilled into me over 6 years of Philosophy education. Lack of clarity almost always makes for bad arguments. But in Japan, showing understanding and a sense of affirmation about the other side’s views is more important. What may seem like a painfully lacking argument to you is still the opinion of your opponent, and no matter how wrong you think they are (or how wrong they may actually be factually), there is a necessity to recognise the possibility that they may be correct. To not do so is akin to slapping the other person in the face.

Now you might wonder, as I did, what you can do when you reach an impasse. What if the other side states their argument, you state yours and both sides show understanding and appreciation for each other’s opinions. How then to dissolve the deadlock in the views? The answer, it seems, is that you cannot, at least not easily.

Hikosaemon again lends his expert advice. In Japan, once this sort of deadlock is reached, the nemawashi begins (根回し). Both sides look for a hint of common ground to begin upon and take it slowly, building up as far as possible. If after that no further progress can be made, both sides (if they are of typical Japanese thinking) will seek to compromise their own position in order to meet the opponent halfway out of politeness. This politeness was gained in the previous session when showing appreciation for one another’s views. The mutual pursuit of harmony, in other words.

Even so, this method tends to be short on results. Implacably opposed views come to a standstill when both sides avoid the confrontation as long as possible until the situation changes in a way that they can agree on it or they are forced to clash.

Controversial Topics are Not for Everyone

Another important consideration is that not everyone is ready for or even wants a debate. They may spout off controversial opinions blissfully or be so self-assured of their position that they honestly do not expect to be criticised for it. But this is the internet, and that great cloak of anonymity emboldens even the meekest of us. Those who wouldn’t dare to even bat an eyelid in ‘real life’ discussion let loose on platforms such as Twitter, Blogs or Forums. 2chan, that infamous collection of message boards only for people in Japan holds this as a golden rule. Everyone is anonymous.

A recent University graduate myself, I was quite rightly put in place when Hikosaemon explained to me that coming out of the grand oak doors of higher education armed with 4 years knowledge is like stepping out with boxing gloves on. You feel empowered, eager to try out all those years of book-learning on someone. You’re looking for a fight, in a way. Most people don’t wander around wearing boxing gloves and certainly aren’t always ready for a duel of the mind. There’s gardening to be done, taxes to pay and life to live. A prod or two with one’s boxing gloves is enough to irritate and alienate people who do not wish to have a discussion.

I’m quite likely guilty of making this mistake, even though I’ve always been naturally prone to devil’s advocate style antagonistic questioning even before entering University. Thus, the message here is to make doubly sure that your opponent is kitted up and wearing their gloves before you take a swing. Some people are naturally always ready, but many aren’t and you may even find yourself losing friends or co-workers through an offhanded political comment or ethical quip.

Be very, very careful when bringing up these sorts of controversial topics with Japanese people, especially if you are not quite sure about how to manoeuvre the conversation skilfully enough to avoid treading on the other person’s toes. It’s all too easy to think you are having a pleasant, intellectual discussion only for it to suddenly turn bad and leave deep-rooted grudges.

The Video

So below is the collaboration video Hikosaemon and I made with the help of a couple of other J-vloggers ElevenColors, Hanafubuki and GimmeaBoneDog.

Skit 1 shows two Westerners having an argument. Both really get stuck in and express their opinions, but neither is deeply offended by the other’s (crazy) views.

Skit 2 show a Japanese person and a Western person having an argument. The Westerner clearly refutes the Japanese person’s views and the conversation falls apart, most likely with the Japanese person never wanting to speak to the Western person again.

Skit 3 shows what a typical argument between two Japanese people would look like. Both show a painful level of consideration and appreciation of the other person’s views and basically end up not getting anywhere at all, still believing the same thing they started even though they verbally show warming to each other’s position.

I hope they illustrate the things I’ve been talking about in this post! Please do let me know if you have had any experiences like this yourself :).

Take care and happy (peaceful) debating!

(P.S. This post is also an entry into this month’s Japansoc Blog Matsuri hosted over at NihongoUp!)

Every year in Okazaki (岡崎市), a city near Nagoya in central Japan, history comes to life with this fantastic parade. Okazaki is famous for being the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most influential rulers in all of Japanese history and watching the parade is said to be akin to looking at one of those long Japanese picture scrolls. Samurai in brilliant costume, battle re-enactments, colourful ninja girls and of course, Tokugawa Ieyasu himself parade the best part of 3.5km through the city greeting the citizens. My role was to play one of the 4 samurai guardians of Ieyasu, Ii Naomasa, otherwise known as the ‘Red Demon’ due to his ferocious attitude during battle.

