Cute AU Cell phones - click picture to enlarge


When I left the United States in 2002 I left behind my seemingly archaic cell phone, in retrospect. It was a small Sprint Nokia with a monochromatic screen which I paid top dollar for when I originally bought it in 2001. During this same time in Japan, 1 in 3 people owned cell phones (statistic taken from an old CNN article online). When I arrived in Japan, the cell phones I had to choose from all had full-color screens with Web interface. It was like stepping into the future! Some even had international calling capabilities and all of the casings were hella cute. Today it seems like every single person in Japan owns a cell phone. AU cell phones now come with a cameras a standard option. The cell phone cameras have been available since I first got here but now they come standard on all phones not just higher end models. Japanese cell phones are cuter than ever and do more and more each year. I?ve also learned how to turn any sound file into a ringer so I don?t have to waste money on cheesy-sounding rip-offs. Right now though I only have airplane black-box recordings from real crashes as my ringer. Ya it sounds bad I know.

I haven?t seen an American cell-phone close up since I?ve been out here so I thought I would post some pictures of what AU is selling here in Japan. I chose AU because it is a subsidiary of the company I work for and they cater to Americans as well as Japanese.
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Kidney Girl said…
I figured I'd reply to your tag here since there is more room. I was never a controller in Japan...only the US, but my husband is currently a supervisor out here and he doesn't need to speak Japanese. Even the Japanese controllers at Naha International speak perfect English while controlling. I couldn't work for the Japanese control system because they have different requirements than the US and if I went to their ATC school I would be lost because except for the English phraseology, the rest of lessons in Japanese would lose me. I do speak and write limited Japanese but I imagine I would need to be fluent before if it was possible for me to get hired on down South. Like what would happen in an Emergency situation if everyone reverted to Japanese due to stress. I wouldn't want to be in the way. I currently work for a Japanese corporation as a a computer geek. Since I cater to Americans I didn't need to know a lick of English when I was hired but I learn as I go anyway. I wish your husband best of luck. I'm currently a student pilot and I have yet to fly to an airport with other than native English speakers...I can't wait to see what it's like though :)
5:21 PM
Anonymous said…
I have some strange obsession with Japanese culture, women, and food and I'm a black man from the mean streets of California... figure that one out. My wife was in Okinawa 8 years. I plan on going to mainland Japan on vacation some day.

http://health-wealth.blogharbor.com
2:08 AM
Anonymous said…
I found you through blog explosion . . .

I went to Korea last summer and I fell in love with the cell phones there. I loved that they had a little place on top to attach charms and stuff. Very cute!
5:54 AM
Kidney Girl said…
I know all sorts of guys who are only attracted to Japanese women. Many of those guys think they were Japanese in another lifetime. In fact one of my first few posts explore this phenomenon. Many men I know say the reason they are so attracted to Japanese women is because they are still ultra-feminine where American women act more masculine. Basically Japanese women know where their place is, therefore a lot of normally aggressive or arrogant men go for these girls...at least that's what I have seen. Either that or tall and nerdy Americans who would never have a chance with a hottie back in the states. In that case, good on 'em. I only wish I could say I have seen more healthy relationships than not. I can only think of one that I know of but they are a lot older and more mature. On the other hand, Japanese men are dicks and If I was a Japanese girl I would probably go look for something better too.

Lynne
8:00 AM
Kidney Girl said…
I totally forgot to mention about those charms! They are sold everywhere from malls to restaurants and come in every shape, color, character imaginable. Some are beads and others are cute rhinestones. It's cool to be able to personalize your phone like that. My replacement (free) phone was a crazy orange color but I was able to find some orange beads to make it a little cuter.
8:03 AM
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