Keitai killed manga

[Taro Toporific]

Is a very valid observation from my 20+ years living here in the Land-oConcrete(tm)..Dang I wish I made it.

Via Frauenfelder's journal:
Mobile Phones = Death of Manga in Tokyo?
May 19 2004
I'm in Japan on a business trip. It's interesting to be back for the first time in 14 years. When I was here in 1990 (and before in 1987, when I stayed for five months), everyone was reading manga (Japanese comic books) and magazines on the trains and subways. Now they all walk onto the trains with their phones already on and flipped open. Many of the people are reading their phones as they board. I've only seen one manga reader on a train so far! ....

[stuckinkysuhu]

Now that I think about it yes!

First time I came to Japan was 1997, and yes the keitai (at the time PHS) revolution had started but manga train reading was definitely something I noticed right away. You could always find one to read for free because people would leave them on the train when they got off.

7 years later, it seems like there is just as much manga at the convenience stores but keitai have definitely taken over the trains