The Four Heavenly Guardians of Tokugawa Ieyasu (四天王) were his most loyal and trusted men, serving him through the Warring States Period into the early Edo period of Japanese history. Below from left to right they are: Sakai Tadatsugu (酒井忠次), Ii Naomasa (井伊直政), Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), Honda Tadakatsu (本多忠勝) and Sakakibara Yasumasa (榊原康政).

As I wrote in a previous post, Ii Naomasa (井伊直政) was best known for his blood red armour and nasty habit of killing people over small mistakes. A solitary man, it is said that after he was killed in battle, not one of his followers committed ritual seppuku after him – something largely unheard of for a samurai general of his standing.

I’m not quite sure I could do testament to his notoriety during the parade though! Maybe I should have scowled more…

Warriors gathered under the cherry trees and being blinded by the morning light. We were blessed with great weather throughout the day.

My clan – the Ii clan – before the Ieyasu Parade. The Volunteer Association in Okazaki handles this group every year. I think it’s a fantastic scheme. Okazaki city’s foreign residents can really get involved in such a big parade and take part in the community.

Just before boarding the bus to the main starting point – Iga Hachimangu Shrine (伊賀八幡宮神社). No way I could get on the bus with those horns! Also looking quite beardy – 1 month was not quite enough to grow it out fully.

While I was busy attending to opening formalities, members of my clan were fraternising with the local peasants. Tut tut.

Now, this is really not the image a powerful and fearsome warrior should be portraying, is it? I am supposed to be a red demon and all that but, well… Kids are just too cute!

Ii Naomasa and Honda Tadakatsu no doubt chuckling about all the heads they’ll be lobbing in the upcoming battles.

I received flowers! First entertaining kids and now holding a delicate bunch of flowers. *Sobs* My reputation…

Warriors preparing to leave the shrine and begin marching.

The Ii clan flags. Ii Naomasa was said to have used the angry red colours as a way to instil fear into his enemies, although he wasn’t the first to have this idea.

Ah, loyal warriors. Good to see gender equality in the Sengoku Period too.

Off marching and looking cool. Big thanks to Dave over at Watermelon Studios for some of these pictures on his Nikon D90, and also to Mayumi for wielding my Olympus E-P1 so well throughout the day! The photos in this post are all mixed up though – can you tell the difference between the cameras?

Me mounted on my trusty horse named Rabbit. He (she?) was quite agitated the whole way, apparently due to being hungry and at not being able to trot fast enough. The gunshots at several intervals also startled him, forcing me to pull back on the reigns a little.

Only wished I could have had the freedom to gallop more. I’m sure Rabbit would have been all for it too. Maybe I could have taken out some of those lackeys below me with my sword.

Seems Rabbit also had a sense of humour! A quick flick of the tail and flash of the tongue here and there…

More colourful footsoldiers. There were so many different groups that I didn’t get to see from my position in the parade. I did note scantily-clad ninja girls, beautiful Princesses wearing kimono and spear-wielding troops though. I’ll have to come and watch as a spectator next year to see everything I missed. Was great to see the cherry blossoms and crowds from up there on my horse though!

Sen-hime (千姫), another well-known figure in Japanese history. Ieyasu remarried her to Honda Tadatoki, a grandson of Honda Tadakatsu and not long later they moved to Himeji Castle.

My friends posing with Ieyasu himself. That moustache was fake, you know, unlike mine… :p. Below, one more of yours truly. Sorry for all the camera whoring! It was a pretty cool day!

Will also edit the video and try to get my hands on the television clip they aired with me in it to include in a later post. Victor (Gimmeabreakman) dropped in on the parade too. Thanks to everyone else who came down for the day!

What does it mean to become Japanese? Can a foreigner or ‘gaijin’ ever fully integrate into Japanese society such that they blend in and are treated ‘normally’? A recent video foray into this tricky topic.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff to watch, so fix up dinner, plonk yourself down in front of the computer and get stuck into the wide variety of opinions and ideas brought up by several different foreigners in Japan. My thoughts are right at the end of this post. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, so let’s go back right to the start…

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BobbyJudo brings up the issue:

‘If you master Japanese language and culture and started living in Japan in a real way, you will be recognised as a Japanese citizen.’

There were many great responses to Bobby’s video, but the real drama began when popular Japanese vlogger Hiroko over at HirokoChannel said:

‘In Japan you are a foreigner, and that’s okay’, seemingly implying that foreigners won’t be fully accepted and that they should not take issue with that.

