Archived Magazine Contents

May 2001 Issue

In Touch
	From the Editor

Features
	Toru Arakawa: Small-Time Visionary When he launched Access about two decades ago, CEO Toru Arakawa knew that today we'd be living, working, and playing through small, Net-connected devices. Now he's a star of the small screen.

	Bit Valley Grows Up Businesses have sprung up, rents have increased, and a prestigious new resident has moved in: Reality.

	Convergence Emergence Consumer devices in Japan are merging like never before. We share some of our favorite examples of the converged appliances working their way into the fabric of Japanese society.

Filter
	Manga: Fitting into New Media Manga will probably always be huge in Japan, but they're having to adapt to the rising use of PCs and Net cellphones.

	Top 20 Keywords: i-mode Vs. Web The top keyword searches done by i-mode surfers differ significantly from those done by regular Web surfers.

	Keitai Vs. Game Handhelds The cellphone wants to be a gaming platform. The makers of handheld game machines are reacting accordingly.

	Word Watch Hope you're feeling "three bars genki" despite all the "banzai commuting."

	Sign of the Times A wireless advertising experiment offers shops and restaurants a new way to attract passersby.

	Stand-Commerce Are the e-com kiosks in convenience stores popular? Nope, and if they were, it'd be damn inconvenient.

	What the Bit Valley Bubble Meant Anonymous panelists from the accounting, securities, and consulting fields theorize on the matter.

People
	Hidehiko Yuzaki Taking advantage of deregulation, the founder of telecom carrier ACCA Networks aims to bring DSL broadband to the masses.

	Ikkei Matsuda The managing director of Hokkaido Venture Capital is a supplier of ideas, funding, and caffeine to "Sapporo Valley."

Research
	Statistics (PDF-formatted file, Acrobat 4.0 or later required) This month: The preferred broadband technology, surfing on the company dime, paying for i-mode content.

	Japan Studies Ascertaining the correct reading of Japanese names may seem arcane, but for developing unduplicated direct mailing lists, it's vital.

Investor
	Japan's Nanotech Players: Thinking Big The bizarre properties of ultrasmall structures could turn today's tech scene upside down. Japan's nanotech players, predictably, are on the cutting edge.

	No-Bull Advice for a Bear Market Veryan Allen gives us the straight dope on investing in Japanese securities.

	Veryan Allen's Market Outlook An executive summary of where the markets have been, where they're heading, and how to invest in them.

	Offering Online Learning in Japan i-campus is hoping its Web-based learning system will go over well in Japan. With lifetime employment fading away, there could be a need for this kind of service.

	On Our Radar Screen This month: E-Timing, AboveNet Japan, Giga Networks, Index Digital, Capion, and 724 Solutions.

In Parting
	Art Department A look at Miwa Yanagi's computer-surreal My Grandmothers series, where future grandmothers live serenely even as the world is ending.

	Blowfish Email is changing the Japanese workplace and making people nervous in many interesting ways.