Japanese mobile phone culture: Difference between revisions

[[File:Japanese girl with mobile phone.jpg|thumb|A girl in the [[Harajuku]] district of Tokyo with a phone, in 2008]]

[[ImageFile:Taking fish pictures.jpg|thumb|right|A young girl taking photos with her phone at the [[Osaka Aquarium]] in 2006]]

In Japan, [[mobile phones]] became ubiquitous years before the phenomenon spread worldwide. In Japanese, mobile phones are called {{nihongo|''keitai denwa''|携帯電話}}, literally "portable [[telephones]]," and are often known simply as ''keitai'' (携帯).

A majority of the Japanese population own cellular phones, most of which are equipped with enhancements such as [[video]] and [[camera]] capabilities. As of 2018, 65% of the population owned such devices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/996309/japan-ownership-rates-smartphones/|title=Japanese ownership rates smartphone 2018}}</ref> This pervasiveness and the particularities of their usage has led to the development of a '''mobile phone culture''', or "keitai culture.," which especially in the early stages of mobile phone adoption was distinct from the rest of the world.

Japan was a leader in mobile phone technology. The first commercial [[camera phone]] was the [[Kyocera]] Visual Phone VP-210, released in Japan in May 1999.<ref name="computerworld">{{cite web |title=Camera phones: A look back and forward |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2473084/camera-phones--a-look-back-and-forward.html |website=[[Computerworld]] |date=11 May 2012 |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-date=9 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009064125/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2473084/camera-phones--a-look-back-and-forward.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first mass-market camera phone was the [[J-SH04]], a [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] [[J-Phone]] model sold in Japan in November 2000.<ref name="digitaltrends">{{cite web |title=From J-Phone to Lumia 1020: A complete history of the camera phone |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/camera-phone-history/ |website=[[Digital Trends]] |date=11 August 2013 |access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> It could instantly transmit pictures via cell phone [[telecommunication]].<ref name="Taking pictures with your phone">{{cite news |title=Taking pictures with your phone |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1550622.stm |access-date=15 September 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |agency=[[BBC]] |date=18 September 2001}}</ref> The J-Phone (Stylized as 写メール, which stands for Photo-Mail) model not only included a camera, but also the function to send photographs via messaging or [[e-mail]], which made the phone extremely popular at the time. Technologies like [[3G]] [[mobile broadband]] were common in Japan before any other country.

* [[Camera phone]] features (e.g. [[selfie]], [[front-facing camera]]) with mandatory shutter sound.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Japan's noisy iPhone problem|url=https://www.engadget.com/2016-09-30-japans-noisy-iphone-problem.html|access-date=2020-09-25|website=Engadget|language=en}}</ref>. This is because taking upskirt shots of schoolgirls on subway is a problem in Japan.

{{As of|2013}}, the Japanese mobile phone market is broadly divided into a high-end, consisting of smart phones[[smartphones]] ({{nihongo|スマートフォン|sumātofon}}, abbreviated as {{nihongo|スマフォ|sumafo}} or {{nihongo|スマホ|sumaho}}),; mid-range, consisting of [[feature phone]]s ({{transltransliteration|ja|garakei}}),; and a low-end, consisting of [[Personal Handy-phone System]] (PHS, {{nihongo|handy phone|ハンディフォン|handifon}} or {{nihongo||ピッチ|pitchi}}, from {{nihongo|PHS|ピーエッチエス|pīetchiesu}}). There is some overlap of market segments between low-end smart phonessmartphones and high-end feature phones, and many shared features. PHS, which was initially developed as a cheaper alternative to 2G networks such as CDMA and [[GSM]], was initially deployed in 1995, but is now only offered by one carrier, [[Y!Mobile]] (part of [[SoftBank Group|SoftBank]]). As elsewhere in the world, smart phonessmartphones have been growing rapidly.{{fact|date=October 2023}}

The use of mobile phones to make calls on public transport is frowned upon, and messages asking passengers not to make calls and to switch their phones to silent mode ("public mode" or "manner mode" in Japanese) are played frequently. This, combined with the low per-message price and ample allowed length per message (10,000 characters), has increased the use of text messaging as an alternative to calls. Abbreviations are also widespread. '\' may be attached at the end of a sentence to show that they are not happy about the event described. A sentence like "I have a test today\" (translated) could be used to imply that the student didn'tdid not study enough, or that the test itself invites [[negative emotion]]. Some of these usages disappeared as suitable [[emoji]] were made, but these newly made icons also acquired a usage not originally intended. One example deals with the astrological symbol for [[Libra (astrology)|Libra]] (♎). It resembles a cooked and puffed [[Mochi (food)|mochi]], and is sometimes used in a happyHappy newNew yearYear's message as mochi are often eaten then. The symbol for [[Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius]] (♒) resembles waves, so this would be used to mean 'sea'. The number of icons gradually increased and they are now coloured on most cell phones, to make them more distinct. [[ASCII art]] is also used widely and many of them are faces with expressionexpressions. ''(see also [[Shift JIS art]])''

