Kickstarter Welcomes Japan

Not many of us in the US knew that Japan couldn’t launch a Kickstarter campaign till recently. In my opinion this should have happened sooner considering the very talented and innovative individuals that live in Japan.

Per their press release on September 12th artists, authors, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and creators of all types can now launch projects and find support from Kickstarter’s global community of backers. WELCOME TO KICKSTARTER JAPAN!

Below is the official press release from Kickstarter.

Japanese culture embodies a spirit of creativity and a tradition of innovation — characteristics that run deep within Kickstarter, too. Since our launch eight years ago, more than 300 creators in Japan have worked with collaborators in other countries to run Kickstarter projects, including a documentary about sake production, an action platformer from a legendary video game designer, and a toy robot that connects family members through voice messages. In the same time frame, nearly 100,000 backers from Japan have supported Kickstarter projects from all of our creative categories and from all over the world. Today we’re honored to build on this strong foundation by officially welcoming all creators from to Japan to join our community.

In addition to making it easy for creators in Japan to launch projects using their Japanese bank account and identification, we’ve made the Kickstarter site and mobile apps available in Japanese. We’re also providing customer support and project review in Japanese. Kickstarter is dedicated to supporting the needs of Japanese creators, and we will continue listening and improving the experience for the local community in Japan.

We can’t wait to see what Japanese creators bring to life on Kickstarter. To kick things off, explore a few outstanding projects from Japan that are live now:

Ukiyo-e Heroes: Boss FightsHandmade Japanese prints. Traditional craftsmanship. Modern game parody. These are professionally produced on large printers, with archival inks and high quality, acid-free Japanese washi, with four full deckle edges. Every giclée print will be signed and sealed by Jed Henry. They are 12″ x 17″ in size, a format called Ōban (大判), which has been used for centuries. To visit their Kickstarter campaign click here.

eOneBook – Toggle between Japanese and English text as you read this innovative eOneBook collecting all eighteen volumes of the 1980s manga series Fist of the North Star. To visit their Kickstarter Campaign click here.

Maruhi Cup and Saucer – Designed to make everyday life “just a little more special,” this cup and saucer combo contains a secret compartment where you can hide a note, a toy, or a treat. To visit their Kickstarter Campaign click here.

Space Editor – Players participate in the creation of the universe in this tabletop game inspired by the tale of the Hindu god Brahma. To view their Kickstarter campaign click here.

Again WELCOME JAPAN TO KICKSTARTER! Explore more live projects from creators in Japan here.

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Source: Kickstarter