export-japan.com's newsletter 26th December 2005 edition

Contents

Design Matters

When purchasing items for one's own living space, cost is often a crucial element but design can always make or break a decision. With more design conscious consumers in Japan, many home appliance manufacturers are treating their microwaves, air conditioners, and refrigerators as room interior décor items and developing more than just plain white electronics. Recent examples are several air purifiers, humidifiers, and heaters introduced in natural colors such as "silky beige" to attract female consumers.

Though this trend of producing design conscious electronics is not completely new, it was the Healsio water oven with its sleek bright red design inspired by traditional Japanese lacquerware that recently revived this trend. However, the difference between the current trends with its predecessors is that consumers are not looking for eccentric designs but more for designs that go well with a room’s interior. Sanyo’s new air conditioners with replaceable stylish cover panels in seven different colors are great examples of a product that has successfully responded to this new trend.

Featured Company - Taisei Kozai Co., Ltd.
Taisei Kozai Co., Ltd.

Taisei Kozai Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells farm machine parts, including lawnmower parts for a leading farm equipment manufacturer as well as air conditioner parts. In particular, the company’s vacuum-impregnated flexible shaft, which can be used without the need to periodically apply lubrication oil, has captured the top share in its market.

For more information on the vacuum-impregnated flexible shaft, send an inquiry to Taisei Kozai Co., Ltd.

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Japan's Matchmaking and Wedding Industry

Even more important than the low birthrate is the issue of decreasing marriage rate in Japan. Currently 42% of men and 26.6% of women in their early thirties are not married. This is said to be partly due to the increase in the "freeters" population from 215 million to 417 million within an eight year span. However, in contrast to these "freeters" whose unstable financial lives due to low skilled and low paid jobs are said to be keeping them from marriage, there are also those who are highly educated and in the higher income brackets who cannot get married or do not choose to get married. Reasons range from changing values towards marriage to not being able to find time to meet potential partners.

While there were those who saw this trend as a problem, there were others that saw this as a noteworthy business opportunity to introduce a new range of matchmaking services. Extending beyond the average on and offline match making services, there are now match making companies for example that provide membership not just on an individual basis but to companies so employees in registered companies can utilize the match making services for free. There are also other match making companies that produce events where not the potential partners but their parents participate to find a future husband or wife for their sons and daughters.

While the decreasing number of marriages is bringing new business opportunities to the matchmaking industry, this does not mean that the wedding industry is in a slump. There are a new wave of couples that are supporting this estimated 7 to 10 trillion yen industry with their demands for originality and style in wedding ceremonies and beyond. Weddings are no longer just at churches or banquettes but are also held in homes, galleries, and it is not just the bride that is adamant in making this day special. Now there is even a magazine dedicated to grooms in hopes to boost his sense of style.

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Export-Japan.com Site Update

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