Wednesday, November 3, 2010

2010 top 10 hit products in Japan.

At this time of every year, a popular magazine, Nikkei Trendy /日経トレンディ, announces the top 30 hit products of the year which have gained considerable attention and popularity in Japan throughout the year. The magazine decides which products are hit products based on sales, novelty and influence. The results are widely reported in the news every year. People often make it a topic of conversation when looking back on the year. Here are the top 10 hit products of 2010 which were just announced yesterday.

1. A new type of chili oil / 食べるラー油
In Japan, chili oil is used as a seasoning. Many people only use it for a few common Chinese dishes. This new product enables you to use it for many other dishes. Because of a production bottleneck due to the surge in popularity, it was very hard to buy it for a while.

2. 3D movies

3. Smart phones

4. Premium roll cake 
LAWSON, a major convenience store in Japan, developed the cake and have been selling it since then. In Japan, a large number of people often stop by convenience stores such as Seven-Eleven even when they don't intend to buy anything. So, convenience stores are important and effective distribution channels.

5. iPad

6. Pocket doltz
Actually, I didn't know about the product until now. According to the information in the link below, it's a pocket-sized sound wave vibration toothbrush. As the homepage shows, the toothbrush is compact enough to carry around. It looks like it's part of a makeup kit. In Japan, people, especially businesswomen, are so sensitive to having bad breath that they often brush their teeth. I guess that this is in part because this product has gained popularity.

7. LED bulbs at lower prices

8. A convenient cooking tool for grilling fish in the microwave / チンしてこんがり魚焼きパック
It's very hard to explain it. Please see the YouTube video below. In Japan, a grill space along with special tools for fish is usually installed on kitchen stoves. However, some people feel that cleaning up the tools after grilling fish is bothersome, which discourages them from grilling fish. I think this product meets their needs.



9. Staplers without staples / ハリナックス
Personally, I love them. Please see the video in the link below. At the office, getting rid of staples from documents before shredding them is really bothersome.

10. A new instant miso soup named 1杯でしじみ70個分のちから
In Japan, various kinds of instant miso soups are being sold. However, food companies had a very hard time developing a popular hit instant miso soup until this product was launched.