WIT Life #40: One Coin Deals
Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
One of Japan’s recent innovations for battling the ongoing recession is providing consumers with products or services that can be paid
for with just one coin (the phrase ワンコイン that refers to this phenomenon has been getting a lot of traction lately). Today there was a feature focusing on 500 yen (or one coin) health related services and how they are boosting business for many establishments.
One location profiled was a place where you can get various health factors evaluated. Here they provide a “one coin menu” which offers options such as cholesterol, height/weight, blood pressure and blood sugar level. You can get each checked for 500 yen each, or all of them checked in a 1500 yen package that allows you to save 500 yen (one coin). The interesting aspect of this clinic is the self-service angle, meaning that the patient has to prick him/herself to draw the blood for testing. If you are able to do this, the nurse takes it from there by measuring it on a strip and giving you the results a few minutes later. If you opt to take advantage of the one-coin saving 1500 yen deal, the whole process takes about 20 minutes.
The self-service theme runs through many of the services. For example, an esthetic clinic in Ginza called Myqua (ミクア) has treatments such as a 20-minute nose pack and natural gel therapy, but you apply all the necessary materials yourself after being instructed by an employee. The store manager of Myqua revealed, “The one coin appeal is what gets customers in the door. When they don’t have time, that is what go for. During other times, we offer a different menu so they can mix and match and hopefully spend more money.”
The final service profiled was a 500 yen professional teeth cleaning. This is different from a regular dentist, in that when you walk in you see a shelf filled with numerous types of toothpaste. The first step is to choose the one you want, and from there the clinic takes over. You sit in the dentist’s chair but there is no pain, only gain, as a professional brushes your teeth while teaching you techniques to improve your own method. The visit concludes with a flossing and according to a freshly brushed customer, “My mouth has never felt so good! They went in at all different angles and to back areas I never reach.”
With our currency, the equivalent concept would likely have to be changed from “one coin” to “one bill,” though I wonder if this would have the same psychological impact…
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