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Writer's pictureTakashi Hirose

The domain name "OsakaJewelry.com"

I was lucky enough to get the domain "OsakaJewelry.com".

Osaka castle

Thank you for visiting my site. This is Takashi, the site owner.

I run STUDIO Waza, a glass jewelry brand in Osaka.

For more information, please read my profile page.


I am a lamp-work (burner-work) glass artist who has been doing art activities since 2003. I make glass jewelry using glass rods made in Osaka.


I was looking for a website address that could briefly describe what I do. I like "STUDIO Waza" as a business name, but it's a name that you can't imagine what kind of business it is. (Waza means "highly skilled" in Japanese.)

red glass beads

I would like to have "Osaka Jewelry (OsakaJewelry.com)" because Osaka is my birth place. My first thought was "such a good domain name must be already owned by someone.". I used to work for an IT field, so it was natural for me to think so.


But well, it doesn't harm to just check the availability, right?

cat being suprised

...WHAT? ? ?


"This domain name can be newly created and owned."


Are you kidding?


Did I miss-spelled something?

OsakaJewelry... no matter how many times I read, the spelling is correct.


I can own such a simple big word domain? And without upfront costs? What kind of lucky person am I?


I didn't hesitate at all. I clicked "purchase" very quickly.


Despite the initial excitement, it took me three years to actually launch the website.


When I purchased this domain, I was already running five STUDIO WAZA online shops. (Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo! Shopping, etc.) At the same time, I was doing a lot of work as an interpreter in the entertainment industry, so I didn't have time to create a website.


Any environment that allows you to create sites slowly has its pitfalls.


● As time passes, the image of the site I want to create changes.

● I'm constantly designing new products, so I can't keep up with postings on the site.

● Experiences and photos that I want to share on my blog keep accumulating in large quantities.

● Even if the site is not open to the public, maintenance costs are incurred.


And so many other pitfalls...


On top of that, the hosting company I chose (Wix) had a website creation editor which was much more complicated to use than I expected, and it took me quite a while to learn how to use it. Oftentimes, I thought it would be much faster to just write all the code by myself.


After trial and error, I was able to create a site that I would not be embarrassed at least to publish. This is ok as a start, isn't it? I learned a lot while creating this site.

computer

If I seek too much perfection from the beginning, it will just consume too much time.


Despite the fact that I already had many customers purchasing from my 3rd party online malls, I have not been able to publish my own site for a long time, and I apologize for keeping people waiting.


"I have to publish it after I create a good looking site!" One of the reasons I was under pressure was because I was lucky enough to get the rare domain of Osakajewelry.com.


I want to introduce the jewelry that I made with all my heart on a site that I carefully made.  It's natural for me to think that way as an artist. 


In addition, I felt a sense of responsibility to ensure that people visiting the site to have an impression "since they have a site with this domain name, it must be a popular jewelry shop in Osaka."

red bead necklace by osaka jewelry

That's why the OsakaJewelry domain name is worth it for its name alone.


I was born and raised in Osaka, and I hope for the development of crafts in Osaka. Since ancient times, Osaka has been home to many talented artists who can only be described as geniuses.


There is no doubt that people who do not know about Osaka search for the keyword "Osaka/Jewelry" and visit this site. At that time, I want people to have a positive impression of Osaka, not just me as an individual.

Tennnouji night view

A domain name that might have been owned by a large jewelry company. For some reason, it became mine and I believe that it was a fate. I aim to create a unique site that allows visitors to feel the friendly and fun atmosphere of Osaka and Japan.


I love Osaka, so I'll do my best to make the most of the domain name that I was lucky enough to own.


Thank you very much to those who have supported me until now, and to those who will support me from now on. I will do my best to meet your expectations.


Thank you for reading the first blog post of Osaka Jewelry.


As an aside, I was curious to check the situation of the domain names of other cities. (as of Nov 2022)


●TokyoJewelry.com: Available for $2,395 (about 336,000 yen)

●KobeJewelry.com: Available for $2,095 (about 300,000 yen)

●KyotoJewelry.com: Available for $1,599 (about 224,000 yen)


I hope that one day these domain names will also be owned by worthy jewelry shops or passionate artists and catch people's attention.




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