Recently there has been an explosion in the amount of Japan-related information available on the Internet. Businesses, government agencies, groups, and private individuals have flooded the Internet with information concerning Japan or services directed at Japanese users. The current surge in Internet activity is likely to spark the continued creation of new business ventures and interpersonal exchanges-ultimately having a great influence on society and the economy.
For example, in June an Osaka hotel opened an English home page where foreign browsers can find descriptions of the guest quarters and reception rooms. Internet users can also receive a 20% discount on room fees. This service is to be extended to the entire hotel chain in the future.
Another example of Internet innovation oriented towards foreign users will be unveiled in September when a department store in Kofu City opens what it calls a virtual reality department store. Foreign customers will browse through virtual recreations of a castle tower or the surrounding castle village, where traditional crafts from around the country will be displayed for sale. In the future, customers will also be able to settle their accounts through the onscreen display.
For Japanese Internet users, in July a direct mail shopping service based in Honolulu began a "Personal Import Center". The service provides the customers with key information, such as an overview of the listed companies and the products they offer, the way to request additional information, a contact number, and a copy of the catalogue request form. The selection of items displayed ranges from outdoor sporting equipment to precious metals, automobiles, and private homes. About twenty companies are currently marketing goods via the service; the number is expected to reach 100 firms by the end of this year and eventually to rise to 200.
The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Home Page is one of the most popular sites on the Internet in Japan. By accessing the NTT Home Page users can check listings of the newest home pages and can easily find their way to sites that interest them. According to a mid-June survey, the daily average number of NTT Home Page users has reached 200,000. The home page originally began two years ago as an unofficial project managed by a research group formed by a few of the firm's younger members. By creating an easily accessible list of the major home pages and designing a column for finding the most current information on the Internet, NTT programmers managed to parlay a good idea into a popular home page.
As in the NTT endeavor, even individuals and small groups can make it big on the Internet if they turn useful and creative concepts into home pages that win the users' support. Even an expensive, voluminous home page will be ignored if the information provided is of little value or not added to and replaced regularly. The Internet can be a competitive arena for the ideas of venture businesses, with success depending upon which firm produces the most creative and useful concepts to attract users.
This raises the question of what consumers want most from the Internet. On a survey of 532 NIKKEI X Internet service subscribers over 50% selected "on-line shopping" and "ticket and restaurant reservations" as the most desirable of 11 possible Internet services. Other answers chosen were "making public documents available on-line" and "electronic banking." The most commonly cited point of dissatisfaction with the current system, selected by 50% of respondents from 10 choices, was that users "don't know what information is on the Internet, or where to find it." Respondents stated that they would like to see a directory of home pages published similar to a telephone book.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)