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::::JAPANAID PRESS RELEASE::::
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Language-Barrier Eliminated in Japan
KAWASAKI, JAPAN - May 24, 2002 (INB) -- Kaz Saruwatari, CEO of Planetworks Inc., Monday (May 27th, 2002) announced the launch of a service that will eliminate the language barrier facing international travelers visiting Japan. JapanAid (www.japanaid.com) provides travel information and interpretation services in real-time through the use of CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) technology.
The use of CTI technology allows JapanAid to offer high-quality services at less than half of the rate of their primary competitors. "We can offer lower rates and better service because CTI allows us to keep our overhead costs at a minimum," stated Saruwatari from his office in Kawasaki, Japan. "Our services are provided by highly skilled staff members working from their homes. We utilize an optimized database system, that matches clients with the best possible staff member based on considerations like language, location, and areas of interest. Our matching gets better with time as our system "learns" from
customer feedback."
When a traveler is planning their trip to Japan, they visit the JapanAid website (www.japanaid.com) and enter a personal profile, and the dates that they will be in Japan. At this point the client purchases prepaid Service Points, and can at their option also rent a cellular phone to use throughout their stay in Japan. The cellular phone rental in itself is a valuable service, as most cellular phones created for use outside of Japan will not work on Japan's cellular networks.
"We serve customers in languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, French, and German, with web services available in English initially. We will be introducing web sites in other languages in the near future," said Saruwatari.
Saruwatari's inspiration for creating the service was found in his own childhood experience: "I spent a number of years in Panama when I was in Elementary school. During that time I spoke mostly English and Spanish. When I came back I felt like a foreigner, and got a taste of how difficult it can be to be a stranger in
Japan."
Clients are able to utilize the service for a wide variety of purposes. Travelers can get tips on the best places to go to get a taste of authentic Japanese culture or food. Staff members can help clients to get tickets to upcoming events, or even let them know what upcoming events may interest them. Business people can utilize the service in business meetings or to get directions to the place where their meeting will be held. JapanAid's service can also be invaluable in emergency situations such as car accidents or visits to the emergency room.
JapanAid is now investigating the possibility of partnering with travel agents around the world to offer JapanAid service as part of vacation packages in Japan. "There is so much to see and do in Japan that is inaccessible to people because of the language-barrier. We have eliminated that obstacle," beamed Saruwatari. "We aim to make peoples' stay in Japan stress-free." JapanAid will introduce special corporate rates in the near future, targeting companies that frequently do international business. JapanAid aims to make Japan a friendlier place for international travelers to visit. Large demand is expected during the Korea-Japan World Cup soccer tournament next month.
If you would like more information about JapanAid, please contact us by e-mail at , or via an international phone call to +81-44-850-2730.
JapanAid offers concierge and interpretation services in real-time to foreigners in Japan, on demand via the telephone. The service is available in English, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Russian, and is expanding constantly. It is useful to a wide range of clients, from business people, to tourists, to expatriate residents in Japan, to use in emergency situations. Quality service is ensured by intelligent database matching that "learns" from customer feedback.
CONTACT:
Kaz Saruwatari
Planetworks Inc.
KSP Innovation Center building 4F
Sakado 3-2-1, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
213-0012 JAPAN
Phone: +81-44-850-2730
Cellular: +81-90-2557-4419
www.japanaid.com
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It’s been a long time since I last posted here, and I am going to try to ensure that the gaps are not so large from here on out. I have been working on launching a new business, and it has taken nearly all of my time. I have been getting home at about midnight or 1 o’clock, a trend that will probably continue for at least another couple of weeks, and that can make it tough to post with all the other stuff that I’ve gotta do when I get home. Enough excuse mongering, on to a little bit of news about my life.
The weekend arrived, and I thankfully had Sunday entirely free, because my private English student that I usually teach on Sundays had to go in to work because his office is moving. My charming girlfriend and I took a walk around Zushi on our way to get some luch. We came across a little flea market, and there was a Japanese Playstation for sale there. It had no controllers or cables, but because I have some of that stuff at home for my English Playstation, and because Johnny’s Xbox acquisition made me insanely jealous, I asked about the price. She told me I could have it for 300 yen, and also offered me Final Fantasy 9 (Japanese Version) for 200 yen. The total came to 600 yen, which I don’t really understand, but 600 yen is about $4.76 US so I didn’t gripe. We then had some lunch, and did a bit of shopping and came home so I could try out my purchase. It turns out that the video/audio output that I was using for the english playstation, wasn’t available on the Japanese machine, and the power cord was shaped differently, so I had to run down to the local game store and make a quick purchase. The cords were about 1,400 yen ($11.11) bringing my total to 2,000 yen ($15.88 … yes I know it doesn’t add up exactly, but Yahoo’s word is law!) I had an adaptor on my English playstation that allowed me to play Japanese games, but for any games with multiple disks I couldn’t go past the first. Now I am duly prepared, and the two playstations look kind of cool sitting next to each other in our entertainment cabinet, identical except for Eigo and Nihongo on the lids, written with care in my badly formed kanji handwriting.
I’ve been playing FIFA soccer ‘99 a lot lately, getting in shape for the upcoming World Cup. What are you guys playing?
What kind of business?
I am Playing NFL Fever 2002 on a little system you may have heard of.... it’s called the X-Box?
I haven’t forgotten about this site, it just seems that way. I’m actually knowingly neglecting it because I have a big deadline coming up for another site that I’m working on. You haven’t missed me anyway.
have so!
I’ve been checking the site periodically as well, but I have finals as my excuse!
P.S. The ducks have been following me again....
Comments:
Sure they have.I think you have been following them. YOU are the one who is obsessed with the ducks. Why can’t you just leave them alone?
Or is “duck” an euphanism for something else........say insanity?
DL
Wow! Sounds pretty cool, hopefully it will be a big success for you! Good luck with that.
-John McDonald
I enjoyed reading your press release. It’s neat to read more about your company, though I have navigated their website. Somebody likes rabbits, eh? Drop your mother a line once in a while, unless you’re too stuck up! Sounds like a neat idea and a valuable service.