Tokyo Zeplin took issue with Hiroko’s video and particularly that statement she made and responds by saying that he ‘wants Japanese people to treat him equally’.

Hiroko responds to clarify her position and misunderstanding about foreigners accepting themselves for who they are and in an attempt to quell the uprising of ‘racist’ comments being left on her video.

Gimmeabreakman pitches in and defends Hiroko, adding his own learned advice from many years living in Japan.

Hikosaemon gives us an impromptu and highly detailed account of his attempt to become a Japanese salaryman and explains his own wise views on becoming Japanese.

Finally, I decide to give my two socio-evolutionary pennies on the subject in response to Hikosaemon. Basically musings about there not being enough mixed ethnicities in Japan for foreigners to blend in at this point in time, but that as Japan opens up more and more foreigners find themselves embracing Japanese values and living there permanently that this will – hopefully – begin to change.

Also, how is it best for Japan to internationalise in such a way that it does not lose its culture and traditions, but also so that it may better interact with other countries on a global scale?

But this is certainly not the end of this debate! I would love to hear your opinions on whether foreigners can ever become Japanese and be fully accepted into Japanese society. What do you reckon? Is it possible and how can it be achieved?

Ii Naomasa is known as the Red Demon. A historic figure and one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa in Japanese history. He is best known for his fearsome blood-red samurai armour and nasty habit of killing people over mistakes. That’s the guy I’m set to become in this year’s Spring parade.

Naomasa distinguished himself from other generals with his courage and also political ability, earning him the prestigious role as one of the Four Guardians serving and protecting the legendary Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun and one of the major unifiers of Japan.

However, it is said that he had a rather disagreeable personality and would often end up killing people, even over small mistakes. This included many of his subordinates, so it does not surprise me to hear that it earnt him the nickname ‘The Killing Machine’ (人斬り兵部) and that many of his followers defected to another of the Four Guardians, Honda Tadakatsu.

His crowning battle that he is remembered most for is the Battle of Sekigahara on October 21, 1600. It is arguably the most important battle in Japanese history with 160,000 men fighting and ended in a complete Tokugawa victory, beginning Tokugawa’s reign as Shogun. You can see his troops clearly standing out in the screen depiction below:

In the battle, Naomasa’s unit of Red Demons outpaced the enemy and drew first blood. He is said to have used the blood-red colour for psychological impact to unnerve his enemies, although it was not a tactic he devised himself, having learned it from a previous general.

Naomasa was also said to be extremely violent in battle, often breaking formation in a rush and not being present to command the troops, the role always falling back on his reluctant chief minister. Unfortunately, Naomasa was wounded in the very same battle that he is most remembered for, which ultimately led to his premature death. In the time of the Warring States, it was common for subordinates to commit suicide and martyr themselves after their master’s death, but in the case of Naomasa, not one person did so…

Which leads me to wonder if I’m really suited to play his part in the upcoming spring parade in my city. Should I even want to..?? He was a great warrior and well respected by Tokugawa Ieyasu, so I don’t doubt the fearlessness and tenacity of the man. But should his soul briefly overpower me, would I be likely to knock the guy in front off his horse? Might it spur some deep-rooted fit of rage? It would make a great excuse, anyway… ^^;

I shall of course be posting pictures and an account of the day when it finally comes in early April. Until then, I have 4 weeks of training to do to get ready for the role, including learning how to ride a horse. I’ll be sure to grow the customary moustache too!

Sources:
Wikipedia – Ii Naomasa (Eng)
Wikipedia – Ii Naomasa (Jp)
井伊直政 – Hatabo’s Homepage (Jp)
Top image source: Sengoku Gallery

This is my entry into this month’s JapanSoc Matsuri hosted by Loneleeplanet.

How has social media and blogging affected the way companies market in Japan? In this article, I take a look at Consumer Generated Media (CGM) and the way blogs have been utilised by several companies to improve their public relations and then go on relate it to the wider context of marketing in Japan.

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Until recent years, 4 forms of media had dominated marketing: Television, Radio, Newspapers and Magazines. But with the rise of the Internet, a new form of media known as ‘Consumer Generated Media’ (CGM) has emerged. CGM encompasses much of what is now current on the Internet in ‘Web 2.0’ – the perceived second ‘generation’ of web development which emphasizes communication and collaboration. Message boards, video-sharing websites, blogs and other Social Networking Services (SNS) are at the heart of this type of media and are changing the way people interact (see figure 1). In this essay I will summarise an article from Shūkan Daiyamondo (2009) which explores how one form of CGM – blogs – have changed the way companies can market themselves. I will then go on to place the article in relation to other academic literature.

