When it comes to the land of the rising sun, the clichés are almost endless. The futuristic Blade Runner-city scapes, the achingly polite but frustratingly inscrutable locals…and those weird toilets with heated seats. Technologically Japan has also stolen a march on the west in many areas, most notably in the area of mobile services, to the extent that European operators looking to predict the success or otherwise of new mobile internet services will often look east in lieu of a crystal ball. That’s what a new piece of research by Forrester’s Niek van Veen says, anyway.

And he’s right, Japanese mobiles put the west to shame. Apart from being lighter, smaller and cooler, over half the population uses one to access the internet, and not just for email either but more advanced services like travel information or location-based search. Case in point, my mate's band is looking to sign a deal with a large music label over there at the moment, but an absolutely key part of the deal is the percentage of music downloads the band will be paid. Now that wouldn't matter so much over here, but in Japan a major slice of revenue comes from mobile downloads – and I don't mean crazy frog ringtones – due to their popularity.

According to the report, the readiness to accept internet on-the-go in Japan was perhaps driven by the fact that SMS was originally unavailable over there. Which is true, but there are other cultural factors at play which also explain the success of the mobile net there, such as the large amount of time most Japanese commuters spend on public transport, not in the car, when they are free to use their phones. And it is without doubt the nation where to have the latest set, or be signed up to the latest service, is the primary signifier of success, cool, status etc.

According to van Veen, European firms hoping to take some pointers from the Far East and accelerate take-up over 'ere should concentrate on providing a long tail rather than a closed wall environment – the more content, and choice, the better. He also recommends social media sites as a way of luring consumers onto the mobile web, and finally location-based services like search, reservation bookings and so on. All common sense stuff which has so far eluded our mobile operators…in the meantime we'll just have to gaze enviously at the Far East.