This article was published on June 5, 2015

Watch now: Japan demystified


“Japan is no different from you.”

Japanese American entrepreneur Kei Shimada tries to demystify Japan.

People tend to think that Japan is crazy country in the far, far east, but it has so much more than this cliche to offer, too. Particularly, in the field of innovation. And Kei travels around the world to spread news about what Japan has to offer.

We’ve just added his talk from the TNW Europe Conference 2013 to TNW Video and you can watch it right now, right here for free.

The cat ears that Kei wears are not only a fashion accessory. It is one of the top 50 inventions selected by Time magazine and measures brain waves to detect whether a person is paying attention or not. The ears can also help non-verbal communication, believe it or not.

Did you know that in Japan, everything that happens in technology happens on mobile first? In Tokyo, it is common that people pay for their ride via their phone and pay for their McDonald’s by swiping their phone. What makes things work in Japan is the ecosystem because everything is adapted to mobile.

Want to know more about Japanese innovation? And did you know that a car can power an entire house? Watch Kei’s talk to find out more.

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