Latest news with #JapanExpo
Yomiuri Shimbun
7 days ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Makers of Japanese Traditional Crafts Seek New Opportunities Overseas; Focus on Artistic Value of Works
Support for the export and overseas expansion of Japanese traditional crafts is included in a basic cocept for regional revitalization approved by the government last month. The move is aimed at helping revitalize the industry, whose domestic market has shrunk to one-fifth of its peak due to changing lifestyles and increasing imports of inexpensive products. To boost sales, it is necessary to find overseas demand and develop market strategies. The basic cencept outlines the government's measures to be implemented over the next 10 years. One of the specific measures is to enhance the value of regional resources such as foods, local industries, cultural practices and arts, with an emphasis on further supporting efforts to promote traditional crafts overseas. The Japanese crafts industry has been in a prolonged slump. The production value of traditional crafts peaked at about ¥500 billion in 1990 and then started to decline. It has remained at around ¥100 billion since the 2010s. In addition, the industry's workforce has fallen below 50,000, from nearly 300,000. The primary cause is the slump in domestic demand. To survive the situation, some production areas and local governments have begun actively promoting their products overseas to expand sales channels. Japanese swords Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture, in July of 2023 exhibited Japanese swords produced in the city's Osafune area at the Japan Expo, a festival of Japanese culture held in Paris. The area is traditionally known for producing high-quality Japanese swords. The venue was bustling with young people who became familiar with Japanese swords through anime, but this did not contribute to sales. The city's culture and tourism section admitted that exhibiting the products was not suited to the visitors, stating, 'Swords are priced at several million yen each, so only wealthy people can afford them.' The city realized it lacked a fundamental market strategy: narrowing down the target customer base. Learning from this lesson, when holding an exhibition of Japanese swords at the Maison de la Culture du Japon a Paris (Japanese culture house of Paris) from December to January, the municipal government invited buyers and promoters with a track record in the European sword market. This approach proved successful. The city was invited to participate in the Japan Art Fair, which mainly exhibits Japanese swords and armor in the Netherlands. City officials visited the fair last month and are preparing to participate in next year's event. Bizen ware The city of Bizen, known for producing Bizen ware, in Okayama Prefecture is a prime example of actively pursuing overseas expansion. In the spring last year, Bizen ware was exhibited at Milan Design Week, one of the world's largest design fairs held in Milan. A gallery owner from Belgium, whom city officials met at that time, later visited Bizen at the invitation of the city. The owner met with Bizen ware artists and purchased several highly artistic pieces, including one costing several million yen. 'Until now, when producers of a production area of Japanese crafts exhibited their products overseas, they simply displayed everything equally, without a marketing mindset about what to sell and to whom,' said Etsuro Ninomiya, a former counselor at the Japanese mission to the European Union Ninomiya had advised both cities to make inroads into Europe and introduced city officials to people in the art business there. Untapped potential Ninomiya stresses that the key target is the global art market. Japan's market share of it is only 1%. 'The artistic value of Japanese crafts is still unknown in Europe. This is both a weakness and an opportunity,' Ninomiya said. 'Unlike in the past, this is an era in which quality is valued more than quantity. There is ample potential to sell high-value traditional crafts to wealthy people.' Wajima lacquerware being promoted with public-private efforts Wajima lacquerware produced in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, is making inroads into overseas markets. The lacquerware production area suffered severe damage from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred in January last year. The city launched in spring an office of global promotion for Wajima lacquerware, and city officials attended Milan Design Week. In addition, an A Ishilawa Prefectural committee is discussing overseas marketing strategies aimed at Wajima lacquerware's creative reconstruction. The committee was established to promote a project jointly with the Yomiuri Shimbun and other public and private entities to establish a facility to train young talent in the production of lacquerware. This spring, Ishikawa Prefecture, along with neighboring Toyama and Fukui prefectures in the Hokuriku region, established a council to promote exports from the area. The council is considering inviting craft buyers from France for business praised in NY A company has also had success on its own. Okagaki Shikki-ten, a company that operates the Senshudo brand of Wajima lacquerware, held an exhibition and sales event at the Onishi Gallery in New York last October. About 300 people attended the reception on the opening day. The event was highly praised, with people making comments such as, 'These products successfully convey the delicate sensibility of the Japanese people,' and 'I want to pass this art down in my family.' In addition to its own products, the company exhibited works by living national treasures and others belonging to the Japan Kogei Association, an organization comprised of Japanese traditional craft artists. The company achieved sales of tens of millions of yen in about a month. This success led to an exhibition at a high-end department store in New York. The lacquerware company and the gallery signed an agency contract last year. Currently, they are working on a project to create new works in collaboration with a local designer. 'We exhibited our products at a trade show in New York in February last year that featured a wide range of items, including miscellaneous goods,' said Yugo Okagaki, the president of Okagaki Shikki-ten. 'There, I realized that Wajima lacquerware was well received by people related to art museums, so we changed our strategy to focus more on the art market. We want to further enhance the value of Japanese lacquerware overseas.'
