1999 Annual Summary

The "Future" Seen Beyond the Connection Sound

It was 1999, 25 years ago. We were setting sail into the unknown sea of the internet through the thin thread of telephone lines. It was an era where always-on connections were not the norm, and the "inconvenience" of information actually made the "tangibility" of information feel more intense. The excitement for the millennium, the end-of-the-century prophecy that the "King of Terror" would descend, and the quiet anxiety over the "Year 2000 Problem (Y2K)" blended strangely, wrapping the entire society in a unique sense of tension.

In such turbulent times, one of the "nodes" of information and a source of emotional support for many networkers was the personal email newsletter "HONJ Tsushin." Despite its simple, text-based format, it vividly preserves the birth cries of technological innovation and the real sighs of the people of that time.

[January–April] The Day Magic Was Born

The dawn of 1999 was a historic turning point where mobile phones evolved into "magic wands." The announcement of "i-mode" on February 22nd. Hearing the news that online services could be used just with a mobile phone, users at the time felt a mix of envy and confusion, thinking, "Maybe I'm a little jealous..."

At the time, "HONJ Tsushin" was also sharply cutting into the "origins of words" that stimulated intellectual curiosity behind the latest technology.

• The surprising origin of "Cesarean section": Although it is established as a medical term, it actually began as a simple mistranslation when the Latin word for "incision" (caesarea) was translated into German and confused with the Roman emperor "Caesar." Upon hearing this, Mr. Honj reacted with the humor typical of the text culture of the time, saying, "Could it be Brutus too...? 'Et tu, Brute!?' just kidding."

• The true identity of "Andes Melon": Thinking it came from the South American mountain range, it was actually a pun on "a melon you can make with peace of mind" (anshin desu melon). Mr. Honj showed a slightly deflated reaction to this, saying, "Hmm, that's lazy... (-_-;)"

Also, regarding the high call charges at the time, Mr. Honj leaked his honest feelings as a consumer, saying, "They really need to lower them. (^^) Or rather, I feel like they are too expensive to begin with."

In April, "Magumagu," the largest newsletter distribution service, decided to hide reader addresses. Until then, Mr. Honj had cherished a very intimate and "face-to-face" interaction by sending a "thank you for registering" email to every new reader. This specification change became a symbolic watershed moment where the net transformed from an intimate community into a place of "anonymous convenience."

[May–August] The Heat of Prophecy and Physical Frenzy

"July 1999." The emotions at the time regarding Nostradamus's prophecy were physical, going beyond mere occultism. As Mr. Honj himself recalled, "I had been quite worried about this time since I was a child," an indelible anxiety from childhood conditioning covered society.

However, as if to blow away that anxiety, an overwhelming "heat" was exploding in the real world.

• Physical frenzy: GLAY mobilized 200,000 people in Makuhari. This massive physical phenomenon, recorded as "Seriously too amazing! ( _ )", was the pinnacle of an era where music was a "treasure to be owned" and physical gathering exerted the greatest power.

• Longing for digital: Sony's first "AIBO" sold out immediately after reservations began. The thirst for a future of coexisting with robots created a frenzy that didn't even mind the high price of 250,000 yen.

• The birth cries of modern IT giants: In May, CyberAgent started "performance-based advertising." The genes of today's data-driven society were truly embedded at this time.

The sweltering heat of the days and the anxiety of the end of the century. To readers feeling down from summer fatigue, Mr. Honj sent a cheer, saying, "Isn't a fake smile okay too!" One can see the resilient attitude of the time, trying to overcome the harsh summer with the mentality of a "smile."

[September–December] The Shadow of Y2K and "Niko Niko"

In September 1999, Japan's internet penetration rate was only 11%. The net was still a "playground for curious people who were chosen," but the prototype of the infrastructure accelerated all at once. The birth of "BIDDERS (DeNA)," the start of convenience store payments for public utility charges, and the announcement of the PlayStation 2. Everyone was excited by the premonition that the "future" was permeating their living rooms.

On the other hand, as the end of the year approached, the tension over the "Year 2000 Problem (Y2K)" reached its peak. The strange atmosphere where the Japanese Bankers Association called for "withdrawal restrictions during the year-end and New Year holidays," and engineers prepared themselves to give up their New Year's holidays. Mr. Honj added intellectual insight to this chaos by contrasting it with the historical panic when the solar calendar was adopted in 1872 (Meiji 5), when "December 3rd suddenly became January 1st."

Even in an environment full of "friction," where it took 30 minutes to receive a single email, Mr. Honj wrote this during the turbulent end of the year: "Money is certainly important, but in the end, it really comes down to 'people,' doesn't it? (^^)"

Even at the threshold of extreme digitalization, he repeatedly preached the value of humanity that must not be lost.

Connection to the Future

What "HONJ Tsushin," which raced through 1999, always placed at the beginning was the phrase, "Everyone, keep smiling today."

25 years have passed since then. We carry encyclopedias in our pockets and have fully obtained a "magical future" where we are constantly connected to the entire world. However, do we still possess the "pure curiosity for a new world" that people had back then? Have we forgotten that gritty yet fresh "texture of information," like Mr. Honj, who would cheer at reducing a 43MB file and get a stomachache from drinking a liter of yogurt?

No matter how much technology evolves, what moves people is life-sized curiosity—the feeling of "This looks amazing!"—and a "smiling" sincerity toward one's neighbor. This time capsule of faded text continues to quietly convey that universal truth even now.