joelin.cc is a Traditional Chinese publication by Joe Lin on Taiwan's economy, wealth and business. This page lists the articles available in English, written for readers outside Taiwan. Each one is adapted from original Chinese research; where a Chinese version exists, it remains the authoritative version. To learn more about Joe Lin, see his profile.
Japan’s Photo Booth Leader FURYU Changes Course: Photo Sessions Fall Nearly 40%, but Photo Subscriptions Outearn Machines
FURYU’s financial reports reveal falling photo booth use, subscriptions overtaking arcade machine revenue, and a shift toward character merchandise, with a 2016–2026 usage comparison.
Chinese fandom glossary: 飯姐, 飯繪, 飯拍, 飯撒 and related support terms
Understand Chinese idol-fandom vocabulary: fan communities, fan art, fancams, fan service, fan meetings, fan songs, banners and lightsticks, with distinctions and source references.
Choosing a photo booth franchise in Taiwan: brands, costs and risks
A Taiwan research guide to evaluating photo booth franchises, recurring costs and support, with a 2026 correction on Joy&Ray and checks of CAJA, Joy&Ray and Freeze Film expansion claims.
Apps for making fan-support goods: photocards, banners and fans
Choose drawing and collage tools for photocards, banners and support fans. This Taiwan guide covers 2026 app options, print settings, POD services and a browser-based photocard maker.
Buying a Korean-style photo booth in Taiwan: three sourcing routes
A Taiwan field-research comparison of imports from China and Korea and local production, covering customs, BSMI, repairs, invoices and payment processing. Historical observations are dated.
What is fan support? Cheering groups, idol culture and Taiwan's project directory
An introduction to Chinese 應援: organized cheering and idol-support projects, their Japanese and Korean roots, Taiwan's practices, image-permission boundaries and a practical resource index.
15 common fan-support goods: uses, dimensions and practical checks
A Taiwan guide to 15 fan-support items, from lightsticks and banners to photocards and cup sleeves. Dimensions, venue restrictions and production checks are grouped by actual use.
How Korean-style photo booth prices developed in Taiwan
Taiwan's photo booth pricing evolved from NT$100 standalone machines to NT$150–300 shops and themed venues. Historical stages and a 2026 brand-level review explain the differences.
Taiwanese Brand SMILE Korean-Style Photo Booths | Taiwan’s Korean-Style Photo Booth Industry Research Series
A profile of Taiwan’s SMILE photo booth brand, covering its history, five locations, a 2023 Chifeng store visit, brand collaborations, rental prices, and franchise offering.
Korean-style photo booth prices in Taiwan: machines and retail sessions
Taiwan research notes on purchasing photo booth machines and retail sessions, including Snapshot, Kr4cut and Life Four Cuts. Historical price ranges are dated, not current quotations.
Life Four Cuts photo sizes: 2 × 6 and 4 × 6 inches in Taiwan and Korea
Life Four Cuts photos use 2 × 6 or 4 × 6 inch formats in Taiwan and Korea. A 4 × 6 print can be cut into two 2 × 6 strips; see the centimetre comparison.
Korean-style ID photography in Taiwan: market research notes
A brief research list of seven providers in Taiwan's Korean-style ID photography market, including 有時有影, 大研創意, 春山相館, ohmo, Holo＋face, Sayho and 光美攝影.
Notes on Suila ID Photo, Taiwan's No. 1 ID Photo Booth Brand
Suila claims over 500 ID photo booths across Taiwan. Joe estimates equipment costs of NT$90,000–100,000 per booth and calculates how many photos it would take to recover that investment.
[Okinawa] Visiting girls mignon: A Store Tour of Japanese Purikura Giant Furyu Inc.
A visit to girls mignon on Okinawa’s Kokusai-dori: four themed photo booths, a makeup area, and studio features, plus an August 2026 update on its apparent closure.
Akihabara Culture Adapted for Taiwan: My Visit to Kirabase and Its Maid-Cafe Business Model
My May 2024 visit to Kirabase: its idol-performer staff, customer relationships, recruitment and commission model, with a September 2026 retrospective.
Fan-support projects in Taiwan: photo frames, ads, buses and birthday cafés
A dated Taiwan guide to ten fan-support formats and five advertising options: bus ads at about NT$10,800–25,800 per panel and photo booth frames from NT$1,000, with extra budgeting costs.
[Photo Booth Industry] Why Is the Pioneer Losing? A Study of Korean Photo Booth Brand 人生四格 (Life4Cuts) and Parent Company LK Ventures
A study of Life4Cuts and LK Ventures using audited accounts and franchise disclosures, examining falling revenue, negative equity, store closures, and overseas licensing.
