When it comes to searching on the web, Google is king pretty much everywhere in the world, but not Japan. Nope, here, Yahoo! still reigns supreme, and Google has just started a new big push in the country to try and get more people using the G-rated search engine. The new campaign includes of course plenty of TV commercials (like the one above), but also free wi-fi access in a few participating chains (Tully’s, Pronto, and Lotteria) in Tokyo and a few others places — but the catch is that you only get 30 minutes of use. Japan Probe has more.
First Brad Pitt, now it’s Quentin Tarantino’s turn to appear in ads for Softbank. Unlike Pitt’s CMs, Tarantino will be joining the “cast” of the regular series of “White Family” ads (named after one of the mobile provider’s plans) as a wacky uncle. The video above, courtesy of The Japan Times, shows a preview. Via Japan Probe.
Sony is launching a new PlayStation promotional campaign called “Playface” in September, and they already have a teaser site up with brilliant use of full-screen flash video, showcasing people’s faces (lots of celebrities) when they play.
Update: Now you can also watch the TV commercials that have started airing here.
Brad Pitt has been in tons of TV commercials for mobile provider Softbank, but it’s interesting to note that his latest ad — you can watch it here — in which he plays assistant to retired sumo wrestler Musashimaru was directed by Spike Jonze. Via Slashfilm.
This is a commercial that’s been airing recently on TV for the discount/coupon free paper Hot Pepper, featuring Kaela Kimura and Snoopy. I post it because I see it all the time, and am now at a point where it plays automatically in my head when idle. Via Japan Probe.
The video above is part of a new campaign for Nissan’s “ECO” line-up (low-fuel), created by the Golden Eggs team. There are short TV commercials, but the video above is a web-only short. My wife has watched this at least 20 times, and cracks up every single time.
This is how they’re selling Saint’s Row 2 in Japan — I think it’s great. Also, I’d like to give some huge thumbs up on that game. It may not have the sheen of Grand Theft Auto IV, but I might have actually had more fun with SR2. It’s an absolute blast. Via Mark Cooke.
Marxy has the final world on the McDonald’s viral Quarter Pounder marketing in Japan over at Clast. Me, I never had a chance to check out the shops when they went black — since I’ve been based in the area, the Omotesando branch has already closed and has yet to re-open, probably as they renew the interior.
Wow! In order to promote the upcoming opening of their new store at Port Island in Kobe, IKEA has turned the Kobe Portliner Monorail into a showroom. Via Pink Tentacle.
PauseTalk is a regular series of events that take place at Cafe Pause on the first Monday of every month, with a start time of 20:00. The idea is to create a forum where Tokyo-based creatives can get together and discuss their own projects, as well as cultural currents of the city. The next edition happens June 4.
We hereby define a new term, that of the magaziner, described as a person who exerts an unhealthy amount of love for all things magazine. The Magaziner is a site that mostly focuses on the intersection between magazines and the digital frontier, and what it means for the medium. This does not preclude the inclusion of a healthy amount of print love.
Codex is a weekly music podcast hosted by Jean Snow, recorded in Tokyo. Playlists for all episodes are posted on the site, and you can subscribe to RSS feeds of posts and episodes.
Jean Snow is a contributor to Arcade Mania, your guide to the arcade gaming scene in Japan (Amazon US/Amazon Japan). He also provided assistance on Tokyolife: Art and Design, a guide to Tokyo's cultural output of the past few years, covering the works of over 80 influential creatives.
Jean Snow is Executive Director of the PechaKucha organization. He also helps run the PechaKucha Night in Tokyo -- please get in touch if you are interested in presenting at a future event. For a more intimate salon-like discussion group, join him at his monthly PauseTalk event.
You can subscribe to an RSS feed of this site, and also follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or get in touch by email.
Colophon
The "Jean Snow" logo is written using the free Kirimomi Swash typeface. The "M31" logo is by Ian Lynam, and is part of a series of 31 unique designs. The site's design is based on the Grid Focus WordPress theme by Derek Punsalan.
Jean Snow is a contributor to 
He will be contributing to the upcoming fifth editions of 
