Sharing the Latest Trends! Hosting “Poached Egg,” Our Morning Meeting Over the Best Breakfast
Nice to meet you! I’m Hatakeyama, and I recently participated in “Poached Egg” for the first time.
“Poached Egg,” as mentioned in the title, is a gathering where we share the latest trends, exchange information with various members across age groups and departments, and enjoy a delicious breakfast together!
This time, we had two types of sandwiches from “KITASANDO COFFEE,” a completely cashless café in Dagaya Sandou: the “Free-Range Egg and Ostrich Sandwich” and the “Free-Range Egg and Chicken Sandwich”!
They paired perfectly with coffee and made an ideal breakfast.
Free-Range Egg and Ostrich Sandwich ¥500 (excluding tax) / Free-Range Egg and Chicken Sandwich ¥500 (excluding tax)
Next, we’ll introduce some picks from various unique trends!
Japan’s Biggest Valentine’s Day Market Shifts Away from Romance, Targeting “Solo” Consumers
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO54464930W0A110C2L91000/
Image source: [Nikkei]
This year’s key feature is “moving away from romance dependency.” While chocolate was once given by young women to men as a declaration of love, more people are now buying it as a treat for themselves. According to one survey, 46% of respondents said they buy chocolate “for themselves”—the highest percentage. “Family” came in second at 26%, while “romantic interest” was only 15%.
As the times change, companies are exploring ways to capitalize on this shift.
It’s somewhat sad to see one of the few occasions for confessing feelings gradually disappearing. Among our members, comments like “Maybe I’ll buy some for myself this year” and “I’ve already prepared my Valentine’s chocolate” sparked plenty of discussion.
What Is a “Credit Score”? Scoring People? Introducing Online Reactions!
https://trend-labo.com/sukkiri-sinnyouscor/
Image source: [trend-LABO]
The Nippon TV information program “Sukkiri” featured a segment on “credit scores.” While credit scores are already widespread overseas, what exactly are they? When you provide information such as occupation, education, and income to a scoring company, they quantify your “creditworthiness.” This quantified creditworthiness becomes your “credit score,” which can then be used to access various services. In China, where this system is already widespread, phenomena such as matchmaking sites for high-score individuals and people ending friendships with low-score acquaintances have emerged.
This is sure to be controversial.
“Project: NeSSA”—A Smart Mirror That Tells You If You’re Wearing the Same Outfit
https://techable.jp/archives/115080
Image source: [TECHABLE]
A smart mirror has been developed that syncs with your smartphone’s calendar app and detects whether your current outfit matches what you wore previously, based on event names and people’s names. For example, even if you can’t remember what you wore to a party a few weeks ago, standing in front of the mirror will tell you if your outfit is a repeat. While our female members showed interest due to their fashion awareness, some expressed concerns about how accurately the mirror would respond.
“Acorns”—A Service for Automatic and Easy Saving Investing
https://mastand.com/money/invest/acorns/
Image source: [MAStand]
Acorns is a service that automatically allocates spare change from purchases to savings or investments. Amounts from 0 to 99 cents are automatically accumulated. For example, when purchasing a 55-cent item, the 45-cent difference from paying with 1 dollar is automatically transferred to your Acorns account. The service also includes automatic investment allocation, making it easy for complete beginners to get started. Perfect for those who struggle to maintain a savings habit! If it automatically selects investments, it seems easy to begin.
LOOP—A Circular Delivery Service That Collects and Reuses Plastic Containers
https://lessplasticlife.com/news/loop_circular_e-commerce_platform/
Image source: [IDEAS FOR GOOD]
A sales platform has emerged that collects, cleans, and reuses plastic containers after use. Its name is “LOOP.” Products sold on LOOP can be ordered online. Items come in durable refillable containers made of glass or stainless steel, which are collected after use, cleaned, and reused. The strength of this service is that it can be ordered online, making it well-suited to current trends. It’s essentially like an online version of the old-fashioned milk delivery service. A wonderful eco-friendly idea!
Those were our picks of recent trends and news. Listening to information from various genres while enjoying a delicious breakfast made for a very happy start to the day!
Stay tuned for the next Poached Egg!