(Figure 1: Diagram of Information Delivery)

Kawano (et al) begin the article by discussing Sumitomo 3M and its marketing for a new type of high-performing kitchen cloth: the Scotch Brite Cellulose Cloth. The cloth has a highly absorbent quality and is reputed to clean surfaces with just one wipe, so there would be a definite demand for such a high quality product within Japan. However, it had a fundamental flaw; it looks just like a thin piece of plastic and it was thought that people would not recognise as a cloth. Because of this, cellulose products had not yet been marketed in Japan and it was too risky for the Sumitomo 3M to attempt expensive television advertisement with no guarantee that the product would be a success.

Instead they chose to market the product by kuchikomi (word of mouth/comments) on blogs. The company offered a service where they would have members of department stores write their impressions of using the product on blogs. They also held events where they performed product demonstrations and gave out samples of the product to some 1000 office ladies and housewives who attended. After the events, 140 people wrote about the new type of cloth on blogs, including comparisons with the old products and photographs of their clean kitchens after using the new cellulose cloth. When the product was finally put on sale for the first time last year, the sales were 2-5 times greater than expected.

The article in Shūkan Daiyamondo goes on to talk about the role of ‘Influencers’ (infuruensā) and how contemporary marketing cannot proceed without them. ‘Influencers’ are people involved with politics, government, local policies or people who have reach and influence in media (Edelman, 2007). Thus their opinions have authority among people such that, if they were to write a positive review for a book, the book would consequently sell well because their many ‘followers’ are swayed to buy it. But, as important as it is to look at what the Influencers are saying and writing, circulation by kuchikomi is not independent of other forms of media such as television and newspapers; they all expand together and complement each other, says editing chief Tanaka. The downside is that from the company’s point of view it is difficult to control kuchikomi, and there is a danger of malicious or negative comments (2009, 139).

Marketing involving kuchikomi is known as PR – Public Relations – and is distinct from traditional paid advertising. According to Honda, who directs and represents Blue Current Japan (a company related to the largest PR company in the world, Fleishman Hillard), PR is very powerful, because it is transparent, low cost and highly trusted by the public. He says that amongst the roughly 17 million bloggers in Japan, Influencers are reaching out and moving the hearts of consumers in a way quite different to paid advertisement. However, the article also urges us not to forget that some bloggers are paid-per-post to write positive articles for companies and therefore it is important to draw the line between real kuchikomi and advertisement (139).

(Above: The differences between advertisement and PR)

The remainder of the article introduces 3 concrete examples of how blogging has been used by various Japanese companies in marketing: Suntory, Kao and Panasonic. I will summarise each example in brief.

Suntory used bloggers in its marketing of haibōru – a drink which is a mix of whisky and soda. Alongside other more traditional methods of marketing, they held an event called ‘Haibōru Night’ where they invited bloggers to sample the product. It resulted in publications by traditional media in newspapers, but also gained exposure online such as the 15 videos of the event that were uploaded to YouTube, gaining over 38,000 views after just 6 months. Ishihara of e-communications Group comments that blogs generate content that the company itself could never produce and provide a communication link between the individual and the company. But she says that it is important to keep a sense of distance when using blogs and remember that content of official blogs and events are nothing more than the message the company wants to deliver (141).

(Above: Highball Suntory whiskey)

Kao, which specialises in cosmetics and bath time products, used an interesting marketing method to improve its diluted brand image. The strategy was to open up a company-branded website with a section entitled ‘Bath time Seminars’, which offered advice on tackling common ailments such as stiff shoulders, poor circulation and lower-back pain. They made sure to include widgets on the site that made it easy for bloggers to write articles with, such as one-click buttons to see product pictures. But Section Chief Ishii says that devices such as these are alone not enough – it is important to make products with which the public can empathise (142).

(Above: Kao’s latest website – 2009)

Panasonic wanted to market a new type of 4-blade razor and created a television commercial claiming the new razor would give an even closer shave than the current 3-blade products available. But they also began a blogging project: ‘Lamdash Experience Blog’ through Livedoor where they asked 30 bloggers to test the product and verify whether or not the claims made in the commercial were true. With over 60 articles written, it was a success and the product is recording exceptional sales. Yotsuya of Current, a marketing company, says that in this type of situation ‘freedom of information’ and ‘generosity’ are very important, because if the company tries to control the comments made by the public (such as restricting malicious comments), it will likely give rise to a worsening of the brand image (144).

