Japan is known for breathtaking scenery, zen gardens, beautiful kimonos and generally very aesthetic design. However, many of us who explore Japanese websites wonder if we’ve stepped into a time machine and arrived on websites from the late 90’s. Why is it that those amazing designs from an analogue world were not successfully translated into the digital world? 

We will be looking initially at technical aspects and then also at some cultural aspects as things always need to be seen within their cultural context.

Disclaimer: It is very important to note that this is not to discredit or judge the websites and businesses behind them. They all seem to be doing well and adjusted for their audience. This is simply to acknowledge the difference and shed light on the why behind it.

Characteristics of Japanese Websites

So, what exactly are we talking about when we say Japanese website design? We can use websites like Rakuten, NicoNico, Yahoo! and nifty as examples. What you will find is

• Almost no blank space
• Basic formatting with bright flashing colors
• Tightly packed text
• Tiny low-quality images
• Excessive use of what can be seen as outdated technologies like Flash

Technological Differences

Slow diffusion of new technology

New technology is usually developed by English speakers who publish it in English to have the greatest reach. That leads to new technology spreading across the globe as English is the universal language most software developers across the world speak. However, in Japan that is not the case. The number of bilingual (Japanese/English) software engineers is rather limited creating a bottleneck for the diffusion of new technology. IT is the only job function in Japan where you see a large number of non-Japanese speaking professionals simply due to the fact that there are not enough Japanese engineers who can import the new technology. However, that is still not enough to completely remove the bottleneck and make the technology widely accessible to only Japanese speaking engineers.

Leftovers from iMode – mobile web

Before smartphones were in everyone’s hand, Japan was ahead of the curve with their flip phones. They also had their own version of the mobile web. As people over 35 will remember, flip phone screens (or other phones before smartphones too) were small so condensing information on as little space as possible was seen as necessary and something good.

Complexity of Web Fonts

This applies not only to Japanese but to other non-latin languages too. There is generally a lack of fonts available as thousands of kanji have to be designed individually which makes it an extremely expensive and time consuming endeavor. It would also slow down the website overall so it is more feasible for designers to simply use plain text instead.

Cultural Differences

Linguistics

In Japanese (or Chinese for that matter) a lot more information can be condensed in a smaller amount of characters. While it can be difficult to read and seem overwhelming to people used to the western alphabet, for Japanese it actually allows them to take in a lot of information at once.

In Addition, as there is no way to highlight text using bold or italic text many designers try to add emphasis by adding flashing colors instead.

Advertising

For many companies online marketing is simply seen as an extension of offline marketing. You find them using the same strategies with maximal concentration of information similar to pamphlets and coupons instead of using it as an interactive tool to engage with their audience.

Risk Avoidance & Consumer Behavior

Generally speaking, Japanese culture is very risk averse. This shows in various aspects of social and corporate life. One area where it manifests is Japanese consumers require lengthy descriptions and technical specifications before making a purchasing decision. This is to reduce risk and provide assurance. Just some nice pictures of the product and a sales pitch simply won’t do the trick.

Now, in traditional companies they follow a “generalist” approach to their hiring where they hire new grads and then train them by rotating them through different departments. It is therefore very likely that the people in the IT department do not have a degree in computer science or IT but English literature instead. People do not want to stick out, take risks and question the status quo. Add to that the aspect that companies struggle to recruit bilingual Engineers who are specialized and can actually bring in more recent technologies. That might be different for more progressive and internationally oriented Japanese companies but these are clearly in the minority.

Zen Gardens vs. the Real Landscapes

Japan has beautiful temples, shrines, zen garden and landscapes. But that is not where people spend their time. When you look around the every day buzzing urban areas people are drawn to, you’ll see people bombarded with flashing lights, bright advertisements and noisy pachinko parlors. It is busy, it is chaotic and the same seems to have spilled over to the web.

Conclusion

Japanese web design is very different and it can be very confusing for people who are used to English websites. It is important to understand though that there are reasons behind it if you agree with them or not. If this is what local consumers prefer and it works for the companies running the websites, can we or should we expect them to change? The majority of consumers only ever access Japanese websites and have never seen or used English websites. Therefore, they might not perceive a “gap” there and potentially prefer things the way they are or only slowly changing.

Leave a comment below and let me know which style of web design you prefer and why? Are there hidden benefits of the Japanese model, or is it simply a relic of the past waiting to be overwritten?