The hype behind "Made in Japan"
10-20-2009, 02:19 PM
#1
The hype behind "Made in Japan"
I was originally writing this as a short response to a post I read, but as I was writing it, the response just got longer and longer, so I decided to make it its own thread.
Most of the reason behind the hype of products being made in Japan is the fact that Japan (as a country) has a high regard for quality. They instill a strong work ethic from a young age (all of my highschool students went to cram school: school after school) and for the most part the entire country tries to do their best at whatever they do. Even people doing the most mundane of tasks do their jobs with pride. There is a guy who stands next to the train tracks and looks up and down the tracks all day long to make sure no one is going to fall (or jump) onto the tracks. All day. Looking at train tracks. Yet he does it with so much precision, because he takes pride in his work. In the end, him doing a good job makes the nation a better place for the rest of Japan's citizens. At McDonalds you will get the best looking and best tasting Big Macs (and FRIED apple pies) you will ever see and taste. Not only that, the service will always be polite and friendly.
So take this intense, country wide driven passion and pride for doing good work, bring it up from the McDonalds of Japan and take it to a company like Power House Amuse. Knowing that the McDonalds workers of Japan take amazing pride in making hamburgers, one can only imagine the pride of Amuse's exhaust factory when making exhausts. You can be absolutely positive that the quality of the parts coming out of Amuse will be the best that they can produce. That's just how Japanese people are. They do their best.
That being said, Japanese tuners can only exist if the Japanese people can afford to buy the (admittedly) expensive products that the tuners produce. The 'quality' mentality of the Japanese people still applies here, as not only do they produce quality products, they also want to purchase quality products. Japan is filled with extremely high quality products whether it be from electronics to produce. A couple times a month I would buy myself a $5 apple as a treat for myself after a long day of work. Is a $5 apple worth it to most people? Probably not, but was it worth it for me? Definitely. Those apples were the epitome of quality and care. I just imagined the Japanese farmer tending to his apples everyday, making sure they were well cared for and growing nicely. Japanese people seek value in a lot of other ways, not just purely thinking about things in terms of monetary values. One way is that they enjoy blending form and function, which brings us back to JDM parts. Not only do the parts perform well, but they also look amazing. In the end, Japanese people like to be stylish and different and sometimes flamboyant, which is something definitely seen in the JDM tuning world.
That actually stems back to the hardworking Japanese work ethic I was talking about before. Due to the fact that there is a country widespread mentality of working hard, there is also a mentality of being a like-minded hive-mind of sorts where everybody is expected to basically be the same. This in turn makes Japanese people rebel in other ways such as the way they dress like this ganguro girl I saw in Osaka:
Or the Bosozuko cars that Japan is so famous for:
While everyone is taught to be the same, we all know everyone wants to be different. So to do that they express themselves in other, creative ways. That being said, the ones being different still follow the rule of doing things right. Whenever you see someone dressed differently, they are DRESSED DIFFERENTLY. Every aspect is taken care of from head to toe. The JDM goths look AWESOME because they are a whole package, not just a black T shirt and eyeliner like other nations' goths.
To wrap it all up, a lot of the reason why Japan is Japan is because of the work ethic and pursuit for perfection in whatever they do. This mentality can be both a good thing or a bad thing; all I do know is, imagine how great the world would be if each country blended in a form of the JDM work ethic into their own culture.
-Colin
Most of the reason behind the hype of products being made in Japan is the fact that Japan (as a country) has a high regard for quality. They instill a strong work ethic from a young age (all of my highschool students went to cram school: school after school) and for the most part the entire country tries to do their best at whatever they do. Even people doing the most mundane of tasks do their jobs with pride. There is a guy who stands next to the train tracks and looks up and down the tracks all day long to make sure no one is going to fall (or jump) onto the tracks. All day. Looking at train tracks. Yet he does it with so much precision, because he takes pride in his work. In the end, him doing a good job makes the nation a better place for the rest of Japan's citizens. At McDonalds you will get the best looking and best tasting Big Macs (and FRIED apple pies) you will ever see and taste. Not only that, the service will always be polite and friendly.
