Cool Japan

Many people must have thought, “This will be the year that I start keeping a diary!” A diary culture has been developed in Japan since long ago during the Heian period. A variety of diaries are displayed in storefronts at the end of the year, and picture diary homework and class journals are common at schools. Foreigners are surprised at how much Japanese people like diaries. Our foreign guests visit a wind orchestra that became united through club diaries and a housewife who keeps a picture diary only of good things that happen each day. We investigate the cools of Japanese people who love diaries.

Japanese furniture such as kotatsu and tatami beds are currently said to be very popular overseas. Study desks for children, skinny sukima furniture, and Paulownia cabinets, which are made like new by craftsmen when they become old and are passed down from generation to generation, are rare overseas. Will such Japanese furniture really be accepted by foreigners? Is Japanese furniture cool? We close in on the secret to its popularity!

Japanese people love bags. Compared to people overseas, they own more of them and carry them around more frequently. Mothers carry brand bags, fathers carry business bags or backpacks, and children carry randoseru or bags for cram school. Foreigners are surprised by the wide variety and large number of bags people have. On the other hand, they have many objections such as “It’s strange for men to carry bags on days off!” and “Why do women carry bags on their elbow? Is Japan’s bag culture cool?

In the "Big Questions for Foreigners!" series, we close in on actions of foreigners that Japanese don't understand. This time, we conducted a big survey of Japanese people who are familiar with the everyday lives of foreigners, such as people who have been transferred overseas. Why don't foreigners apologize? They iron their underwear? We thoroughly elucidate such questions for foreigners. The differences in actions, cultures and ways of thinking between Japanese people and foreigners is hotly debated in the studio!

It's not widely known domestically, but there are many Japanese companies that are world-class. We search for Japanese cools among companies that make familiar products and succeeded precisely because they are Japanese. The secret that created ultraviolet LED that support ATMs is the power of cleaning? The development of vegetable seeds that stormed the world was due to the perseverance of Japanese people? What Japanese cools are there in companies that spread to the world through development capabilities and elaborate work that are unique to Japanese people?

The number of foreign tourists visiting Niigata, Japan's preeminent region with heavy snowfall, for winter tourism and skiing is quickly increasing. Furthermore, Niigata is gathering the world’s attention for being a region at the forefront of using snow for energy and various resources. This time the Cool Japan studio will go on an outing to Niigata. Together with 89 foreign students studying at International University of Japan and with the wisdom of people living in snow country and using snow as themes, we will search for cool Japanese culture that will surprise the world.

Wasabi, which used to be disliked in the West, is currently very popular among foreigners. People overseas have realized how delicious wasabi originating in Japan is and are quickly increasing domestic production. Foreign tourists purchase foods and snacks that use wasabi, and cuisine that use wasabi are spreading around the world. Why did the world fall in love with wasabi? We focus on the popularity of wasabi among foreigners and elucidate its appeals.

Kyoto is consistently popular among the continually increasing foreign tourists. However, they are attracted to unexpected places that are different than those that are classic Kyoto tourist spots for Japanese people and foods that make you wonder “why in Kyoto?” are popular. So we asked foreign tourists visiting Kyoto about the charms of Kyoto and ranked the top ten charms that are most popular. Unexpected places that Japanese people wouldn’t think of made it in the ranking. We investigate the charms of the continually changing Kyoto from the perspective of foreigners.

Figurines are representative of Japanese pop culture. Day after day foreign tourists who say the quality and detail of Japanese figurines are amazing visit the biannual Wonder Festival held during summer and winter. Furthermore, we investigate the secret to the molding of a popular figurine sculptor who makes kaiju of popular movies, figurine technology that was diverted to medical settings, and the world of figurines, which is a major weapon of Cool Japan’s strategy.

Cool Japan has entered its 12th year. We will introduce the “best of cools” chosen during each episode in the past year all at once and determine “the coolest of the cool 2016”from among them. Further, we locally report on how Japanese culture is spreading overseas with things such as used bookstores and shiitake. We investigate how not only ramen and sushi but Japanese culture is spreading around the world and evolving.

Foreigners are surprised by packages when they come to Japan. Japanese packages, such as condiment packages that discharge ketchup and mustard just by folding them so your hands don’t get dirty and tetrahedral packages that can be opened easily and even used as plates, continue to evolve every day. How are they developed and sent out to the world? We investigate new Japanese cools.

Japanese home delivery is fast and careful, and its services such as time designation and redelivery, which are polite and attentive to detail, are said to be world-class. The number of domestic deliveries increased 30% in the last ten years. The kinds of items they handle has continued to increase, and services such as same-day shipping and next-day delivery are improving. Our foreign guests experience package management and home delivery systems that use the latest technology. We close in on the cools of Japanese home delivery services.

Art museums are very popular among foreign tourists visiting Japan. Japan has many small yet unique art museums, and anime and manga museums can only be found in Japan. Our foreign guests report on an art museum that makes perfect replicas of famous works of art from around the world in their actual size and the aesthetic of the particularity of Japanese gardens that pursue natural scenery even to the point of purchasing mountains in the background. We thoroughly discuss what is attractive about Japanese art museums with our foreign guests.

