Q2 What do you want to do in Japan?

How is today's rapidly changing Japan perceived by people around the world? How is the "Japan brand"—including its tourism, food, and products—evaluated overseas?

Here are the results of the "Japan Brand Survey 2017" conducted in 20 countries and regions worldwide from February to March 2017. This time, we focus on "Things to Do in Japan."

A. "Eating Japanese food" ranked first in most areas, while "shopping" remained popular, especially in East Asia

Overall, the top three activities remained unchanged from last year: 1st "Eat Japanese food," followed by "Visit natural/scenic spots" and "Go shopping."

While "Shopping" remains popular in East Asian countries and "Visiting historical sites/buildings" in Europe and America, as seen last year, the results show stronger country-specific characteristics.

For example, "Staying at a Japanese Ryokan" ranked 4th in Indonesia, "Theme Parks" ranked 7th in the Philippines and 3rd in India, "Japanese Sake" ranked 8th in Vietnam, "Enjoying Bars, Pubs, and Izakayas" ranked 9th in Australia, and "Viewing Night Scenery" ranked 8th in Italy, showing distinctive differences in popularity among the top items.

While broad regional trends exist, it seems each country is developing its own popular ways to enjoy Japan.

<Overview of the Japan Brand Survey 2017>
● Purpose: To understand overseas consumers' perceptions and actual behavior regarding the overall "Japan Brand"—including Japanese food, tourism, and Japanese products—and support corporate marketing activities.
●Target Areas: 20 countries/regions
China (Group A = Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou; Group B = Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Suzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Dalian, Xi'an, Qingdao), Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Russia
※East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea)
※ASEAN (Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines)

●Survey Method: Internet survey
● Target Population: Men and women aged 20–59 in the middle-income bracket and above
※Definition of "middle-income": Conditions set per country based on national average income (OECD statistics) and social class classification (SEC)
●Sample size: China: 200 respondents each for A and B groups, total 400 respondents; USA: 400 respondents; Other regions: 200 respondents each, total 4,400 respondents
●Survey Period: February 13 to March 10, 2017

Dentsu Inc. Team Cool Japan
A cross-functional project team established by Dentsu Inc. 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 for overseas expansion, media and content specialists, overseas subsidiary network managers, producers, and planners to work on initiatives promoting Japan's appeal globally.