(Above: Panasonic’s Lamdash 4-blade razor)

An example of one such ‘user report’ on the 4-blade razor is here.

The stories raised in the article are very interesting, but just how significantly do blogs feature in the lives of Japanese people? According to a survey conducted by StrategyOne, 74% of Japanese Internet users and 91% of Influencers read blogs 4-5 days a week (Figure 2, Edelman 2007). While this is a survey of Internet users and as such may not show a true picture of the average Japanese consumer, the graph does show an exceptionally high blog readership in Japan when compared to other countries, suggesting blogs hold a central place in the lives of Japanese Internet users and especially among Influencers.

(Figure 2: Blog readership in Japan compared to other countries)

How then does blogging and CGM fit in with other perceived market changes in Japan? One major theory is the consumer shift from ‘big, same and new’ to ‘small, different and loyal’ (‘dai-doū-shin’ to ‘shō-i-gi’) (Katahira, 1998), which basically iterates that consumers have shifted from the old ways of buying products because they are familiar and made by established companies, to buying products which allow them to feel individual and which also fit with their personal beliefs and way of life. In other words consumers have begun to scrutinise companies about their values and larger, ethical position in the world.

This phenomenon seems to mesh well with the rise of blogs and CGM. Consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations. By reading blogs of other people’s experiences consumers can examine companies from a third party perspective, which is essential in forming a balanced opinion. Huge e-commerce sites like Amazon thrive on the comments left by buyers reviewing products and companies, having so much influence that negative reviews can seriously harm a company. One recent example of kuchikomi PR in action was the explosion of consumer dissatisfaction over the inclusion of DRM copy protection in a computer game, Spore. Currently over 2,500 1-star reviews have been left complaining about the game (Amazon, 2009) which may have cost the company, EA, as much as $25 million at launch and ironically led to many users downloading illegal versions of the software (Kramer, 2008).

What we can clearly see here is consumers voicing their opinions, or to put it another way, their emotions. This brings me to another trend in marketing, namely ‘Emotional Marketing’ (Anon, 2003). This is the idea that, aside from the quality of the product or service itself, consumers desire to be moved by it, in the same way that art or music moves us. A popular chain of stores in Japan, Don Quixote, deliberately create a festival-like atmosphere for its customers, encouraging visitors to spend hours with friends rummaging around and ‘digging-up’ fun and unusual items. Conveying this sort of enjoyment is difficult without experiencing it directly, but it is not hard to imagine how blogs and videos posted online by happy consumers could help a company’s image. CGM tends to largely consist in personal accounts and reviews of products or services, so it is innately emotional in itself, appealing to and moving the hearts of like-minded people.

Clearly the voices of consumers are powerful, and the Internet facilitates communication so much more easily than in the past. CGM and blogs offer a quick and usually accurate way to review products, scrutinise companies and share information, particularly from the emotive, personal standpoint of individuals. Judging from the successes of the companies mentioned in the article, it seems likely that PR marketing via CGM will increase in the future, but it is important not to forget that there are still ways to manipulate this form of information distribution. Consumer Generated Media is personal to the creator (and therefore likely to be biased) and dubious companies can pay Influencers who have a lot of power over their ‘followers’ to sway popular opinion. For these reasons, consumers must be savvy when using the information they discover on the internet and by word of mouth and companies would do well to be wise to the trends and interests of bloggers and those involved in CGM.

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Bibliography

Amazon. (2009) ‘Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Spore’. Available from: <http://www.amazon.com/Spore-Pc/product-reviews/B000FKBCX4> [Accessed 21 April 2009]

Anon. (2003) ‘[Emōshonaru māketingu] to ha nan ka’. (What is Emotional Marketing?). Senden Kaigi.

Edelman. (2007) ‘Edelman International Blogging Study: Japan’ [Internet] Available from: <http://www.edelman.jp/data/news/JIBS_e.pdf> [Accessed 21 April 2009]

Katahira, H. (1998) Principles of Power Brands. Daiyamondosha. pp304-333

Kawano et al. (2009) ‘Yoron wo tsukuru māketingu: Burogu ga kaeta kuchikomi PR’. (Marketing which rouses public opinion: The way blogs have changed word-of-mouth PR). Shūkan Daiyamondo, 28 February. pp136-147

Kramer, S. (2008) ‘paidContent.org – EA Admits Spore Launch Botched by DRM; Still, Financial Damage Already Done’ [Internet] Washington Post. 19 September. Available from: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091900129.html> [Accessed 21 April 2009]

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I wrote this essay while at University as part of the ‘Advanced Japanese in Context – Business and Marketing’ module I was taking and as such it has a somewhat academic style compared to my usual posts. The upside is that it contains lots of researched information and translated Japanese sources. Most of the pictures were added for this online version.

