Insights into Japan's State Revealed by Foreigners' Messages: Discover Japan - A Roundtable Discussion with Mr. Takahashi, Mr. Minami of DENTSU SOKEN INC., and Mr. Kurashige - Part 1

In January 2015, DENTSU SOKEN INC. created a booklet titled "A HAPPY NEW VISION '15," inviting 15 foreign residents in Japan to write messages in the style of "first brushstrokes of the year." Taro Minami, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of this booklet, and Hidetoshi Kurashige, Creative Director, joined Toshihiro Takahashi, Editor-in-Chief of Discover Japan, who served as an advisor, to reflect on the production process. They discussed Japan's future direction heading into 2020 and insights gleaned from each message.

"A HAPPY NEW VISION '15" distributed to approximately 4,000 attendees at the Dentsu Inc. New Year's Party

Minami: "A HAPPY NEW VISION '15" was a booklet distributed at Dentsu Inc.'s New Year's gatherings held at five locations nationwide. In the Dentsu News, we published one message per day from January to early February 2015. Taking the opportunity of the establishment of a new team called the Japan Studies Group at DENTSU SOKEN INC. in January, we asked foreigners active in Japan to contribute messages, hoping it would serve as a collection of hints for thinking about 2020 and beyond.

Kurashige: This booklet was "New Year's greetings from DENTSU SOKEN INC." We chose calligraphy as the medium because we knew "foreigners are interested in calligraphy." Last January, we displayed oversized kakejime pieces by the president and employees celebrating their zodiac year at the "Entrance Kakejime Exhibition" on the first floor of Dentsu Inc. headquarters. Tim Andre (Dentsu Inc. Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer) then asked, "Can I have yours after it's over?" That anecdote sparked the idea. Kakejime is just one word, and if it could be enjoyable for the participating foreigners, this seemed perfect.

Takahashi: I just reread this booklet on the train, and it was incredibly easy to read. The amount of text is just right, giving it a light feel. I almost missed my stop (laughs).

Kurashige: I first met Mr. Takahashi when he featured us in 'Discover Japan DESIGN vol.2 Special Edition' during the production of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. We've since collaborated on projects like the Arita ware initiative, which led to him serving as an advisor this time. Since the calligraphy section has a lot of white space as a reading piece, he advised that it might be better to intersperse dense, data-rich content characteristic of DENTSU SOKEN INC. So, we took data from internal sources like the Japan Branding Survey and visualized surprising discoveries—even to me—as graphics to include.

Takahashi: Infographics make things easier to see objectively and understand. I often use this approach myself when making books. I suggested it because I thought DENTSU SOKEN INC. could use data to assert its presence. I gave that advice before the people were selected, but seeing the actual booklet, I thought the choice of experts from various fields was very persuasive.

Kurashige: Many people told me the selection was excellent. You see people from completely different fields, right? Plus, there are those where you think, "I didn't know this person, but they're fascinating!" Lately, information tends to be deeply specialized vertically, so people don't know much about adjacent fields. I believe connecting and informing about that is our role. We're the ones who research and share horizontally.

Takahashi: Discover Japan also meets people from various specialized fields depending on the feature, and the magazine as a whole is structured around the horizontal thread of "Japan." So I really resonated with how this booklet was made, and I find the connections fascinating.

Discover Japan and A HAPPY NEW VISION '15's Commitment

Minami: When editing Discover Japan, what aspects do you particularly focus on?

Minami: Speaking of which, you mentioned that the May 2012 issue's feature on five-storied pagodas was timed to coincide with the opening of Tokyo Skytree (May 22, 2012).

Kurashige: For A HAPPY NEW VISION '15, we aimed for "breadth" and "things you can't search for." We selected a diverse range of people, including nationality, age, and fame, and our copywriters conducted interviews to uncover original words. These are all phrases you won't find through a search. For example, when the booklet was distributed, phrases like "Starting with a single bottle of soy sauce" or " Archipelago Kaleidoscope " wouldn't have appeared in search results. We focused on extracting what was inside each person's mind. We kept asking questions until we got words unique to that person, not just surface-level responses, insisting on creating words that couldn't be found through search.

