SCHED* SXSW 2011

event::type Panel → Interactive
Venue: Hilton, Salon D (500 East 4th Street)
Speaker: Akinori Koto, Fumi Yamazaki, Marcus Nelson, Robert Laing, Ryan Holmes, Steve Mock, Rocky Eda
About: Japan has ubiquitous high-speed coverage and a voracious appetite for tech gadgets, however, their tools have developed with entirely different features than other countries. For example: Japan's ""Galapo-phones"" commonly include streaming TV and multi-character sets, Mixii and Gree each have more than 30 million users on their social networks, and Yahoo is a whole different experience from US counter-part. With meteoric growth in Twitter and network tools, Japan aims on becoming the regional leader for emerging social web technologies -- much like their early leadership in consumer electronics and gaming industries. This presents opportunities for collaboration and partnerships but localizing requires more than translation. This panel will discuss the unique characteristics of Japanese web and mobile market including tactics for connecting to markets, identifying opportunities, and outreaching to audiences, plus understanding unexpected cultural nuances and consumer expectations.