Q2 What do you want to do in Japan?

How does the world currently perceive Japan? How is the "Japan brand" – encompassing tourism, land, food, and products – evaluated overseas?

This article presents findings from the "Japan Brand Survey 2016," conducted in April 2016 across 20 countries and regions worldwide. This installment focuses on "Things People Want to Do in Japan."

A2: The top thing people want to do in Japan is "eat Japanese food." Shopping's popularity continues to rise, and it's also popular in Europe and America.
 

Overall, "Eating Japanese food" ranked first, followed by "Visiting natural and scenic spots" and "Shopping." Except for India, Indonesia, and Brazil, "Eating Japanese food" ranked first in all other regions. The popularity of Japanese cuisine, recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, appears to be firmly established.

Looking at the second and subsequent choices in Western countries, interest in cultural experiences like "visiting historical sites and buildings" and "experiencing traditional culture" such as tea ceremonies and flower arranging is evident. Shopping is also popular in countries like Germany, the United States, and France.

Furthermore, in many Asian areas like South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, "hot springs" ranked highly, while "shopping" ranked high in India, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Regarding "shopping," which gained points since last year, we hear voices from Westerners wanting to buy items that embody traditional culture. It seems an increasing number of people are looking forward to a wide range of ways to enjoy Japan, not limited to traditional cultural experiences.

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<Japan Brand Survey 2016 Overview>
● Purpose: To understand overseas consumers' perceptions and actual behavior regarding the overall "Japan Brand" encompassing Japanese food, tourism, products, etc., and to support corporate marketing activities.
●Target Areas: 20 countries and regions
China (Beijing, Shanghai), Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia
●Survey Method: Online survey
●Respondent Criteria: Men and women aged 20-59 from middle-income households and above
●Sample Size: 200 respondents per region, total 4,000 respondents
●Survey Period: April 25 to May 18, 2016

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Dentsu Inc. Team Cool Japan
A company-wide cross-functional project team established to promote 'Cool Japan-related initiatives'—expanding products and services leveraging Japanese culture and strengths into overseas markets. Dentsu Inc. also invests in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Cool Japan Organization (fund). The team brings together client company representatives handling overseas expansion, media and content specialists, overseas subsidiary network managers, producers, and planners to undertake initiatives promoting Japan's appeal globally.

DENTSU SOKEN INC. "Japanology" Project
DENTSU SOKEN INC. is advancing initiatives focused on culture as a management issue for 2020 and beyond. We provide workshops and training on cross-cultural management and organizational culture diagnostics for Japanese companies advancing globalization and foreign companies aiming to penetrate the Japanese market.