A History of Taiwan’s Photo Booth and Korean-Style Photo Booth Industry
Explore Taiwan’s photo booth industry from its Japanese roots to Korean-style studios, with brand histories, financial research, pricing, and a database spanning 20 markets.
Taiwan’s No. 2 Self-Service ID Photo Brand: 富多美 ID Photo Booths
An overview of 富多美’s 551 self-service ID photo booths across Taiwan, covering locations, reported prices, company details, and its ties to the 百富通 Group.
立可得 Self-Service Kiosks Across Major Retail Chains
立可得 operates self-service kiosks at more than 1,500 retail locations across Taiwan, offering ID photos and related services in everyday shopping settings.
Joe's 2025 Annual Review of Taiwan's Photo Booth Industry
Joe reviews Taiwan's photo booth industry in 2025: cooling search demand, punishing rents, brand consolidation, and the growing importance of fandom and cultural IP.
What is a photo booth called in Japanese? Purikura vocabulary and useful phrases
Learn プリクラ (purikura), Japanese photo-booth vocabulary, pronunciations and phrases for finding machines, plus search terms and the shooting, enhancement, doodling and sticker-printing process.
How Big Is a 4×6 Photo in Centimeters? A 6-Inch Print Is 10.16 × 15.24 cm: A Complete Photo Size Guide with A6 and 5×7 Comparisons
A 4×6 photo measures 10.16 × 15.24 cm—the print Taiwan calls a 6-inch photo. Compare A6 and 5×7 sizes, check 300 dpi pixel requirements, and understand cropping.
Graduation-gown portraits in Taiwan: yearbooks, ID photos and file requirements
Distinguish graduation portraits from Taiwan's official ID photos. This guide retains the Chinese source's use table, 1-inch and 2-inch dimensions, school requirements and photography options.
How Big Is a Taiwanese 2-Inch ID Photo? 3.5 × 4.5 cm—Photo Dimensions and the Difference Between 1-Inch and 2-Inch Photos
Taiwan's 2-inch ID photos measure 3.5 × 4.5 cm, or about 413 × 531 px at 300 DPI. Compare 1-inch photos and requirements for national IDs, passports, health insurance cards, and licenses.
Life Four Cuts in Korean: 인생네컷 pronunciation, meaning and brand terminology
인생네컷 means Life Four Cuts: 인생, life; 네, four; 컷, cut. Understand the brand name, generic Korean photo-booth terms, useful Korean phrases and four-frame photo-strip sizes.
An Early Pioneer, Put on Ice, Then Rebooted: A Company Study of Korean Photo Booth Brand PHOTOGRAY and Its Parent APR
A financial-report-based study of PHOTOGRAY and APR, tracing the photo booth brand's five-year pause, franchise economics, and expansion in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
The Market Leader Lost Money Last Year: A Financial Study of PHOTOISM’s Parent Company 서북
A study of PHOTOISM and parent company 서북: its FY2025 loss, growing reliance on IP frames, overseas subsidiaries and partners, store counts, founders, and IPO plans.
[Photo Booth Industry] Passing the Growth Baton: How a Korean Franchisor Shifted Its Energy from Plan.B Studio to PHOTO OBJET
A study of how a small Korean franchisor shifted growth from Plan.B Studio to PHOTO OBJET, using patents, unmanned stores, and franchise partners in Taiwan.
[Photo Booth Industry] Hong Kong's Photo Booths Skip Storefronts: SNAPIO and HONG KONG CAMERA LIMITED Take the Opposite Route to Korea
How SNAPIO built a mall-based photo booth network in Hong Kong, why rents favor machines over stores, and what remains uncertain about its Taiwan locations.
Why Are Hong Kong Photo Booths Concentrated in Malls? SNAPIO's Network, Streetfront Shops, Upstairs Studios and Taiwan
Hong Kong's photo booths cluster in malls. A snapshot of 38 venues and 55 machines shows how their locations and customer search paths differ from Taiwan's.
Taiwanese Brand Error8 (Weasel): A Visit to Its Taipei Taiyuan Road Store | Taiwan’s Korean-Style Photo Booth Industry Research Series
A July 2023 visit to Error8’s unattended Taipei photo booth store: NT$100 per set, a Japanese illustrator collaboration, and a brand rooted in a Tainan café and arts space.
Freeze Film Korean-Style Photo Studios: NT$100 for Three Years, but Its Official Eight-Store List Is Outdated | Taiwan’s Korean-Style Photo Booth Industry Survey
Freeze Film kept themed photo sessions at NT$100 for three years. An address-by-address investigation finds its eight-store list outdated and examines its franchise model.
