Format Choice for Popular Fiction Books in Japan

In Japan, comic plays a leading role in electronic publishing, whereas e-book sales generated from novels are small. This study investigates format choice, such as pocket-sized paperbacks and e-books for popular novels on bestseller lists in 2010. The results show that almost half of novels are not released as e-books and Japanese authors who already have strong sales performances are not positive about releasing e-books, whereas all foreign novels are released as e-books. One reason that electronic publishing other than comics has not developed in Japan may be that many novels written by popular authors are not provided as e-books.     

Determinants of demand and price for best-selling novels in paperback in Japan

This study empirically investigates the factors affecting demand for best-selling novels in paperback, including the relationship with other formats (hardcover and e-book), and the determinants of prices by estimating the demand for paperbacks and price equations. The results show that paperbacks that have hardcover versions with large sales and that are original novels made into movies or television dramas tend to be best sellers. It is also found that expected demand is not a significant determinant of paperback price, whereas the number of pages is a major factor influencing price.     

Demand analysis of hit music in Japan

This study constructed a music demand model with variables representing quality in order to conduct an empirical analysis of popular music in Japan. The demand function was estimated, using the data by title of CDs that appeared on the Top 100 single and album charts in 2007 and 2008. It was found that demand for both singles and albums was inelastic with respect to price. In addition, the estimation results showed that the factors affecting hits differed between singles and albums.     

Beyond the ‘feminization of masculinity’: transforming patriarchy with the ‘feminine’ in contemporary Japanese youth culture

Contemporary Japanese society has seen the emergence of aesthetically conscious young men who employ ‘feminine’ aesthetics and strategies as ways of exploring and practising new masculine identities. In this paper, I explore the significance of this emerging trend of male beauty by observing and analysing the expressions, strategies and intentions of those young men who have taken to aesthetically representing themselves in these ways. This cultural trend is often described as the ‘feminization of masculinity,’ echoing the gendered articulation of rising mass culture in terms of the ‘feminization of culture,’ which acknowledges aspects of the commercialization of masculine bodies in Japan of the 1990s onward. While this view successfully links important issues, such as femininity, beauty, and the gendered representation of the self in a broader context of capitalist culture, it does not sufficiently convey a sense of agency in the young men's lively practices of exploring and expressing new masculine values and ideals. Rather than viewing ‘feminization’ simply as a sign of commodification, I argue that these young men strategically distance themselves from conventional masculinity by artificially standing in the position of the ‘feminine’, where they can more freely engage in the creation of alternative gender identities. From this point of view, the use of the phrase ‘feminization of masculinity’ often implies a fear and anxiety on the part of patriarchy over the boundary‐crossing practice that seriously challenges the stability of gendered cultural hegemony. Moreover, such anxiety driven reactions easily merge with nationalist inclination, as those threatened tend to seek the consolidation of patriarchal/hegemonic order by eliminating ambiguities and indeterminacy in cultural/national discourse. I conclude that the cultural hegemony of contemporary Japan could better sustain itself by incorporating non‐hegemonic gender identities, which would allow it maintain an open space for critical imagination and effectively diffuse an obsessive and ultimately self‐destructive desire for transparency/identity.     

Are Australian fans of anime and manga motivated to learn Japanese language?

Recent research into Japanese as a foreign language education has strongly emphasized the link between Japanese popular culture and learning Japanese. However, these studies have only targeted Japanese language learners in formal education contexts and have largely ignored those who are not studying Japanese or studying Japanese informally. This present study claims that it is premature to link the two in this way. Using the notions of public pedagogy, the continuum of informal–formal learning, and out-of-school curriculum as our theoretical underpinnings, we examine how a cohort of fans deals with learning Japanese and about Japan in relation to their consumption of Japanese manga and anime. The results of an online survey of 451 Australia based manga and anime fans reveal that their interest in and motivation to consume these media may not necessarily lead them to enter into formal Japanese language education.     

