Cashless Payments in Japan: 5 Prominent Platforms

21 July 2025
by Amika Hongo

As the global digital economy is expanding, cashless payment platforms in Japan are making their way into everyday life all around the world. Advantages include the ability to simplify payment sending and receiving process, a shrinking grey economy, a boom in e-commerce, and a sharp reduction in fraud. A study by BCG has concluded that more cash-intensive economies tend to grow slowly and therefore miss out on significant financial benefits.

cashless payments in Japan — Source: SF Gate

Market

Hitachi’s Transformation Through AI: Opportunities for the Japanese and…

17 April 2025
by Olivia Taylor

Business people entering office in the morning

Hitachi, one of Japan’s most storied conglomerates, has successfully redefined itself in the past decade. Its strategic focus on artificial intelligence (AI), data monetisation, and digital transformation has propelled it to become one of Japan’s top five most valuable companies, with its market value tripling to over $100 billion. For businesses in Europe, the UK, and globally, this transformation underscores the promising potential of Japan’s AI sector and the collaborative opportunities available for international firms willing to enter the market.

Insights

Japanese Canned Coffee: The Key to Succeed in the…

3 April 2024
by Alex Brown

In capturing the essence of Japan’s unique scenery, vending machines feel like a requirement. According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, the number of vending machines nationwide is said to be approximately 2.68 million.*

They offer colourful and unique drinks, all sold for less than 150 yen (a pound) each. There’s a wide array of items, including the occasional onion soup, but Japanese coffee cans reign as the most popular choice.

The market is flooded with options, from black American coffee to very sweet lattes, with major beverage manufacturers like Suntory and Kirin releasing a broad range of canned coffees and a plethora of seasonal limited-edition products each year.

Consumer Insights

Growing Japanese Non-Alcoholic Drinks Market: 336 Million Litres Consumed

1 February 2024
by Alex Brown

By Manaho Yamamoto

Growing Trend in Japanese Non-Alcoholic Drinks: Sober Curious Market in Japan

Interest in being sober curious, meaning a lifestyle in which people consider a non-alcohol lifestyle or rethink their relationship with alcohol, has been growing worldwide for some time. This sober curious movement is no exception in Japan, where a survey by the Asahi Group, which asked 10,000 men and women aged 20-59 about their drinking habits, found that 45% of respondents do not drink alcohol. The proportion is higher among younger generations, with those in their 20s accounting for the majority.

Insights

Japanese Pop – The growth of the Japanese music…

1 November 2023
by Natalie

By Roma Patel

A jpop idol group performing on stage. Idol groups are an important part of the Japanese music industry.

The Japanese music industry is not only one of the biggest music markets in the world, but a cultural phenomenon too which has resonated with people within and outside of the borders of Japan, especially since the 2000s which saw a stark rise in the popularity of Asian music worldwide.

Jpop, or Japanese pop, is a musical genre which first started to emerge around the 1950s. Following World War II, American influences, particularly rock and roll, impacted the pop culture scene in Japan, allowing it to begin taking its own shape. The 80s and 90s saw a significant turning point for Japanese pop, in which artists such as Seiko Matsuda and Hikaru Utada quickly became household names. Jpop is now a genre crowded with pop groups, boy bands and girl groups in which there are “idols”, and although the genre is labelled as “pop”, this does not mean it is limited to a single genre of music.

Japanese pop is far from a monolith, it is a diverse landscape in which groups can explore genres such as jazz, rock and electronic music, and the popularity of the music has been accelerated by platforms such as Twitter and TikTok, in which the music can now be spread by listeners, allowing Japanese idols and groups to gain traction, which has had a massive impact on the Japanese music market.

In this article we break down how the Japanese music industry has developed over the past decades, not only musically, but also in regards to the culture it has created with its audience.

Insights

Pop-Up Culture in Japan: Experiential Marketing Finds Success in…

25 September 2023
by Alex Brown

By Yanelis Garcia

From beloved Disney characters to exclusive luxury collections by Tiffany & Co., pop-up culture has found success in Japan.

Pop-ups are temporary trendy shops available to consumers for a limited time. As a form of experiential marketing, brands can connect with consumers through these branded experiences, bringing themselves “to life” in unique ways. By incorporating creative set designs and photographable moments, brands have been able to catch the eyes of Japanese consumers with these fun and unmissable temporary shops.

In this article we break down how businesses make their pop-ups successful in Japan, and how they can help your brand connect with Japanese potential customers, making an impact in the Japanese market.

