Seen at Japanprobe
Another time lapse recorded in Tokyo:
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Month: June 2010
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Big Otosan
For some time, Softbank, the only Japanese carrier that sells the iPhone in Japan, has been giving away cell phone straps of its mascot Otosan. The standard version of the cell phone strap is small (around 5 cm./2 in. long) and could be obtained when you bought new Softbank cell phones two years ago; I have seen quite a few people on the streets with the dog hanging from their cell phone. There is also another version a little bit more special that was released last summer; the new version is 30 cm./12 in. long!!, and can only be obtained by some Softbank clients that pay for certain special promotions. Because they are really big I didn’t expect to find anybody using them, but I was wrong; the other day I found in Shibuya this happy Japanese man showing off his big Otosan attached to his cell phone. It’s true!! The man was walking around Shibuya with the cell phone on his hand and the dog hanging.
He probably wanted to imitate and feel like actress Aya Ueto in the Softbank commercial, in where she is talking on the phone with the big dog strap hanging:
So you have an idea of the original size, here is a picture of my Otosan (small version) that I took in a Kyoto temple:
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Cheaper if it's raining
A strategy to attract clients on rainy days by some shops and restaurants in Japan consists on making special offers when it’s raining. This way they attract people that would stay at home because of the weather. For example, in this bar, if one day it’s raining or it has rained they offer clients three options: to extend the “happy hour” one hour more, to get double points if you use the bar points card or a 500 yen discount if you buy an open bar (Nomihodai: 飲み放題). Which option would you choose?
If you have a business that is slow on rainy days, try to apply this idea to see what happens!