California, runs a
thriving business designing Japanese baths,
entryways, kitchens and the like for clients in
the San Francisco Bay Area and other areas.
The Naples Grande Resort & Club in
Naples, Florida, has integrated Japanese
architecture, gardens, koi ponds and
lanterns into a recent spa development to provide
its clients with an "artful balance of style and
substance".
Japanese tea gardens, one of
many types of Japanese gardens, can be found in
many areas. Among other places, there
are
prominent, public tea gardens
in Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
and Rockford, Illinois. It is even possible to
find sellers of koi ponds and koi in
such states as Nevada and Texas, which have not
traditionally embraced Japanese culture.
Japanese architects themselves are also
exerting significant influence on the contours of
design. One leading light is Tadao Ando, a
recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture
Prize and an AIA Gold Medal, 2002. Ando designed
the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St Louis
and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
Yoshio Taniguchi has also won fame for designing
the expansion of the Museum of Modern Art in New
York City, in the process transforming the old and
new spaces into a unified whole.
Language: Japanese is a
widely studied language and has been growing in
popularity in recent years. This is especially
true among young people who have become familiar
with Japan through anime and video games.
According to one source, more than 2 million
individuals are studying Japanese. This includes
more than 500,000 Australians and Americans who
are working to develop a proficiency in the
language. Beyond this, almost 100,000 foreign
students are studying Japanese in Japan.
Sports: In the United
States, Japan Cool is perhaps most visible in the
sport of baseball. The frenzy over Seibu Lion
pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, eventually acquired by
the Boston Red Sox, has cast into stark relief the
considerable talent produced by the Japanese
baseball system.
Beyond this, Japanese
players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui
continue to rank in the top statistical
categories, while others such as Tadahito Iguchi
and So Taguchi have played critical roles in their
teams' quest for playoff success and eventual
World Series triumphs. They are attracting
attention not just because they are superb
players, but also because they display dedication
to the team they have selected. Even the fact that
they speak only through interpreters does not seem
to detract from their popularity.
Part of
the reason for this emphasis on culture by
Japanese corporations can be attributed to the
fact they can no longer rely primarily on their
cost-competitiveness or even the quality of their
manufacturing capabilities. Higher value-added is
essential, and the advances seen through the
development of Japan Cool are resulting in a new
range of products that combine these new advances
with Japan's proven ability to commercialize new
trends and products.
While the Walkman
might be seen as the first example of this trend,
the fact that Japan leads in so many consumer and
leisure products is no accident. Sony's and
Nintendo's dominance in, respectively, consumer
electronics and video-game hardware and software
demonstrates the clear ability of Japanese firms
to develop and successfully to launch new market
segments.
In part, this is achieved by the
ability of these firms to take advantage of
Japanese culture; that is, anime, Japanese
characters, and so on. Firms such as Toyota -
which will soon become the world's largest car
company - are also able to achieve success not
just because of their manufacturing capabilities,
but their dedication to the Japanese tradition of
excellent customer service. This can be seen in
its ability to make smaller, energy-efficient
vehicles, to the manufacture, sale and servicing
of its cars as well as its emphasis on
kaizen or continual improvement.
Growing revenue for foreign
companies The rising popularity of Japanese
culture in foreign markets is providing many new
business opportunities for foreign companies and
investors. For example, the Japanese Food Culture
Festival took place in New York from March 4-10.
It revealed many profit-making opportunities for
those involved in the production, distribution and
sale of such food as ramen, tofu, teas and sake
and of houseware such as Japanese knives and place
settings, as well as restaurateurs interested in
offering Japanese cuisine.
During this
food festival, famed New York restaurateur David
Bouley, chef and owner of Bouley, Test Kitchen and
Bouley Bakery, spoke about his passion for Japan
and its food, as well as dishes he serves with the
finest sakes. During this session, Bouley noted
his belief that Japanese food is in a similar
stage as French food was in the US several decades
ago and that the arrival of new ingredients is
leading to an explosion of new interest and
possibilities for food importers and others within
the industry.
One example of this rising
demand can be seen in a recent New York Times
story. It highlighted the ability of one firm,
Massachusetts-based South River Miso, to market 11
kinds of miso through food outlets across the
United States.
Similarly, the spread of
Japanese anime, manga, film, video games
and fashion is providing numerous opportunities to
US and other foreign firms. This is yielding a
potential boost not only to the economies in which
these firms are headquartered, but to the local,
regional and national tax base, and workers, who
may find new employment opportunities.
Inside Japan, the quest for culture and
services is also creating opportunities for
foreign investors who can identify the right kinds
of vehicles to provide cultural and service goods
to Japanese consumers, both young and old.
To date, foreign companies have primarily
entered Japan to open up retail operations (Coach
- USA), to run resorts (Harmony Resorts -
Australia), to provide services to the health care
sector (FWBC - Finland), and to supply equipment
for bowling alleys (Getronics - Netherlands).
Of course, there are also abundant
opportunities for US and other foreign firms to
sell goods to Japanese consumers, even without
investing in Japan. This is reflected by the
strong performance of foreign movies such as
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the
successful rollout of various high-tech products
in Japan, and the warm reception given to such
Western luxury goods as Louis Vuitton products.
Indeed, Japan now serves as an important
trend-setting market - not only for industrial
applications but also for consumer styles and
trends. Products adapted to appeal to Japanese
tastes and physiques can be subsequently marketed
not only to other East Asian countries and growing
numbers of Asians living in the West, but to all
those who appreciate the sophistication, high
quality and visual appeal that have always been a
hallmark of Japanese style. (This material is
published and disseminated by JETRO in
coordination with KWR
International Inc. JETRO New York is
registered as an agent of the Japan External Trade
Organization, Tokyo, and KWR International Inc is
registered on behalf of JETRO.)
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