Koozyt Announces "the seeds of hope and the stones of hope” Charity Fund
for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief along with iPhone application releases

http://www.koozyt.com/

(Tokyo, April 11, 2011) – Koozyt, Inc. (“Koozyt”) started a charity fund today called “the seeds of hope and the stones of hope” to aid the Japan Tohoku Pacific coast earthquake and tsunami relief and recovery efforts. Along with this fund, Koozyt released two applications on the Apple App Store: 1) a new application “If we share”, inspired by the words of the poet Mitsuo Aida, 2) an update to the "Oedo Yokai" application that includes the a new yokai (spirit) story associated with overcoming earthquakes called the “Giant Catfish."

“If we share” is an application featuring the words by Mitsuo Aida, “if we take from one another, there will never be enough, if we share with each other, there will be more than enough”. These words inspired us to design and develop an iPhone application together with the Mitsuo Aida Museum. Available for free download, Koozyt aims to widely convey Mitsuo's message and to contribute to the relief efforts.

The updated version of the “Oedo Yokai” (ver.1.0.5) includes a new yokai the “Giant Catfish”. The price for Oedo Yokai has been reduced from Tier2($1.99US) to Tier1($0.99US) until the end of September 2011. All proceeds from this period will be donated to charity to help the relief efforts via the Japan Red Cross.

The name of Koozyt's relief fund: “the seeds of hope and the stones of hope”, comes from keywords described in the two applications. "If we share" incorporates the slogan "the seeds of hope". The "stones of hope" plays a part in the legend of the giant catfish in "Oedo Yokai". Koozyt's relief fund is based on the charity platform: "JustGiving Japan". Please help out our cause at the following URL:

URL: http://justgiving.jp/c/4799　　JustGiving Japan
Donations go to： CIVIC FORCE, a Not-For-Profit Organization specializing in aid in times of domestic disasters

Koozyt's CEO and president Taka Sueyoshi made the following comments: "We extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by the Japan Tohoku Pacific coast disaster. We would also like to extend our heartfelt respect to all the brave and devoted people helping out in local relief and restoration activities. As an IT venture company, we have tried to figure out how we can be of help and contribute in such times of crisis, and decided to set up a relief fund along with iPhone applications to promote our efforts.

In the twitter mode of 'If we share', one can view tweets of encouragement and twitter user icons from all over the world associated with the selected hash tag (such as #prayforjapan) flow over Mitsuo’s words on the screen as 'the seeds of hope'. The Japanese have always associated yokai spirits with unseeable fear in folklore. In our 'Oedo Yokai' application, we have added a yokai story on the giant catfish, a creature that has always been attributed to earthquakes. In this story, the 'stones of hope' are a symbol of overcoming crisis. We hope that support from all over the world will turn to be our 'stones of hope.'

We will probably never be able to fully grasp the aftermath of this disaster, but we sincerely hope that the 'seeds of hope and stones of hope' will contribute what little we can in these difficult times for a better future."

At Koozyt, we strive to bridge the gap between the real and virtual (Internet) worlds by designing new user experience models and to create and propose new lifestyles and values."

[ Contact Information ]
Koozyt, Inc., Public Relations:

[ Application Information ]


“If we share” screen image “If we share” twitter mode “Oedo Yokai” The Giant Catfish Page The Giant Catfish figure

Koozyt, Inc. www.koozyt.com
Koozyt was founded in July 2007 by key members of Sony Computer Science Laborato ries, Inc. who were working on the wireless LAN locationware platform “PlaceEngine”. We strive to bring the real and virtual (Internet) worlds together by designing new user experience models, and to develop business domains that can contribute to society by bringing about new lifestyles and values. Koozyt licenses and markets PlaceEngine, provides location based services via its "Location Amplifier" framework, augmented reality solutions with its “GnG (Get and Go)” media platform, and other solutions that integrate location, sensing, and augmented reality (AR) technologies.

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