So take this intense, country wide driven passion and pride for doing good work, bring it up from the McDonalds of Japan and take it to a company like Power House Amuse. Knowing that the McDonalds workers of Japan take amazing pride in making hamburgers, one can only imagine the pride of Amuse's exhaust factory when making exhausts. You can be absolutely positive that the quality of the parts coming out of Amuse will be the best that they can produce. That's just how Japanese people are. They do their best.
That being said, Japanese tuners can only exist if the Japanese people can afford to buy the (admittedly) expensive products that the tuners produce. The 'quality' mentality of the Japanese people still applies here, as not only do they produce quality products, they also want to purchase quality products. Japan is filled with extremely high quality products whether it be from electronics to produce. A couple times a month I would buy myself a $5 apple as a treat for myself after a long day of work. Is a $5 apple worth it to most people? Probably not, but was it worth it for me? Definitely. Those apples were the epitome of quality and care. I just imagined the Japanese farmer tending to his apples everyday, making sure they were well cared for and growing nicely. Japanese people seek value in a lot of other ways, not just purely thinking about things in terms of monetary values. One way is that they enjoy blending form and function, which brings us back to JDM parts. Not only do the parts perform well, but they also look amazing. In the end, Japanese people like to be stylish and different and sometimes flamboyant, which is something definitely seen in the JDM tuning world.
That actually stems back to the hardworking Japanese work ethic I was talking about before. Due to the fact that there is a country widespread mentality of working hard, there is also a mentality of being a like-minded hive-mind of sorts where everybody is expected to basically be the same. This in turn makes Japanese people rebel in other ways such as the way they dress like this ganguro girl I saw in Osaka:
Or the Bosozuko cars that Japan is so famous for:
While everyone is taught to be the same, we all know everyone wants to be different. So to do that they express themselves in other, creative ways. That being said, the ones being different still follow the rule of doing things right. Whenever you see someone dressed differently, they are DRESSED DIFFERENTLY. Every aspect is taken care of from head to toe. The JDM goths look AWESOME because they are a whole package, not just a black T shirt and eyeliner like other nations' goths.
To wrap it all up, a lot of the reason why Japan is Japan is because of the work ethic and pursuit for perfection in whatever they do. This mentality can be both a good thing or a bad thing; all I do know is, imagine how great the world would be if each country blended in a form of the JDM work ethic into their own culture.
-Colin
10-20-2009, 04:05 PM
#2
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I write quite frequently on my Blog as to the cost and quality of Japanese products, being the owner of (by many measures) the largest importer here in New Zealand.
I'll add food for thought to the equation. A $100 widget from Japan doesn't really cost $100. It costs far more. The money and time spent on staff, research, time, material cost, knowledge, upskilling and manufacturing a part far, far outweighs the price of a single product. It takes many hundreds of the same product sold at $100 to make that money back.
A knock-off company will simply make a copy of all parts from the original manufacturer and pump it out in the hundreds, bypassing the initial financial cost and selling it for half the price. Smart business? Sure. Unethical? Absolutely. Illegal. Absolutely.
The irony is, if there was no black market then the demand for the 'real' parts would go up, and the product prices would come down, down, down. This is because the perceived market size is bigger, and the brands themselves can market their products in a higher-demand, higher-volume and ultimately more (real) competitive marketplace.
The proliferation of copied parts is not only illegal but it pushes up the prices of the products you claim you cannot afford, so buy elsewhere.
I hate to say it, but the consumers are the ones shooting themselves in the foot 2-fold, but not only buying illegal replicas but by also demanding them.
We started a campaign as a company which we call "Buy Genuine". We never have, nor ever will sell illegal replica, styled, themed or copy parts. We don't care what word is used, we'll never sell them. And really we don't care if this seems like we place ourselves or the brands we represent up on a mantle, it's how we work, it's how they work, and we're doing fine out of it.
