Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently in Salon Technology

Silicon Follies
Silicon Follies
Chapter 30: Kiki's Salon des refusees -- no "cyber-talk," please!
By Thomas Scoville
[06/26/99]

The programmers and the ABCDEFG problem
A start-up company's online game project falls victim to a key coder's vacation schedule.
By Po Bronson
[06/25/99]

Books
Searching for silicon soul
"The Nudist on the Late Shift" and "The Silicon Boys" sift the valley's culture for something more than wealth and greed.
By Andrew Leonard
[06/25/99]

Space noise
Astronomers listening for distant stars and extraterrestrials are getting an earful of satellite buzz. What happened to heavenly quiet time?
By Frank Houston
[06/24/99]

Column
Who owns the New York Times bestseller list?
On the Net, fighting to hang on to every last chunk of intellectual property is a recipe for stagnation and failure.
By Scott Rosenberg
[06/23/99]

Complete archives for Technology

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Also," I continue, "there isn't much penetration in the workplace because mid-level managers still don't understand the technology." The Yomiuri guy isn't sure about "penetration." He turns to the interpreter, who provides a lengthy explanation of the concept. The Yomiuri guy nods and adds this to his notes. (I'm glad the interpreter is along. Even though I used to live here, I can honestly say that my language skills aren't up to a cogent definition of "penetration.") "Therefore," I sagely conclude, "it will take quite some time before Japan catches up with the West in Internet usage."

The Yomiuri guy writes this down. In a matter of days, I know, my trite perspective will be shared with 10 million readers of Japan's largest daily newspaper, and it no doubt will be cast along the lines of: "Japan losing ground on Internet, U.S. expert warns." My little contribution to bilateral relations.

So what do I think about the Internet in Japan? As a five-week visit draws to a close, and after numerous meetings with local tech and business people, I think I can safely say that the Japanese don't have much of a clue about the Net. Nothing personal. I just don't think they get it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, fine. I'm a racist, insensitive, culturally imperialistic, Japan-bashing son of a bitch. Now that we've gotten the usual response to "foreigner in Japan says something critical about the country" out of the way, let's move on.

Internet use in Japan is growing, and it will keep growing, make no mistake. There are approximately 15 million Internet users in the country, according to most private-sector estimates (the government optimistically places this figure closer to 17 million). In a nation of more than 125 million people, it's not much of a stretch to predict that use of the Net will double or triple over the next few years.

But does this mean that the Japanese "get" the Net? No. In fact, you could say that the country's all-powerful bureaucrats and corporate overlords have gone out of their way to prevent online networks from taking root.

Next page | E-commerce Japanese style -- it requires a trip to 7-Eleven