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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/techhotspots/0,3800014505,39179636,00.htm

Tokyo
High-tech citizens drive innovation

By

Published: Tuesday 03 June 2008

What's so special about Tokyo?
Tokyo is synonymous with high tech - with its Bladerunner chic, videogame cults and gadget-toting citizenry. The judges singled out its "high-tech population" as a driving force for innovation.

Tokyo's keitai culture especially is way ahead of the curve - with mobile technologies often deployed years ahead of European and US markets. Frankly, some of the more bizarre apps found in the city may never materialise outside Japan. Let's not forget the likes of the aroma phone, from Sony and mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo, and a night vision app which lets mobile users see through clothes.

As Tech Hotspots judge Luke Mellors comments, the city is: "The breeding ground for new approaches to mobile technology." It also has the infrastructure to support cutting edge applications of mobile tech - benefiting from extremely high speed fixed and mobile broadband.

One example of a mobile tech where Tokyo is ahead of the game is contactless payments via mobile wallets (aka Osaifu-Keitai), which are already in the hands of Tokyo dwellers. Such near-field comms tech is merely being tentatively trialled here in the UK. Tokyo-headquartered electronics giant Sony has played a big role in pushing this contactless tech via its FeliCa chip.

Key tech companies Cisco, Fujitsu, Hitachi, KDDI, NEC, Nikon, Nintendo, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Softbank, Sony, Toshiba.

Key institutions University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Local salaries Software engineer: between $49,000 and $69,600.

Famous faces Shigeru Miyamoto, legendary videogame designer; Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of Softbank; Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of ecommerce site Rakuten; Yasumitsu Shigeta, founder of mobile phone distributor/call centre operator Hikari Tsushin; Yasuhiro Fukushima, founder of gaming software firm Enix.

Population 12.7 million.

iPod cost $154 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT +9 hours.

Voltage and plugs 100V 50Hz two-pin flat-blade US-style.

How to get there The main airport for international flights is Tokyo Narita Airport. Tokyo also has Haneda Airport.

Watch out for Umbrellas. Bicycles ridden on pavements.

Places to stay, eat or drink Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel, as featured in Lost in Translation; Four Seasons at Marunouchi, Ginza Tokyu Hotel.

What you might not know Head to the Akihabara district for your fix of gadgets and electronic gizmos.