Contents
Introduction
Japan is a difficult country to localize into, especially when you don’t have any idea how the language works. We’re now living in a world where AI is becoming a norm, however, machine-translation still has its limitations. And in ASO, using only machine translation for Japan store listings can make or break your brand. More often, sadly, it’s the latter.
How find relevant keywords for your Japan listing, you might ask? Japanese-responsive ASO tools might help! But for starters, you can observe suggested keywords that appears in the Discover section of the Search tab in the App Store.
We regularly check this section to share trending Japanese keywords for your app optimization, and today, I’d like to share one and analyze the top ranking apps in this trending keyword and further explore more relevant keywords and trends with their creatives.
Trending Keyword: 音ゲー
The trending keyword we’re exploring today is “音ゲー”, read as “oto gē,” and means rhythm game in English. This keyword appeared on the App Store’s Discover keyword list last May 9th, 2024.
The keyword 音ゲー “oto gē” is actually a shorten version of 音楽ゲーム, read as “ongaku gēmu,” that shares the same meaning. Both are actually valid and searched well in the App Store, although 音ゲー “oto gē” has a little bit higher search volume compared to the original term, 音楽ゲーム “ongaku gēmu.” Isn’t that interesting?
Top Ranking Games for “音ゲー (Rhythm Game)”
Titles & Subtitles
- プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク
- 初音ミクも登場する新作リズムゲーム
- 魔法のタイルズ3
- ピアノゲーム〜タイルをタップ3
- ビートラッシュ！Beat Runner！人気曲音楽リズムゲー
- 走ろう！RUSH！TikTok・ポップミュージックの音ゲー
- バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！
- バンドライフ×リズムゲーム
- BEAT MP3 for YouTube
- ビデオリズムゲーム
- Geometry Dash Lite
- (no subtitle)
- Arcaea
- New Dimension Rhythm Game
- ピアノタイル 3：音ゲー・ピアノ・タイル・ぴあの・Piano
- ぴあのたいる・プロセカ・リズム・ツムツム・太鼓の・達人・人気
- D4DJ Groovy Mix(グルミク)
- DJ気分が味わえるリズムゲーム
- Phigros
- 全新的下落式节奏游戏
Popular Keywords Used in the Titles & Subtitles
What’s interesting about Japanese language is that there are so many ways to say one thing. We’ve learned earlier that 音ゲー “oto gē” and 音楽ゲーム “ongaku gēmu” both means “rhythm game,” and we can see with the top ranking apps that most of them (6 out of 10), are also using other variation of the word like リズム “rizumu.” It’s “rhythm” in Katakana form which is usually used for borrowed words from other languages – for this instance, it’s from English language.
And although “rhythm game” in English is considered two words, in Japanese, the use of spaces is not really a thing. So ”rizumu” + “gē” or “gēmu” in same form – for this instance it’s Katakana, are usually considered as one keyword by Japanese app stores.
Another popular keyword was “piano,” and it appeared in both Hiragana “ぴあの” and Katakana “ピアノ” forms. It’s interesting to see that there’s a top ranking app that utilized both “piano” keywords in its different forms in one title. Seems like this app is taking all the chances it could get to appear in app searches!
Suggested Keywords
To explore more keywords, I am also sharing the suggested keywords that appear following the keyword “音ゲー.”
The search suggestion keywords for refining search feature also reached Japan App Store recently. And it’s a really good source of keywords too! Here’s a list of keywords that appeared when searching “音ゲー”
- 難しい “muzukashii” (difficult)
- ボカロ “bokaro” (vocaloid)
- 韓国 “kankoku” (korean)
- アニソン “anison” (a music genre called Anison)
- ピアノ “piano”
- 洋楽 “yougaku” (western music)
- 練習 “renshuu” (practice)
- シンプル “shinpuru” (simple)
- アイドル “aidoru” (idol)
These keywords are the ones related to the main keyword you searched and it helps searchers further filter their search.
Icons: Common Patterns
Majority of these games are using a character of some sort on their icons. Half of the top ranking games are using a female anime characters on their icons. The colors used were mostly neon pinks and cyans.
Screenshots: Common Patterns
- The orientation of the screenshots mostly followed how the game will be played (horizontal or vertical) which is highly recommended when creating screenshots.
- There is high emphasis on the in-game characters on the screenshots
- We can also observe that the locally made games would usually have more texts to explain the game features and its appealing points
- Same as the icons, majority of the games used neon pinks and cyans, which also followed the in-game graphics
Wrap-up
In summary, the trend analysis of the keyword “音ゲー” (oto gē) in the Japan App Store provides crucial insights into the preferences and behaviors of Japanese users in the rhythm game category. Understanding the nuances of language and localization—such as the use of various forms of keywords and the strategic employment of visual elements like anime characters and vibrant colors—can significantly enhance app visibility and user engagement. For developers looking to penetrate the Japanese market, it’s essential to incorporate these trends and keywords into their App Store Optimization (ASO) strategies. Additionally, leveraging Japanese-responsive ASO tools and observing the creative strategies of top-ranking apps can provide further opportunities to refine and optimize app listings effectively in this competitive landscape.
ASO tool used for this observation: ASO index
