Japan's High Class Cybercafes

I do frequent Kuala Lumpur's ("KL") cybercafes those days before I went over to Sudan, usually on Friday nights to show-off my combating skills in the Counter Strike game (a sniper myself) but not lately. Got too many things to do. In KL's cybercafes, the rate is about RM2 to RM3 per hour, would say all of it are air-conditioned with a quite comfortable chair for you to sit on for the next few hours.

They will usually have a good pair of speakers for each computer terminal. Even if your speakers are out of order, your neighbour's speakers on both sides would be loud enough. But some nerds would turn on their speakers to the max... as if the last person in the cafe needs to listen to it too. If you wanted some drinks, some cybercafes provide for it at a slightly higher price. Food? Nope. That's they have in KL's cybercafes.

When the Japanese goes into a business, they will try to outdo every single person in the world. Nowadays, Japanese cybercafes are not only serving students from schools/colleges but targetting young professionals or people who demands for extra services (don't think dirty).

In Japan, if you are the owner, providing simple facilities like those found in Kuala Lumpur would have caused your business to close down within a month. What do customers ask for in Japan? Japan's broadband service at home/office is superbly fast and what must a cybercafe provide to draw customers.

Innovative cybercafe operators are providing the following to 'steal' customers from their next door competitors:-
* Your chair is not just a chair but a massage chair;
* DVD rentals within the cybercafe;
* Piping hot shower;
* Snack selection up to 40 dishes;
* Manga libraries;
* Theater rooms complete with large flat-screen TVs; and
* Design that mimics a Bali resort hotels.

What's their rates like? US$17 would allow you to surf up to six hours with free flow of soft drinks and when you are tired from the surfin, you could get some magazines and comics from the library to read or have a quick shower (with toiletries and towels provided).

Cybercafe operators like Valics (under the Kaikatsu Club brand) and Aprecio have big-time investors behind them. This would be the kind of upscale cybercafes that would come to Malaysian shores when the investors are ready to dump their money into this business.
Tags: Cybercafe, Internet Cafe, Japan, Valics, Kaikatsu Club, Aprecio