SerendiPIC Korean-Style Photo Booths: One Sign, Four Registered Entities, and an Unverified Fifth Location | Taiwan Photo Booth Industry Investigation Series
Is SerendiPIC a Korean brand operating in Taiwan? Public business, tax, and trademark records reveal the structure behind its five locations—and show how to investigate a photo booth shop.
How to Organize a Birthday Fan Project: Seven Steps from Scheduling and Fundraising to the Final Report
A practical seven-step guide to birthday fan projects: scheduling, fundraising, permissions, production, venues, event-day work and transparent reporting.
What Is a Birthday Cafe? Cupsleeve Events, Their Origins, Planning and Costs
How birthday cafes and cupsleeve events work: their Korean roots, Taiwan’s venue arrangements, giveaway rules, permissions and the costs organizers need to clarify.
Korean photo-booth vocabulary: 셀프사진관, 포토부스 and 네컷사진
Korean separates the shop, machine and four-frame photo: 셀프사진관, 포토부스 and 네컷사진. Learn the distinction, Life4Cuts brand usage, search phrases and on-screen words.
What Size Is a Photocard? 85 × 55 mm, but There Is No Official Standard—Fan Exchange Cards and Sleeves Explained
The common K-pop photocard size is 85 × 55 mm, but no official standard exists. Learn about fan exchange cards, sleeve sizes, materials, and print bleed.
How to Choose Card Sleeve Sizes: 58 × 89 mm for Photocards, About 107 × 155 mm for Postcards
Find sleeve sizes for album photocards, bonus cards, postcards, and instant photos, plus how to pair inner and outer sleeves and read thickness measurements.
How to Print a Mobile Barcode: 8 Characters, Code 39—Current Requirements Specify the Barcode and Its Text; 60 × 20 mm Is an Older Specification
A guide to Taiwan's 8-character mobile invoice barcode: Code 39, current printing requirements, four output sizes, and why enlarging a screenshot can make it unreadable.
Photo Printing in Taiwan: Compare Online Services, Convenience Store Kiosks, and Shipping from Japan by Size, Price, and Order Limits
Compare five photo printing services available in Taiwan by size, price, minimum order, shipping, and turnaround, with total-cost examples for 12, 50, and 200 4×6 prints.
Maid Cafes in Taiwan: the September 2026 Snapshot, Where to Go and What to Expect
A September 2026 overview of Taiwan’s maid cafes: documented venue counts, locations, first-visit rules and official staff lists, with a regularly checked directory.
Over 40% of Japan’s Photo Booth Locations Are in Arcades: Three Industry Layers and the Parents of Ten Chains
Of 2,226 Japanese photo booth locations in our database, 965 are in ten arcade chains. Explore manufacturers, operators, specialist brands, parent companies, and costume lending.
Thirty Years of Japanese Sticker Photo Booths: From Print Club to FURYU’s Dominance, Then an IP Company | Industry Research
Japan’s sticker photo booth industry from 1995 to 2026: its boom and decline, listed companies, and FURYU’s journey from an Omron division to a dominant supplier and IP company.
European and American Photo Booth Leader ME Group: Photo Booths Still Earn the Most, but Laundry Is Catching Up | Photo Booth Industry Research
ME Group operates 30,520 photo booths in 16 countries. Its annual reports show why booths still lead in operating profit and how self-service laundry is catching up.
A Century of Photo Booths in Europe and North America: From 25 Cents on Broadway to Passport Photos—The West Invented the Booth but Never Developed a Purikura Culture | Photo Booth Industry Research
The West invented the photo booth, then turned it into an ID-photo service. Trace its history from Photomaton to vintage booths, event rentals, and Korean studios.
How Fukuoka's ワイドレジャー Bought Tokyo's アドアーズ: The Company Story Behind 楽市楽座 and アドアーズ | Japan's Photo Booth Distribution Channels
Explore how Fukuoka-based ワイドレジャー built 楽市楽座, acquired Tokyo's アドアーズ, and positioned photo booths within two arcade brands with different roots and store formats.
Why Does an Arcade Chain Need a Separate Photo Booth Brand? The Positioning of タイトー and brooming
タイトー runs general-purpose arcades, but brands some photo booth areas as brooming. Revenue, machine lists, and a comparison with FURYU reveal why it invests in a brand beyond the machines.
