Historical Japanese real lives in a castle town: Ko-riyama Nara

The last post of this blog is about the ethnographical issues in a castle town in Japan.
The first image is a brief map of Ko-riyama castle town. There are several blocks named their industries. (車町 is car area/ 豆腐町　is tohu area). In the past, this area is flowrished for those commercial activities.





the picture 2 and 3 are the vacant lot where the castle used to be







From here is what I had already known about Japanese lives in a castle town of Ko-reyama.
However, one of the visual blog about Japanese red-light destrict changed my images and knowledge about historical Japanese ethnographical issues.






Before the arrival of Christians, Japan had the culture of prostitution. Many people (mainly upper class such as a lord, priest and the rich) went to red-light area and enjoyed their night spending with women called “Geisya”. However, after the European culture came into Japan, those activities which were against Christianity were forbidden. Moreover, after the Second World War, GHQ banned and rejected those cultures.

However, some of the places still maintain those culture by changing their commercial styles into the way which do not offend legal issues.

Those places run as Japanese style hotel or small restaurant, and they have prostitutes in front of the entrance. Typically the customer and the prostitutes go into the room in second floor, and they enjoy the time. The owners are supposed to be ignorance of their activities, because if they interfere those activities, it is against the law.

This is the process of Japanese Geisya playing today.
Note: I took the ko-reyama district because it is already out of vague.
If you take pictures in active district, it must be dangerous for any people.

Here is brief summary of Ko-reyama red-light district.

There are two places of red-light district, Tousenji area and Okamati area.
The last picture is taken in Tousenji area. At the 1989, Nara police and Osaka police attacks those area (at that time, some of the crime groups force the Philippine women work as prostitutes ) and now there are only buildings.

If you have interest in those historical ethnographic places, I recommend you to visit Tousenji area. (I do not recommend you to take pictures in Okamati area, because there is a gangster’s office)


here is some links about Japanese red-light areas
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~masayuki/akasenatosanpo.html
http://nakkacho.ninja-web.net/16hashimoto/hashi_01.htm (There were red-light area around Hirakata Park)

The Three Types of Retailers in Japanese Social Life

Today's topic is about Japanese supermarket. This theme is what I really want to indroduce for the people who are going to live in Japan.

The locations captured in this topic is all in Gakuen-Mae area in Nara city, where is famous as residence area for middle-upper class people.



The first picture is local supermarket "Hussle."
Generally, such local supermarkets provide the products in a low price because of their local distribution systems. The inside of local supermarkets tends to looks messy, and workers do not put importance on displaying issues. Therefore, those supermarkets do not need to spend money on human resources and provice products relatively cheap.
Those types of retailers satisfy the customers not by services(including display) but by their low price strategy.






The second image is obviously the convenience store "LAWSON"
Generally, the convenience stores do not deal with raw materials but they provide ready-made products. As the name itself is "convenience", those kinds of stores deal with what the customer can use immediately. Even though the convenience stores are making effort on low cost strategy by using their strong buying power, they are supposed to open throughout the day and hire workers. Because of those costs, the price is settled relatively high.
Moreover, each convenience store has POS system(Point of Sale) in order to collect customers' information. Therefore, they always try to adjust the customer's interest into their business, and it is what their business mission.



















The last two pictures are integrated supermarket "Kinsyo" Those types of stores are the integration of many kinds of shops. Typically, they have food floor in their underground floor. Their services are very neat so that they can keep their high qualitified brand images. Because of their services, the cost is burdened and they provide their commodities relatively high.


Conclusion: the residence area "Gakuen-Mae" has many generation people from the young to the elder. Each retailers sets their marketing targets, and differenciate their strategies according to those targets customers.
Like this, Japanese retailers define their business missions, so that people living in Japan have rich choices when they consume depending on their current status.


For the foreign students in Hirakata city (I'm not sure they check this blog...), there are also these three types of retailers.
lokal supermarket- Top World
convenience store- Anywhere
integrated supermarket- Kehan Hyakkaten

extra link about JPN marketing
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_new_Japanese_consumer_2548