Important Notice: Subscription Prices will increase as of June 7
PLEASE NOTE: Subscribers before this date will NOT be affected
Scroll all the way down for Bonus Content!
Hello everyone,
Honestly, this blows me away, but I’ve reached my target number of Paid Supporters for this current price, so I will be raising prices. Please be aware that if you’re in a paid tier already, this will not affect you. This applies to both monthly and annual subscriptions. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I want to make sure to reward early supporters, as this wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground if it weren’t for you, so thank you for your early trust and support! I’m humbled to see such an interest in what I thought was a super niche publication.
I’m also removing my paywall for my Alpha Purchase write-up from last year for this occasion :) I continue to like the name, and I hope to be an owner for a long time.
Price Changes:
$26/month → $35/month
$260/year → $350/year
For future purposes and openness, I think now may be a good time to share how I think about pricing. This will continue to be a publication focused on unique investment ideas and business stories from Japan. I just don’t feel there’s enough of that in English. Having said that, I expect this to remain pretty niche, covering at times potentially illiquid, obscure ideas (though not always) so my ‘TAM’ is limited. This means that I don’t expect to have thousands of subscribers, but rather people who are serious about capitalising on this unique opportunity called Japan. A market that offers what I think are extremely attractive opportunities for both value and growth stocks. I prefer it this way because this has allowed me to have some incredible conversations that lead to insight and inspiration, even friendships. I’d be remiss to say that these are the interactions I feel make idea generation and analysis better. It’s a positive feedback loop!
As a general rule, I raise prices based on two vectors. One is inflation in Japan when I’ve reached a certain number of subscribers for that price, which is something I consider carefully. The second is that as the content ‘library’ becomes more extensive. For the latter, I’ve noticed that some churn after subscribing for a month and that’s fair game - I hope you understand that as the content library becomes more expansive, the monthly tier will gradually increase in price. I like to believe that there are quite some hard-to-get, unique insights and an increasing amount of 'timeless’ content too.
This all goes to say that I’m absolutely grateful for the people who have become paid supporters, my ‘thanks’ only extends to grandfathering you into the old subscription price so far, but I hope I can give back more in other ways eventually. Nonetheless, you will keep your current subscription price for future price increases too,
Having said all this, I’m grateful for any reader, paid or unpaid, to spend valuable time reading my ramblings. Thank you! I will continue to share free content too.
Made in Japan is in what I like to call “Jazz mode.” I’m still not entirely sure how this is all going to develop ultimately. It’s a bit of structure mixed with a bit of spontaneity and improv. More recently, I’ve gotten multiple feedback that readers really enjoy the ‘one pager’ ideas, so you can expect more of those. Another ‘fun’ I’ve been having is sharing my favourite places throughout Japan (like the one below!). I occasionally get messages from readers who have actually visited them, which I absolutely love to see!
Finally, as a reminder, this is how I think about the value proposition of Made in Japan:
You’ll get highly differentiated ideas and insights into Japanese businesses —both investment ideas and profiles of unique companies/individuals/investors.
1. You’ll get initial, actionable ideas without having to spend on translation
2. If and when possible I’ll share insights after talking to companies
3. I occasionally provide on-the-ground research
4. most companies are not on people’s radar but I look far and wide and use my network of investors in Japan (i.e procure interesting ideas)
5. Sell-side who cover Japan have lived in Japan all their lives, they’re not able to put cultural differences into context. I think I can do that better. For foreign investors, putting the opportunity in context is key
6. Be part of a community of like-minded investors who can share notes, insights and perspectives
7. Occasionally you’ll get recommendations of places to go in Japan ;)
The mission remains the same: Making Japan more accessible for everyone, by helping overcome language and cultural barriers, for both investing and business.
So in summary, I’m excited and curious myself how this will all turn out! For now, I’ve been working on a few things in the background, one of which is with a fantastic friend - for which I hope to make some sort of announcement soon…
(Hint: it starts with the word Pod and ends with Cast ;) )
Thank you again for your warm support and all the great conversations.
With love and regards,
Made in Japan
[[[Bonus Content]]]
Tototo
5 Chome-57-5 Nakano, Nakano City,
Tokyo 164-0001, Japan
No, this isn’t a typo, funny name, but the place is awesome. I’m a little bittersweet this has been gaining more attention on Social Media lately, but it’s well deserved. You know my position on Japanese pizzas being some of the best in the world. This definitely deserves a mention. On the whole, I think it is still probably less known than many well-known spots.
The pizzeria Tototo is tucked away in a small, cozy neighbourhood in Nakano - a neighbourhood known for otaku culture with its anime and manga outlets. It’s right by the famous Nakano Broadway. Not so much an Akihabara, but a little more low-key and also caters to more vintage anime. It’s a little off from your usual hangs like Shibuya, or Ginza but that’s why I love it!
This joint is truly a “Japanese Pizza Joint”. It’s very much a Japanese/Italian Fusion. (My Italian friends, you may want to look away now). Many of the Pizza selections incorporate Japanese touches, ingredients that may be unique to Japan. The ambiance is also minimalist and modern. If you get the counter seat, you can watch the chefs make your pizza by the fire, and it’s so serene to watch. They’ve got a menu that changes seasonally and there’s tons to choose from. The best part? If you can’t decide which one to go for, you can always go for half & half.
[Image of eel pasta]
(Yeah that’s right, I was hungry and forgot to take a picture)
However, one thing I enjoyed a lot here wasn’t even the pizza. It was the Anago Pasta. This is ‘Conger eel pasta’, which again is more a fusion dish, but my goodness it was delicious. I think I could come back just for this. The menu changes seasonally, so I apologise if it’s no longer available, but I’m sure there are other great pasta options to choose from.
The ‘one pager’ ideas are for sure much better option than reading extensive write-ups for which one can't even know if they would be of any use to him!