Mobile Manga, or comics consumable on a mobile phone is booming in Japan, and is on the way to being a hit overseas. NHK features this news on the innovation of Japanese manga on the market frontier. iPhone which has debuted in Japan last month was predicted to be the one mobile phone that could push the popularity of manga not only in Japan, but globally. Hmmn, I don’t know, reading manga I seem to like to see the whole cover or the combination of manga cells in one frame better than just cell by cell. Maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to - what say you? 

JR East has launched a fleet of bullet trains decorated with Pokemon characters for the summer holidays. From Mainichi Daily News:

At Ueno Station, Pokemon character Pikachu made an appearance and saw off smiling children boarding the bullet trains. “I was surprised to see Pikachu, but I really like the character so I’m happy,” said one 7-year-old boy who was traveling to Iwate Prefecture with his family on the first day of operation. “It’s a cool bullet train,” he added.

The Pokemon-themed bullet trains are part of a joint campaign with All Nippon Airways which also fields planes decorated with the characters.