Demand Analysis of Novels Released as Books and Pocket-Sized Paperbacks in Japan

The present study estimates demand functions for novels released as books and pocket-sized paperbacks to examine factors affecting demand by format. The results show that the effects on the number of copies sold of an author’s celebrity, tie-in with a movie or television program, and literary awards differ statistically between the two formats. In addition, the findings show that demand for book and pocket-sized paperback novels is price elastic, imply that there is room for reviewing the Japanese fixed-price system. Furthermore, electronic publishing reduces printed novel sales, although the ratio of novels accessible as e-books to printed novels is relatively low in Japan.     

Factors Affecting Hits in Japanese Popular Music

This article explores the hit chart period of Japanese popular music between January and March in 1990 and in 2004, using the survival model, and examines the factors involved in producing a hit. First, the results showed that fame of the artist, ties with other media, and compilation albums featuring several artists prolonged the hits chart period. Second, the music's survival period on the charts was shorter in 2004 than in 1990. This means that more titles appeared on the charts in 2004.     

Early effects of oral administration of omeprazole and roxatidine on intragastric pH

Objective

The ideal medication for the treatment of acid-related diseases, e.g., peptic ulcers, stress-related gastric bleeding, functional dyspepsia, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, should have a rapid onset of action to promote hemostasis and relieve the symptoms. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effects on gastric acid secretion of a single oral administration of a proton pump inhibitor, omeprazole 20 mg, and an H₂-receptor antagonist, roxatidine 75 mg.

Methods

Ten Helicobacter pylori-negative male subjects participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. Intragastric pH was monitored continuously for 6 h after single oral administration of omeprazole 20 mg and roxatidine 75 mg. Each administration was separated by a 7-d washout period.

Results

During the 6-h study period, the average pH after administration of roxatidine was higher than that after administration of omeprazole (median: 4.45 vs. 2.65; P=0.0367). Also during the 6-h study period, a longer duration of maintenance at pH above 2, 5, and 6 was observed after administration of roxatidine 75 mg than after administration of omeprazole 20 mg (median: 90.6% vs. 55.2%, P=0.0284; 43.7% vs. 10.6%, P=0.0125; 40.3% vs. 3.3%, P=0.0125; respectively).

Conclusions

In Helicobacter pylori-negative healthy male subjects, oral administration of roxatidine 75 mg increased the intragastric pH more rapidly than that of omeprazole 20 mg.     

Sales Patterns of Hit Music in Japan

This article analyzes the sales patterns of audio recordings in the Japanese popular music market using the Bass model and its restricted model. First, the results of this investigation show that the majority of recent hit music was sold in the early stage of the sales cycle, and that the timing of purchase has shifted toward the time of release during the period from 1980 to 2005. Second, audio recordings featuring debut artists and unpopular artists sold slowly, compared with the audio recordings featuring popular artists. Third, sales of audio recordings released by independent record companies have also become concentrated in the early stage.     

3D Printing in the Wild: Adopting Digital Fabrication in Elementary School Education

In recent years, digital fabrication, and especially its associated activities of 3D design and printing, have taken root in school education as curriculum‐based and maker‐oriented learning activities. This article explores the adoption of 3D design and printing for learning by fourth, fifth and sixth grade children (n=64) in multidisciplinary learning modules in elementary school education. School‐coordinated 3D projects were not led by design experts, such as art and design teachers, designers, researchers or technical specialists, but run ‘in the wild’ by school teachers. The study was conducted by using an ethnographic research design, including field observations, non‐formal interviews and a reflective questionnaire. The results indicate that, in the adoption of 3D printing activities, learning is centred on the technical skills and the usage of 3D tools. Hence, the elementary ABCs of 3D printing do not achieve the full design and creativity potential of digital fabrication that earlier research has suggested. However, the results do have implications for the potential of 3D printing projects to increase children’s empowerment. In their current state, 3D design and printing are some of the learning tools, among others, and similar achievements can be achieved with other hands‐on learning technologies. In order to enhance the learning of creativity and design thinking skills, 3D activities in school should be planned accordingly.