Interviews

CBD In Japan: Insightful Interview with Japanese CBD Lawyer…

4 September 2023
by Alex Brown

By Ken Masuno and Alexander Brown

Arashiro Yasuta - a Japanese lawyer specialising in Japanese cbd law.

In the 1st part of our 2-part interview series with Japanese CBD lawyer Yasuta Arashiro, Mr Arashiro paints a picture of the Japanese CBD market, explaining the existing regulations on CBD in Japan, and what the relaxation of these regulations may mean for foreign companies interested in the Japanese market.

In this 2nd part, Mr Arashiro goes deeper into the barriers currently preventing foreign and domestic companies from gaining success in the Japanese market, including issues with CBD marketing, raising public awareness, approval by official bodies, and the state of current CBD product inspection processes.

Insights

Live Streaming in Japan: A Niche Market With Big…

29 August 2023
by Alex Brown

By Yanelis Garcia

Kizuna AI VTuber livestreamer come to japan campaign ambassador Japan National Tourism Organisation promotional video. — Source: JNTO x Kizuna Ai promotional video

Live streaming continues to be a popular activity in Japan, thanks to the accessibility that smartphones provide. Live streaming is the broadcast of an activity in real time, including a live audience and usually a form of chat as well. There are many different types of live streams such as podcasts, video gaming, playing music, cooking, and creating ASMR content such as mukbang (also known as eating shows), where a host consumes various quantities of food. Although the VTuber phenomenon has only been around for about 5 years – starting as a subculture within the gaming culture – it’s created a profitable niche market within the live streaming world.

This article dives into the VTuber era, the most popular live streaming apps in Japan and how this industry has created a profitable niche market global companies can tap into. We will outline what it takes to enter, the competition, advertising opportunities and how Tokyoesque can help.

Interviews

CBD In Japan: An In-Depth Discussion with Japanese CBD…

21 August 2023
by Alex Brown

By Ken Masuno and Alexander Brown

Japanese lawyer Arashiro Yasuta, who specialises in cbd in japan.

The reform of Japanese CBD law and potential relaxation of restrictions feels ever-tantalisingly close around the corner, having undergone multiple setbacks in the past year. In this environment, many global companies are looking to Japan as a promising new market to expand their CBD sales, considering it as a gateway to other economies such as China and South Korea.

While the future for CBD in Japan is promising, the situation remains foggy. To better understand the complexities of CBD regulation in Japan, what its future may look like, and how this will impact foreign businesses looking to enter the market, Tokyoesque’s Ken Masuno sat down with Japanese CBD lawyer Yasuta Arashiro, gaining insights on the Japanese CBD market.

In the 1st part of this 2-part interview series from March 2023, Mr Arashiro paints a picture of the Japanese CBD market, explaining Japan’s existing regulations on CBD, and what the relaxation of these regulations may mean for foreign companies interested in the Japanese market.

Insights

The Japanese Streaming Market: The Rise of SVOD Platforms…

16 June 2023
by Alex Brown

By Yanelis Garcia

SVOD platform Netflix Japan homepage, featuring localized content such as Thermae Romae.

Television programming has always been big in Japan, with the average Japanese person spending two hours watching TV every day. But recently, due to the impact of COVID-19 and the constant creation of new content, consumers have moved to SVOD platforms (subscription video on demand) for entertainment.

Based on a report by Gem Partners, the domestic streaming market in Japan was valued at over 450 billion yen in 2022, and is expected to continue growing as more TV consumers convert into platform subscribers. Because of its growth potential, the industry has become quite fragmented, with over 12 companies fighting for market share. Streaming platforms are also in high competition with local content providers – many of which focus on anime. In this article, we discuss which major players make up the Japanese streaming market, and how you can find success in Japan as well.

Category: <span>Business</span>

Cashless Payments in Japan: 5 Prominent Platforms

Hitachi’s Transformation Through AI: Opportunities for the Japanese and…

Japanese Canned Coffee: The Key to Succeed in the…

Growing Japanese Non-Alcoholic Drinks Market: 336 Million Litres Consumed

By Manaho Yamamoto

Japanese Pop – The growth of the Japanese music…

By Roma Patel

Pop-Up Culture in Japan: Experiential Marketing Finds Success in…

By Yanelis Garcia

CBD In Japan: Insightful Interview with Japanese CBD Lawyer…

By Ken Masuno and Alexander Brown

Live Streaming in Japan: A Niche Market With Big…

By Yanelis Garcia

CBD In Japan: An In-Depth Discussion with Japanese CBD…

By Ken Masuno and Alexander Brown

The Japanese Streaming Market: The Rise of SVOD Platforms…

By Yanelis Garcia

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