GiGO’s Origins: From SEGA’s Arcades to GENDA’s Entertainment Platform—How This Japanese Photo Booth Channel Came About
How SEGA’s arcades became GiGO, what parent company GENDA’s entertainment platform does, and why photo booth specialization happens at individual branches rather than across the chain.
eggnam and Cross Store: How BANDAI NAMCO Turned Photo Sticker Booths into Specialty Stores
Explore namco arcades, eggnam’s two photo sticker specialty stores, and Cross Store’s retail format, with company structure, services, and the separate Hong Kong operator.
ME TOKYO Is Run by Pachinko Company マルハン: A Gen Z Entertainment Venue and Shinjuku’s Third-Floor Purikura Area
ME TOKYO is a Gen Z arcade brand run by マルハン’s internal East Japan unit. Its two locations offer purikura, costume loans, restroom vanities, and access for male groups.
カーゾック Behind NICOPA: From Rooftop Amusement Parks to A Nagoya-Based Operator of Family Arcades in Shopping Centers Across Japan | Photo Sticker Booth Industry Research
Explore NICOPA operator カーゾック: its rooftop amusement park origins, move to Nagoya, revenue growth, 56 locations, and the role of photo sticker booths in its family arcades.
Who Operates Mollyfantasy? The Family Playgrounds in AEON Malls and the Role of Purikura Photo Sticker Machines
Mollyfantasy is AEON Fantasy’s family amusement chain. Explore its operator, history, customers, and the role of purikura machines at 216 documented Japanese branches.
ラウンドワン (ROUND1) Company Study: A Complex for Bowling, Sports, and Games—and Where Purikura Photo Booths Fit In
Explore ラウンドワン (ROUND1), its corporate structure, bowling and sports venues, and how purikura fits into its arcades without a dedicated photo booth brand or costume rentals.
A Game Company Running Its Own Arcades: Capcom’s Plaza Capcom and the “Puri Mart” Photo Booth Corner
Capcom runs its arcades as an in-house business. Its financial reports, store listings and Puri Mart announcements show where photo booths fit within a 61-store operation.
Japan's Niche Costume-and-Purikura Market: The Companies Behind 37 Venues Offering コスプリ
Who offers costume rentals at Japan's purikura venues? A look at the companies behind 37 locations, their official disclosures, and the limits of the venue data.
How to Use Japan's Ki-Re-i ID Photo Booths: Why 大日本印刷 (DNP) Operates Them, from コニカミノルタ to ID-Spot
Explore Ki-Re-i's history under 大日本印刷 (DNP), its differences from ID-Spot, and how to choose sizes, pay, download photos, and take Taiwan passport photos in Japan.
Who Operates ID VOX? Japan's ID Photo Booths Run by Kyoto's 15-Person FUSO PRECISION: Taking Photos and Downloading Digital Files
Explore Japan's ID VOX booths: FUSO PRECISION's history, 1,320 listed locations, prices, payment options, Taiwan passport photo requirements, and digital downloads.
Who Owns Photo ME's ID Photo Booths? ME Group Japan from 1963 to Photomaton EVO, Photo Sizes, and i-keep Digital Downloads
Explore Photo ME's history, Japan booth locations, i-keep downloads, payments, photo sizes and observed prices, plus background and retouching rules for Taiwanese passports.
How to Use Japan's ID Photo Booths: Photo ME, Ki-Re-i and ID VOX Compared for Taiwanese Passport and Residence Card Photos
A guide to Japan's Photo ME, Ki-Re-i, ID-Spot and ID VOX booths: photo sizes for Taiwanese passports and residence cards, prices, digital files, payments and background rules.
What Is 大日本印刷 (DNP)? 150 Years of Printing Technology Across Seven Industries, from Photo Booth Paper and Semiconductor Masks to Bookstores
Founded in 1876, 大日本印刷 (DNP) spans photo paper, chip masks, OLED materials, batteries and bookstores. Official reports explain its profits and ties to TOPPAN and Citizen.
Who Runs KPIX? The Company, Location Counts and GSC Cinema Partnership Behind Malaysia's Most Widely Distributed Photo Booth Brand
A study of Malaysia’s KPIX: its operator, 48 venues and 63 machines across 13 states and federal territories, overseas companies, and its photo booth partnership with GSC cinemas.
[Photo Booth Industry] Singapore’s Photo Booth Leader Dollop Print Club: A Company That Grew Out of Wedding Photography, with Mall Booths as Just One Business Line
Dollop Print Club leads Singapore in photo booth locations. Trace its wedding photography roots, registered entities, team, four business lines, and expansion through official and database counts.
What Is Selfie Time? Indonesia’s Largest Korean-Style Photo Booth Chain, Backed by a Home Appliance Distributor | Photo Booth Industry Research
A study of Selfie Time, Indonesia’s largest Korean-style photo booth chain by location count, covering its appliance-distributor parent, leadership, expansion, and staffed and unmanned formats.