Minami: Mr. Takahashi, which phrase left the strongest impression on you?

Takahashi: An McDonald's " Archipelago Kaleidoscope " – I thought the way it looked was interesting and clever. But the one that stuck with me the most was Nicolai Bergmann's " Let's step out of our COMFORT ZONE. "

Reflecting on Each Message: Part 1

Takahashi: I think there's a current trend of "Don't fear failure, take on challenges." Each message has something that makes you go "Huh!" When we make books, we also consider looking at the same things from an overseas perspective and showing Japanese people how people abroad find them interesting. I think there were many words people could relate to.

Kurashige: None of them is the definitive answer; all 15 are things you realize make sense once you hear them. We chose words readers could relate to, hoping they'd apply them to their lives and work, sparking new ideas.

Minami: Since we're here, let's take a look at each message.

#1 "Step out of your COMFORT ZONE." Flower Artist Nicolai Bergmann

Kurashige: When I asked if he'd draw something in the margins, he didn't use a brush—he dipped chrysanthemum petals in ink and drew with them. We even used it for the back cover design of the booklet.

#02 "Not failing ≠ succeeding" - Venkataraman Srirangam, Representative, Infosys Limited Japan

Kuranari: This one really hit home for me. While there are similar phrases like "Don't fear failure," this wording was new to me. Even if you keep doing things to avoid failure, you won't achieve success. I'll take that to heart.

Minami: Coming from someone who established the Japanese branch of an Indian IT company's headquarters, it carries a strange persuasiveness.

#03 "Start with a single bottle of soy sauce." Japanese Food Researcher Nancy Singleton Yasu

Takahashi: I didn't know this person, but she's fascinating, isn't she? Hearing her say it makes me want to pay more attention to soy sauce.

#04 "One adventure a day." Ross Findlay, CEO, NAC Niseko Adventure Center

Takahashi: He has a real flair for imagery. That's one of the phrases that really stuck with me.

#05 "It's not a zero-sum game." Athri Chulpan, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Kyoto University

Kurashige: Words only a management scholar researching Japanese companies could say. Each one sprinkles in terminology from their specific field, giving it variety and making it interesting, right?

Takahashi: This is another clever phrase. Words from specialists really grab your attention and carry weight.

#06 "Gratitude" Former Japanese National Soccer Team Player Rui Ramos

Kurashige: He was just as passionate as he appears on TV. He passionately shared his experiences since coming to Japan.

Minami: I hear he was also particular about the stroke order of kanji characters.

#07 "Generous Heart, Carefree Mind, Joyful Spirit" - Geng Zhong, Chairman of the Japan-China Film Festival Executive Committee

Takahashi: I'd never heard the term "broad-mindedness" before, but it really clicked. It felt very Chinese.

Minami: Mr. Geng Zhong mentioned that Japanese people struggle to handle things flexibly or get through situations with humor when things don't go according to plan. It felt like he hit a sore spot. Japanese people tend to be confident in their "omotenashi" (hospitality), but I was reminded that even when service providers think they're doing polite, high-quality work, foreigners might perceive them as inflexible over simple matters, and it doesn't always get positive evaluations.

Takahashi: Because Japanese people are serious, they often feel they must practice "omotenashi" without truly considering the recipient. I think the same thing happens with information dissemination.

#08 "Archipelago Kaleidoscope" Ann MacDonald, Professor, Graduate School of Sophia University, Environmental Historian

Takahashi: You're quite familiar with the word "kaleidoscope," aren't you? I like that relaxed feel too.

Kurashige: I think the character for "mirror" is tricky too, but you're better at it than I am. You're someone who's constantly out doing fieldwork, and you even handled email checks and manuscript reviews while in the field.

Next time, we'll continue reviewing messages #09 to #15 while hearing opinions from three individuals. We'll discuss Japan's current state and its future path leading up to 2020.