Japanese mobile phone culture
A majority of the Japanese population own cellular phones, most of which are equipped with enhancements such as video and camera capabilities.
[4] The J-Phone (Stylized as 写メール, which stands for Photo-Mail) model not only included a camera, but also the function to send photographs via messaging or e-mail, which made the phone extremely popular at the time.
One of the most popular services allows users to check train schedules and plan trips on public transit.
As of 2013[update], the Japanese mobile phone market is broadly divided into a high-end, consisting of smartphones (スマートフォン (sumātofon), abbreviated as スマフォ (sumafo) or スマホ (sumaho)); mid-range, consisting of feature phones (garakei); and a low-end, consisting of Personal Handy-phone System (PHS, handy phone (ハンディフォン, handifon) or pitchi (ピッチ), from PHS (ピーエッチエス, pīetchiesu)).
[10] A highly influential early set of 176 cellular emoji was created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999,[12][13] and deployed on NTT DoCoMo's i-mode, a Mobile web platform.
[14][15][16] It included the Face with Tears of Joy emoji, which represents a Japanese visual style commonly found in manga and anime, combined with kaomoji and smiley elements.
However, its popularity has also spread to other countries internationally, especially to China, the United States, Germany, and South Africa.
[19] In the early 2000s, mobile games gained mainstream popularity in Japan, years before the United States and Europe.
Magazines and television regularly make specials focusing on the current trend of how mobile phones are used by young people.
There is a popular trend in Japan to use the mobile phone handset to read information from special barcodes.
The phone handset can scan the QR code using its camera or other input, decode the information, and then take actions based on the type of content.
Sony, working with NTT DoCoMo, has been spearheading the mobile phone wallet technology, commonly known as 'FeliCa'.
This technology makes use of an RFID chip inside the handset that can communicate with reading devices when the phone is placed near them.
The Ubiquitous Business Department of NTT DoCoMo is developing the technology for a mobile phone to be the purchase system for virtual shops and smart shops, an authentication system in the medical field, and the purchase point for street poster advertisements.
The modern selfie has origins in Japanese kawaii (cute) culture, which involves an obsession with beautifying self-representation in photographic forms, particularly among females.
[24] By the 1990s, self-photography developed into a major preoccupation among Japanese schoolgirls, who took photos with friends and exchanged copies that could be pasted into kawaii albums.
[24][26] Video game companies Sega and Atlus introduced the first purikura in February 1995, initially at game arcades, before expanding to other popular culture locations such as fast food shops, train stations, karaoke establishments and bowling alleys.
[24] To capitalize on the purikura phenomenon in East Asia, Japanese mobile phones began including a front-facing camera, which facilitated the creation of selfies.
[24] Photographic features in Japanese purikura and smartphones were later adopted by apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, including scribbling graffiti or typing text over selfies, adding features that beautify the image, and photo editing options such as cat whiskers or bunny ears.
On the other hand, writing emails or playing games with a cell phone while riding the train is completely acceptable.
[30][31] Most trains contain signs demanding that mobile phones be turned off when around seats reserved for the elderly and handicapped, but passengers rarely do so.
Both talking on the phone or texting/messaging while operating a vehicle or riding a bicycle are prohibited, but nevertheless remain fairly common.
