Can you explain your project development process?

Our project development cycle:

• First, contact us with details of your web design or web development project.
• We give you a preliminary estimate of project costs and ask a few follow up questions to confirm the scope of the assignment.
• If you are satisfied with the preliminary estimate we arrange a Skype or telephone consultation (or in person if you are located in Tokyo, Japan).
• For most projects, once the go-ahead is received we offer a contract for you to sign and ask for 50% of the project fee.
• Next we develop a prototype site with sample data you provide.
• After the prototype is approved, we populate the website with complete data that you will provide.
• Finally, the website is launched onto a live domain, you pay the final 50% payment and we complete the hand over.
• Optionally, once the project is complete we can provide ongoing maintenance and support on our hosted sites.

Do I really need a web site?

If you are serious about your business the answer is certainly “Yes”!
Having a web site provides multiple benefits to you.

First, it helps establish your credibility as a reputable business.

Second, it provides a convenient way for your customers to contact you and for you to communicate with them.

Third, it is a 24/7 promotional tool for your organization.

Anyone trying to do business in the modern world without a professional website is doing a great disservice to themselves and their customers.

Are your clients Japanese or foreigners?

We work with anyone who is interested in promoting a product or service in the Japanese market. Our clients are both Japanese AND foreigners.

Do you provide face to face consultations?

We can arrange for face to face meetings for clients in the Tokyo Metropolitan district. Otherwise we can arrange for it all to be done via Skype teleconferencing. We have various other online tools available which we believe make internet collaboration a convenient and cost effective medium. No matter whether you are based in Sapporo, San Francisco or Sydney, we can easily work with you to meet your project goals.

How do you accept payment?

We accept payment either through PayPal online transfer OR through direct bank account transfer (furikomi) to our account. Banking details available on request.

How much deposit do you require at the beginning of a web project?

The initial project deposit is 50% of the total web design and web development cost.

Which web technologies do you use?

All our projects are built using a combination of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL. The PHP/MySQL combination powers more than 80% of all server side driven websites on the internet.

Which open source software platforms do you use?

We use WordPress for simple content management system (CMS) projects and small websites. For more complex CMS sites we use Drupal. For e-commerce sites we use WooCommerce or Prestashop depending on the specific shop requirements and complexity. We can also use EC-Cube on request.