Japan is in an unprecedented rush to build hotels in preparation for 2020. Foreign tourists are surprised by Japanese hotels. Japanese hotels continue to uniquely evolve with business hotels and capsule hotels that pursue low prices and comfort, excessively luxurious breakfasts, and the ultimate hospitality. Are Japanese hotels cool or not cool for foreigners? We investigate the latest state of affairs surrounding Japanese hotels from the perspectives of foreigners.

Our “Big Questions for the Japanese” series is popular. This time the theme is “Marriage.” Why do people look for a partner at marriage hunting events? Why don’t people dance at weddings? Foreigners have many questions about marriage in Japan. Things get complicated in the studio due to cultural gaps regarding marriage between foreigners and Japanese people. We perform our established custom of businessman senryu with “married life” as the theme. Will foreigners have their questions answered?

June 4th is cavity prevention day. Many foreigners who visit Japan are surprised by the wide variety of toothbrushes and toothpastes. Also, brushing teeth after lunch even at work or school is unique to Japanese people. There are more dental clinics than convenience stores, and treatment costs are below the world standard. There is a clash of values between westerners who say that teeth should be straightened with braces and Japanese people who say that double teeth are cute. Is Japanese culture related to teeth cool?

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, in purchase rate rankings among foreign tourists, snacks and sweets are by far the most popular, surpassing electronics, cosmetics, and clothes. What’s different about Japanese snacks and sweets compared to the world? Snacks and sweets for children like dagashi are rare overseas, and it is only in Japan that various textures can be enjoyed and there are complex combinations of tastes. We investigate the appeals of Japanese snacks and sweets from the perspective of foreigners.

In Japan, bonsai has often been thought of as a hobby for the elderly, but it is now known around the world. Bonsai vocational schools have been opened in Italy and France, and bonsai exhibitions have been held in South Africa and Argentina. Exports from Japan have grown tenfold in the past ten years. Bonsai is now a universal word. People came from around the world to attend the World Bonsai Convention in Saitama. Why is it popular among foreigners? We search for cools of traditional Japanese culture through bonsai.

The location for this time’s “Cool Japan Outing” is Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. Chiba is one of the prefectures that is most visited by foreign tourists. However, that is mainly due to Narita Airport and amusement parks, and Boso Peninsula is passed by. How will the tourist sites, good food, nature, and lifestyle of Boso that is appealing to Japanese people appear to foreigners? We investigate the appeals of Boso that Japanese people hadn’t realized together with foreigners who live there.

Ueno in Tokyo has been getting increasingly popular among foreign tourists in recent years. Half of the people who went to Ueno for this year’s hanami season are said to be foreigners. So we surveyed 150 foreigners who visited Ueno about the appeals of Ueno and determined the top 5. Other than standard spots such as the zoo and art museums, locations in Ueno that are surprising to Japanese people made it into the ranking. What cools of Ueno did foreigners choose?

The theme for this time’s “Big Questions for the Japanese” series is “Homes”. Japanese homes are full of strange things from the perspective of foreigners. Why does their value go down when you live in them? Why are people particular about newly built houses? Why are homes so cluttered? There are differences in values as well as lifestyles. We hotly debate cultural gaps concerning homes of Japan and those of the world through questions about homes.

Fishing is a common and popular leisurely activity in Japan, but overseas there are few cultures where women and children enjoy it easily and regulations concerning conservation of nature are strict. Germany has a licensing system where you are required to take written and practical examinations. Further, catching and releasing is common, unlike Japan where you eat what you catch, and people don’t make gyotaku to brag about their catches. Is Japan’s fishing culture, which can be called a fishing heaven, cool? We investigate from the perspective of foreigners.

Cold noodles such as hiyashi chuka, somen, zaru soba, and chilled udon are very popular during the summer in Japan. However, cold noodles are rare elsewhere in the world. China and Italy don’t have much cold ramen or pasta. Why aren’t there any other cultures that look to cool the body by eating cold food? We investigate the differences in food culture between Japan and overseas regarding cold noodles, a standard dish during the summer in Japan.

Kaidan is a feature of Japan’s summer. Japanese people enjoy scary stories as a form of entertainment, which is a sense that is different from foreigners. Kaidan have been standard in kabuki and rakugo from long ago. In the summer there are events all around Japan, such as gathering to tell each other kaidan and kaidan tours. Unique sounds that express scariness, such as “hyudoro” with flutes and drums, are also different from overseas. Are Japanese people who enjoy kaidan in the summer as a form of entertainment cool?

Manga is popular worldwide, but recently shojo manga are gathering attention. Shojo manga, which are centered around romance and are aimed at female middle and high schoolers, are said to be unique culture of Japan. How are munekyun gestures such as “kabedon”, which are indispensable for shojo manga, created? Foreigner report on the secrets to the popularity of shojo manga. How does the world see this pop culture unique to Japan? We investigate the world of shojo manga.

Foreigners are surprised by and don’t understand why Japanese people like bugs. During summer vacation children run around fields collecting bugs, and expensive rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles being sold at department stores is unique to Japan. Bugs have deeply permeated Japanese culture and life from long ago. However, foreigners who see live rhinoceros beetles in the studio go into a panic! Will Japanese people’s love for bugs be accepted by foreigners?

Onsen are popular even among foreign tourists. Nowadays onsen districts around Japan and day-trip onsen and sento near Tokyo are full of foreigners. Our foreign guests report on the appeals of the latest super sento and secret onsen deep in the mountains. What do they think is cool about Japanese onsen? We excavate cools of onsen that further spread the appeals of Japan to the world.