Oh, and students beware – this essay is copyright and logged on the plagiarism protection database, so your teachers will know if you try to pass stuff off as your own ^^;.

For those interested, I ended up with a ‘first’ for the module – the highest result under the grading system, typically meaning over 70/100.

I’ve been hearing his song for a few weeks now. It always comes after dark, when the streetlights burn their deep orange colour and the children have deserted the roads. Like a ghostly plea carried on the wind….

♪♪　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo　♪♪

(♪♪　Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes　♪♪)

Source: Belluna Foods

Yes… He comes, and he goes, leaving only a trail of roasted potato smell, taunting me night after night. I am always in a compromising position; never on my toes and quick enough to catch him before he drives off.

But tonight… Tonight I heard his wailing as I cycled home from Aeon. The cars roaring past on the road beside me couldn’t disguise it. Oh no! It was him alright. Tonight, Yaki-Imo Man, we duel.

Source: Ishi-yaki

Making a sharp turn and shooting across the road while I had an opening, I pricked up my ears. He was nearby. I scooted down a side-road, past a few night-walkers and turned into another avenue. The music was close now. I could distinctly make out his seductive melody…

♪♪　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo　♪♪
♪♪　Yakitate no atsu atsu　♪♪
(♪♪　Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes　♪♪)
(♪♪　Freshly baked and piping hot　♪♪)

Source: Yummyseaweed

I trundled closer, and the van came into sight. Fumbling with my camera, I tailed him for a while until he came to a stop. For a moment I thought he had gotten the better of me…

“You’re packing up for the night now?!”
“Just when I finally caught you! You can’t! No!”

His song quietened into a gentle lull as he fumbled about with the hefty stove stored in the back of the van…

♪♪　…yaki-imo, yaki-imo…　♪♪

Just as I was about to give up in despair, the boot slammed shut and he hopped back into the car. The piercing wail blared out once again and he was on his way. But I was ready, camera poised to shoot video as the van moved towards me.

And then the unthinkable happened… He called out to me. Here’s the video of what happened:

It turns out that the Yaki-Imo Man isn’t a soul-sucking blood demon after all, but a friendly neighbourhood ghoul who has haunted the streets of Japan for well over 100 years, originally with two-wheeled hand-pulled trolleys:

The combination of a lit stove so near a tank full of petrol may instil fear into the hearts of some, but the Yaki-Imo Man knows how to handle his baby. They are all over Japan, scooting here and there in their little trucks when the weather turns cold. The songs appear to vary as well, as you can see by looking at some of the related videos on Youtube.

Yaki-imo men (and yaki-imo women, too!) can be found selling their hot, roasted snacks in all manner of places around Japan. I have one fond memory buying a humongous baked potato from Ueno-park in Tokyo and nearly choking myself to death while trying to consume all of its mighty starchiness. They are pretty cheap eats, and really do fill you up, so if you spot a seller on your travels, do help them keep up their business and buy a spud or two. Who knows, maybe you yourself will come home with some tales from the yaki-imo man!

The Ishi Yaki-Imo Man Song of Okazaki

石焼き芋、焼き芋、焼き芋　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo.
石焼き芋、焼き芋、焼き芋　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo.
石で焼いた焼き芋　Ishi de yaita yaki-imoooo.
一本１００円と３００円だよ　Ippon 100 yen to 300 yen da yooo.
とても大きいのが４００円だよ　Totemo ookii no ga 400 yen da yooo.

石焼き芋、焼き芋、焼き芋　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo.
焼きたての熱々　Yakitate no atsu atsu.
石焼き芋、焼き芋、焼き芋　Ishii ya-kimo, yaki-imo, yaki-imo.
早く来ないと行っちゃうよ　Hayaku konai to icchau yo

Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes
Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes
Sweet potatoes baked on hot stone
One for 100 yen or 300 yen
A really big one for 400 yen

Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes
Freshly baked and piping hot
Stone-baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, baked potatoes
Come quick or you’ll miss me!

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Oh and hamsters seem to like yaki-imo too. Check out this dastardly little specimen ^_^:

Source: Karako86