[[Emoji]], originating on Japanese mobile phones in 1997, became increasingly popular worldwide in the 2010s after being added to several mobile operating systems.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Blagdon |first=Jeff |title=How emoji conquered the world |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/3/4/3966140/how-emoji-conquered-the-world |work=The Verge |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=6 November 6, 2013 |date=4 March 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Smile, You're Speaking EMOJI: The fast evolution of a wordless tongue|date=16 November 16, 2014|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/emojis-rapid-evolution.html|first=Adam|last=Sternbergh|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.android.com/versions/kit-kat-4-4/|title=Android – 4.4 KitKat|work=android.com}}</ref> They are now considered to be a large part of [[popular culture]] in [[Western World|the West]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/video/how-emojis-took-center-stage-in-american-pop-culture-1001844803597 |title=How Emojis took center stage in American pop culture |date=17 July 17, 2017 |work=NBC News}}</ref>

The SkyWalker DP-211SW, a mobile telephone manufactured by [[J-Phone]] which supported a set of 90 emoji, was the first phone known to contain a set of emojis as part of its typeface, dating back to 1997.<ref name="emojipediafirst">{{cite web |title=Correcting the Record on the First Emoji Set |url=https://blog.emojipedia.org/correcting-the-record-on-the-first-emoji-set/ |publisher=[[Emojipedia]] |date=8 March 8, 2019}}</ref> The J-Phone DP-211SW didn't sell well due to its high retail price, and therefore mass-market adoption of emoji didn't take place at the time.<ref>{{Cite webjournal | last=Alt | first=Matt | title=Why Japan Got Over Emojis | journal=Slate | url=https://slate.com/technology/2015/12/emojis-are-no-longer-cool-in-japan.html | date=7 December 7, 2015 | access-date=22 January 22, 2019 }}</ref> J-Phone later became [[Vodafone#Japan|Vodafone Japan]] and is now [[SoftBank Mobile]]; a later, expanded version of the SoftBank emoji set was the basis for the emoji selection available on early [[iPhone]]s.<ref name="emojipediafirst" />

A highly influential early set of 176 cellular emoji was created by [[Shigetaka Kurita]] in 1999,<ref name=Steinmetz2015>{{cite webmagazine|last=Steinmetz|first=Katy|url=http://time.com/4114886/oxford-word-of-the-year-2015-emoji/|title=Oxford's 2015 Word of the Year Is This Emoji|workmagazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=16 November 16, 2015|access-date=28 July 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/emojis-rapid-evolution.html|title=Smile, You're Speaking Emoji|author=Sternbergh, Adam|date=16 November 16, 2014}}</ref> and deployed on [[NTT DoCoMo]]'s [[i-mode]], a [[Mobile web]] platform.<ref name="Meet Shigetaka Kurita, the Father of Emoji">{{cite web|last1=Negishi|first1=Mayumi|title=Meet Shigetaka Kurita, the Father of Emoji|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/03/26/meet-shigetaka-kurita-the-father-of-emoji|website=[[Wall Street Journal]]|date=26 March 26, 2014|access-date=16 August 16, 2015}}</ref> They were intended to help facilitate electronic communication, and to serve as a distinguishing feature from other services.<ref name=":0"/> According to interviews, he took inspiration from Japanese [[manga]] where characters are often drawn with symbolic representations called ''manpu'' (such as a water drop on a face representing nervousness or confusion), and weather pictograms used to depict the weather conditions at any given time.<ref name="Meet Shigetaka Kurita, the Father of Emoji"/><ref>{{cite web|title=NTT DoCoMo Emoji List|url=https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/service/imode_mail/function/pictograph|publisher=nttdocomo.co.jp}}</ref><ref name="Why and how I created emoji">{{cite web|first=Mamiko |last=Nakano |translator1=Mitsuyo Inaba Lee |title=Why and how I created emoji: Interview with Shigetaka Kurita |url=http://ignition.co/105 |website=Ignition |access-date=16 August 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610220635/http://ignition.co/105 |archive-date=10 June 10, 2016 }}</ref> It included the [[Face with Tears of Joy emoji]], which represents a Japanese visual style commonly found in manga and [[anime]], combined with ''[[kaomoji]]'' and [[smiley]] elements.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moschini |first1=Ilaria |title=The "Face with Tears of Joy" Emoji: A Socio-Semiotic and Multimodal Insight into a Japan-America Mash-Up |journal=HERMES: Journal of Language and Communication in Business |date=29 August 2016 |issue=55 |pages=1111–25 |doi=10.7146/hjlcb.v0i55.24286 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307442698|doi-access=free }}</ref> An additional 76 emoji, besides the 176 basic emoji, were added in phones supporting [[C-HTML]] 4.0.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://crissov.github.io/original-emoji/ntt-docomo/ |title=(NTTドコモ), (iモード, アイモード) |work=original-emoji |first=Christoph |last=Päper}}</ref>

[[File:703shf3.jpg|thumb|Japanese cell phones are often decorated, as in this example.]]

With the rapidly falling prices of cell phones in the mid -1990s, young people began experimenting with the [[SMS|short message service]] that the mobile phone companies started offering. When the [[i-mode]] service became available, the mobile phone culture began flourishing earnestly as this service offered an E-mail application. Magazines and television regularly make specials focusing on the current trend of how mobile phones are used by young people.

* {{cite web|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/09/02/reference/cell-phone-culture-here-unlike-any-other/|title=Cell phone culture here unlike any other|work=The Japan Times|date=2 September 2009 |access-date=25 April 2015}}

[[Category:JapaneseCulture cultureof Japan]]