What Japanese Quality Means in a Panasonic Massage Chair

When I think of a Japanese made product, I think of quality. I think of the videos I saw in the 1980’s when US manufacturing was suffering and the US looked to Japan as an example. I do not remember much except the exercise breaks. There would be a courtyard and the whole company or division would be out there doing stretches and exercising in place, all in their matching blue lab coats. That is the image frozen in my brain, and that type of stuff just made sense to me.

Japanese quality is not just two words put together, it is a philosophy, and if you type the words “Japanese quality” into Google, the top result is a Wikipedia article about the concept of Japanese quality (out of curiosity, I searched for “US quality” in Wiki, and no pages were found). Japanese quality encompasses two kinds of quality: atarimae hinshitsu and miryokuteki hinshitsu. The first ideal means that the product will function as it is supposed to, and the second, that it will do so in a pleasing manner. Overall, his means that the item will work to the customers’ satisfaction and that the item will be desirable to own.

Fast forward to today, and this philosophy is still alive and kicking when it comes to owning a Panasonic massage chair. Panasonic has been making massage chairs for over 30 years, and have been the leading manufacturer of shiatsu massage chairs in Japan for that entire time.  Their emphasis is in research and design which results in both the most technologically advanced massage chair on the market and the most technically sound massage chair available. All components, regardless of size, go through rigorous testing.

Panasonic’s unrivaled research includes study of the movements of real massage therapists so that a Panasonic massage chair gives the most realistic massage in the industry. Their chairs precisely reproduces the techniques used by therapists. A Panasonic massage chair imitates shiatsu massage, Swedish massage, fist kneading and grasping, and the latest model also does spot specific massage called Junestsu.

It seems in today’s market, many items are made with plastic parts. They are made to last for a certain period of time, and then break so that you have to replace it. I discovered this with my hand mixer. When it broke, I took it apart and discovered that it had plastic gears inside. PLASTIC GEARS! No wonder it broke! Well, with a Panasonic massage chair, you do not get inferior parts and flimsy belts. High grade steel rollers are used to give you a powerful massage, rollers that will not bend. Instead of flimsy belts, Panasonic uses gear driven movement. This means fewer repair problems over the years. Panasonic is so confident in their product, that it shows in their great full warranty coverage. Some chairs offer extended warranties at no extra charge. They know that their products will last.

Panasonic massage chairs come in quite a few models in a variety of price ranges. With a little shopping around and model comparison, you are bound to find the perfect Panasonic massage chair just for you. And you know that it will last a long time, long enough to make it more cost effective than seeing a massage therapist every week!