(as an aside: don't knock a part if it's from Taiwan / China. Most of your revered brands are made there. In fact, so is your camera lens, your PC's CPU, memory and so forth. The worlds tallest building was once there also..)
I'll add food for thought to the equation. A $100 widget from Japan doesn't really cost $100. It costs far more. The money and time spent on staff, research, time, material cost, knowledge, upskilling and manufacturing a part far, far outweighs the price of a single product. It takes many hundreds of the same product sold at $100 to make that money back.
A knock-off company will simply make a copy of all parts from the original manufacturer and pump it out in the hundreds, bypassing the initial financial cost and selling it for half the price. Smart business? Sure. Unethical? Absolutely. Illegal. Absolutely.
The irony is, if there was no black market then the demand for the 'real' parts would go up, and the product prices would come down, down, down. This is because the perceived market size is bigger, and the brands themselves can market their products in a higher-demand, higher-volume and ultimately more (real) competitive marketplace.
The proliferation of copied parts is not only illegal but it pushes up the prices of the products you claim you cannot afford, so buy elsewhere.
I hate to say it, but the consumers are the ones shooting themselves in the foot 2-fold, but not only buying illegal replicas but by also demanding them.
We started a campaign as a company which we call "Buy Genuine". We never have, nor ever will sell illegal replica, styled, themed or copy parts. We don't care what word is used, we'll never sell them. And really we don't care if this seems like we place ourselves or the brands we represent up on a mantle, it's how we work, it's how they work, and we're doing fine out of it.
(as an aside: don't knock a part if it's from Taiwan / China. Most of your revered brands are made there. In fact, so is your camera lens, your PC's CPU, memory and so forth. The worlds tallest building was once there also..)
10-20-2009, 06:51 PM
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Great info and very well said. Kaizen is very ingrained within Japanese culture which Colin alluded to in his discussion of quality. This concept and practice of continuous improvement results in a very high quality product. Without going into all of the details of the principles of Kaizen, the degree to which the Japanese have integrated this into their production of everything is clearly evident in their products.
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10-20-2009, 11:12 PM
#9
in my visit to japan many years ago, i did experience first hand some of the things the original poster is talking about.
"everyone does their part" -- early in the morning as i was starting my sightseeing day, i recall seeing each store owner sweep, water down, and clean the areas in front of their storefronts all the way to the street. it's not anything huge or big they are doing, however, as every person does a little something, it adds up to a lot actually. i couldn't believe how clean the streets were in japan.
"honesty and honor" -- walking through the streets of tokyo, you can see a lot of commuters who bike to work, school, etc. there are literally hundreds of bikes placed in racks in front of big office buildings and there's one thing you notice that strikes you as unbelievable, at least to someone who lives in the u.s. there wasn't a single bike with a lock on it to prevent theft.
i've heard japan is not "quite" what it used to be, with changing times and all, however, i've seen their world in person and definitely appreciate their values and way of life, with great emphasis on the great japanese products we enjoy everytime we press the red ENGINE START button.
"everyone does their part" -- early in the morning as i was starting my sightseeing day, i recall seeing each store owner sweep, water down, and clean the areas in front of their storefronts all the way to the street. it's not anything huge or big they are doing, however, as every person does a little something, it adds up to a lot actually. i couldn't believe how clean the streets were in japan.
"honesty and honor" -- walking through the streets of tokyo, you can see a lot of commuters who bike to work, school, etc. there are literally hundreds of bikes placed in racks in front of big office buildings and there's one thing you notice that strikes you as unbelievable, at least to someone who lives in the u.s. there wasn't a single bike with a lock on it to prevent theft.
i've heard japan is not "quite" what it used to be, with changing times and all, however, i've seen their world in person and definitely appreciate their values and way of life, with great emphasis on the great japanese products we enjoy everytime we press the red ENGINE START button.