Associated Press
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Japan's Genre-Defying Creative Mixed Media Unit NIKO NIKO TAN TAN to Perform at Japan Expo Paris 2025
PARIS, FRANCE - Media OutReach Newswire - 4 July 2025 - NIKO NIKO TAN TAN, the creative mixed media musical unit that transcends genres with their blend of music, visuals, and art, just performed their first-ever live performance in Paris, France on July 3rd at the currently ongoing Japan Expo Paris 2025. Live Performace In Japan, they have performed at major festivals such as FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM, and OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL. Internationally, they have also made confirmed appearances at EMERGE FEST in Taichung and R-DAY FESTIVAL in Hainan. Though their stage setup consists of just two members—vocals/synth and drums—they unleash a stunningly groovy sound which, when combined with the VJ visuals perfectly synchronized to the music, results in a space that creates an impactful wave of excitement among the audience, earning them widespread acclaim. They will perform not only their latest track 'G00000W', but also a selection of their most popular songs. [VIDEO] You can still catch their special playlist exclusive to Japan Expo! They will be performing live every day on the 'TSUBAME STAGE' for the remainder of the Japan Expo. For performance times from tomorrow onward and ticket information, please check the official website: NIKO NIKO TAN TAN Profile NIKONIKOTANTAN_Artist photo Formed in 2019, NIKO NIKO TAN TAN is a creative mixed media unit that transcends genres to fuse music, visuals, and art into a unique artistic experience. The music is created by: VJ and artwork are produced by Drug Store Cowboy (Visuals / Art Director / Motion Graphics), who serves as the unit's visual producer. They create their own music, visuals, and art with a genre-defying approach to their alternative sound that seamlessly blends diverse elements without boundaries, making them a true 'mixture' unit that births unique and creative soundscapes through their multidisciplinary vision. They have also built a strong following through numerous appearances at major festivals, including FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM BEACH, OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL, and more. In April 2024, they officially debuted under Victor Entertainment / Getting Better. Their first two-man tour across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, including a show at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO), was sold out. In August 2024, they released their first major album, Shinkigeki, followed by the NIKO NIKO TAN TAN ONE-MAN TOUR 2024 'Shinkigeki,' which toured six cities nationwide. The year 2025 is being celebrated as the 'Niko Niko Year' (a play on the numbers 2 and 5), and on the once-in-a-century date 2/5/2025 (Wed) — or '2-5-2-5" — they will hold a special two-man live performance with TESTSET (Yoshinori Sunahara × LEO Imai × Kenichi Shirane × Seiichi Nagai) at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO). Their DJ set project, "微笑坦々" (Hohoemi Tantan), is quickly making waves. Starting in September, they'll launch a one-man tour featuring stops at Osaka's Music Club JANUS and Tokyo's Spotify O-EAST. Stay tuned for exciting updates as the 'Niko Niko Year' continues to unfold. Official HP: Official YouTube: Official Twitter: _ Official Instagram: Official TikTok: Hashtag: #NIKONIKOTANTAN The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Malay Mail
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Japan's Genre-Defying Creative Mixed Media Unit NIKO NIKO TAN TAN to Perform at Japan Expo Paris 2025
OCHAN (Vocals, Synth, etc. / Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement / Illustration) Anabebe (Drums / Arrangement) PARIS, FRANCE - Media OutReach Newswire - 4 July 2025 - NIKO NIKO TAN TAN, the creative mixed media musical unit that transcends genres with their blend of music, visuals, and art, just performed their first-ever live performance in Paris, France on July 3rd at the currently ongoing Japan Expo Paris Japan, they have performed at major festivals such as FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM, and OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL. Internationally, they have also made confirmed appearances at EMERGE FEST in Taichung and R-DAY FESTIVAL in their stage setup consists of just two members—vocals/synth and drums—they unleash a stunningly groovy sound which, when combined with the VJ visuals perfectly synchronized to the music, results in a space that creates an impactful wave of excitement among the audience, earning them widespread will perform not only their latest track "G00000W", but also a selection of their most popular can still catch their special playlist exclusive to Japan Expo!They will be performing live every day on the "TSUBAME STAGE" for the remainder of the Japan performance times from tomorrow onward and ticket information, please check the official website:Formed in 2019, NIKO NIKO TAN TAN is a creative mixed media unit that transcends genres to fuse music, visuals, and art into a unique artistic music is created by:VJ and artwork are produced by Drug Store Cowboy (Visuals / Art Director / Motion Graphics), who serves as the unit's visual create their own music, visuals, and art with a genre-defying approach to their alternative sound that seamlessly blends diverse elements without boundaries, making them a true "mixture" unit that births unique and creative soundscapes through their multidisciplinary have also built a strong following through numerous appearances at major festivals, including FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM BEACH, OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL, and April 2024, they officially debuted under Victor Entertainment / Getting Better. Their first two-man tour across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, including a show at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO), was sold August 2024, they released their first major album, Shinkigeki, followed by the NIKO NIKO TAN TAN ONE-MAN TOUR 2024 "Shinkigeki," which toured six cities year 2025 is being celebrated as the "Niko Niko Year" (a play on the numbers 2 and 5), and on the once-in-a-century date 2/5/2025 (Wed) — or "2-5-2-5" — they will hold a special two-man live performance with TESTSET (Yoshinori Sunahara × LEO Imai × Kenichi Shirane × Seiichi Nagai) at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO).Their DJ set project, "微笑坦々" (Hohoemi Tantan), is quickly making waves. Starting in September, they'll launch a one-man tour featuring stops at Osaka's Music Club JANUS and Tokyo's Spotify O-EAST. Stay tuned for exciting updates as the "Niko Niko Year" continues to HP: Official YouTube: Official Twitter: Official Instagram: Official TikTok: Hashtag: #NIKONIKOTANTAN The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