Who Runs Flashback? Thailand’s Most Widely Listed Photo Booth Brand Has Just 2 Stores Across 30 Venues | Photo Booth Industry Research
Flashback is Bangkok-based Photon Corporation’s photo booth brand. Explore its founders, five years of financial results, and why only 2 of its 30 official venues are its own stores.
Citizen (シチズン) Photo Printers: Why a Watch Company Makes Dye-Sublimation Printers, Its Six Models, and Its Relationship with DNP
Citizen also makes dye-sublimation photo printers. Official reports reveal its six Japanese models, business scale, uses, and cross-shareholdings with DNP.
How to Make an Invoice Barcode Wallpaper: Put Your Barcode and Photo on the Lock Screen—No App Download Needed
Turn Taiwan’s mobile invoice barcode into a lock-screen wallpaper with your own photo. Learn the steps, phone sizes, and barcode placement—no app download needed.
Cost of Living in Taiwan: About NT$28,500 per Person per Month, NT$36,700 in Taipei (Official Data)
Official 2025 data puts Taiwan's average consumer spending at about NT$28,500 per person per month, NT$36,700 in Taipei. City comparison, spending breakdown, rents and health insurance for foreigners.
Taiwan GDP per Capita: US$39,515 in 2025, Forecast US$45,332 for 2026
Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$39,515 (NT$1.23 million) in 2025, per official DGBAS data. The 2015–2027 series, why the US$ figure moves with the exchange rate, and comparisons with Japan and Korea.
Taiwan Minimum Wage 2026: NT$29,500 a Month, NT$196 an Hour (2027: NT$30,900)
Taiwan's 2026 minimum wage is NT$29,500 per month and NT$196 per hour. The 2027 rate of NT$30,900 is decided but not yet promulgated. Who it covers, including foreign workers.
Taiwan Receipt Lottery (Uniform Invoice): Prizes, Draw Dates, Tax and How Foreigners Claim
Taiwan's receipt lottery draws on the 25th of odd-numbered months, with a NT$10 million top prize. Prize table, cloud invoice prizes, claim deadlines, the 20% tax and how foreigners can claim.
FuRyu's Photo Sticker Business: Machines, Pictlink and a Changing Revenue Mix
FuRyu segment data shows how its Japanese photo-sticker business combines arcade machines, direct stores and the Pictlink subscription service.
Taiwan Retirement Confidence: What the 2022–2026 Surveys Show
A careful reading of Taiwan Life retirement surveys, including 2026 confidence, adequacy, satisfaction and the financial tools respondents reported using.
Taiwan Salary Percentiles: Where Does Your Annual Pay Rank?
Official 2024 salary deciles for Taiwan employees, from NT$330,000 at D1 to NT$1.336 million at D9, with definitions and practical comparisons.
The 2022 Boom: Why Korea's Photo Booth Wave Took Off After Reopening, Not During the Pandemic
Korean tax data shows photo-booth revenue was flat through 2021 and jumped 85% in 2022 — the reopening year. The timeline of Korea's two photo-booth waves, and the per-store revenue divergence that followed.
Korea's Photo Booth Brand Landscape: Life4Cuts, Photoism, Photogray, and the Facts Behind the Founding Myths
Who actually created Life4Cuts, why Photoism Box overtook the category creator, and how Korea's 30 registered photo-booth franchise brands compare on stores, revenue, and financial health.
Thirty Years of Korean Photo Booths: From Department-Store Sticker Photos to the First Self-Service Studio to Apply for a Listing | Photo Booth Industry Research
Tracing Korea's photo booth industry from imported SEGA machines in 1995 to self-service studios, franchise competition, financial strains, and Seobuk's 2026 listing application.
Taiwan Household Wealth Distribution: Official 2021 Deciles
Taiwan's official household net-worth deciles: median NT$8.94 million, mean NT$16.38 million and the top-10% boundary at NT$33.91 million.
Taiwan's NT$100 Million+ Wealthy Population: About 124,000 People, the Top 0.5%
An estimated 124,000 people in Taiwan hold assets above NT$100 million (~US$3.1M) in 2026 — 0.5% of the population, 1 in 185 — growing 5–7% a year. Compiled from KPMG × E.SUN and CTBC × BCG surveys.
Wealth Thresholds in Taiwan: Where NT$10 Million Sits
NT$10 million falls between Taiwan's official household median and D6 boundary. A cautious interpolation places it near the 53.8th household percentile.