Japan's Genre-Defying Creative Mixed Media Unit NIKO NIKO TAN TAN to Perform at Japan Expo Paris 2025
PARIS, FRANCE - Media OutReach Newswire - 4 July 2025 - NIKO NIKO TAN TAN, the creative mixed media musical unit that transcends genres with their blend of music, visuals, and art, just performed their first-ever live performance in Paris, France on July 3rd at the currently ongoing Japan Expo Paris 2025. In Japan, they have performed at major festivals such as FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM, and OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL. Internationally, they have also made confirmed appearances at EMERGE FEST in Taichung and R-DAY FESTIVAL in Hainan. Though their stage setup consists of just two members—vocals/synth and drums—they unleash a stunningly groovy sound which, when combined with the VJ visuals perfectly synchronized to the music, results in a space that creates an impactful wave of excitement among the audience, earning them widespread acclaim. They will perform not only their latest track "G00000W", but also a selection of their most popular songs. You can still catch their special playlist exclusive to Japan Expo! They will be performing live every day on the "TSUBAME STAGE" for the remainder of the Japan Expo. For performance times from tomorrow onward and ticket information, please check the official website: Formed in 2019, NIKO NIKO TAN TAN is a creative mixed media unit that transcends genres to fuse music, visuals, and art into a unique artistic experience. The music is created by: OCHAN (Vocals, Synth, etc. / Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement / Illustration) Anabebe (Drums / Arrangement) VJ and artwork are produced by Drug Store Cowboy (Visuals / Art Director / Motion Graphics), who serves as the unit's visual producer. They create their own music, visuals, and art with a genre-defying approach to their alternative sound that seamlessly blends diverse elements without boundaries, making them a true "mixture" unit that births unique and creative soundscapes through their multidisciplinary vision. They have also built a strong following through numerous appearances at major festivals, including FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, GREENROOM BEACH, OSAKA GIGANTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL, and more. In April 2024, they officially debuted under Victor Entertainment / Getting Better. Their first two-man tour across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, including a show at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO), was sold out. In August 2024, they released their first major album, Shinkigeki, followed by the NIKO NIKO TAN TAN ONE-MAN TOUR 2024 "Shinkigeki," which toured six cities nationwide. The year 2025 is being celebrated as the "Niko Niko Year" (a play on the numbers 2 and 5), and on the once-in-a-century date 2/5/2025 (Wed) — or "2-5-2-5" — they will hold a special two-man live performance with TESTSET (Yoshinori Sunahara × LEO Imai × Kenichi Shirane × Seiichi Nagai) at Zepp Shinjuku (TOKYO). Their DJ set project, "微笑坦々" (Hohoemi Tantan), is quickly making waves. Starting in September, they'll launch a one-man tour featuring stops at Osaka's Music Club JANUS and Tokyo's Spotify O-EAST. Stay tuned for exciting updates as the "Niko Niko Year" continues to unfold. Official HP: Official YouTube: Official Twitter: _ Official Instagram: Official TikTok: Hashtag: #NIKONIKOTANTAN The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. SPYGLASS AGENT Co., Ltd.
Asahi Shimbun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
English-speaking ‘ninja' promotes hometown with show of stealth
Dressed in ninja attire, Tsuyoshi Ashihara, left, talks to a customer at the Japan Expo held on the sidelines of the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 in Osaka's Konohana Ward on April 27. (Sho Tanji) OSAKA--A Japanese man in ninja attire was calling out in perfect English to passers-by at the Japan Expo venue here in late April. Tsuyoshi Ashihara was hawking 'shuriken' throwing stars and 'kunai' knife-like weapon: the hallmarks of ninja stealth. Ashihara, 55, staged the stunt at the event held on the sidelines of the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 to promote his company, Kansai Saw MFG Co. The blade manufacturer was founded in Miki, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1919. The ninja artefacts were fashioned from production techniques used to manufacture rotary blades for lawn mowers, but in this case purely for ornamental purposes. Ashihara's company participated in the event as a member of a union comprising manufacturers and wholesalers of Miki to promote the city as one of Japan's largest ironware production areas. As a graduate of a U.S. university, Ashihara's language skills are in high demand, especially after the union started taking part in trade fairs outside Japan around 10 years ago. He often serves as a publicist for the city's ironware industry. Officially titled the Japan Expo Paris in Osaka 2025, the event is a celebration of Japanese pop culture that has been held in the French capital since 2000. Ashihara used the event as a foothold to promote Miki ironware in Paris. He called out to customers from France to say he would see them again in Paris next time.
