The long-awaited festival for Japanese fans will be held again this year in Paris, France! Japan Expo 2018 Report

A festival of Japanese culture this year in Paris, France for 4 days from 7/5 (Thu) to 8 (Sun)”Japan Expo Paris — Japan Expo —” was held. Japan events are now being held in countries around the world, and the same event, which can be said to be the origin, is now in its 19th year, and the Nord Villepinte exhibition hall, which became the venue, was very crowded with enthusiastic Japanese fans visiting from all over Europe, mainly France.

Japan Expo Paris 2018
‍Duration: 4 days from 2018/7/5 (Thu) to 7/8 (Sun)
Venue: Paris, Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center
‍＞＞Japan Expo Official Homepage

A wide variety of Japanese contents such as comics, anime, food, martial arts, and fashion, which are hugely popular around the world, are gathered at the large 125,000 square meter venue. The visitors, who waited impatiently for this day, had their eyes shining brightly and went to each booth wholeheartedly.

Experience the essence of Japanese culture that continues to evolve! Now in its 8th year”WABI SABI”

Meanwhile, Japan Promotion is a traditional and regional culture pavilion that develops diverse contents based on the concept of conveying “authentic Japanese culture.”WABI SABIProduced”. 76 groups of artists, the largest ever, exhibited at the same pavilion, which is now in its 8th year, and we were able to welcome many visitors regardless of age or gender with their rich content and overwhelming presence.

The theme for this year's WABI SABI is “nostalgia.” Focusing on “the heart of people who think about the good old days and their hometowns,” which is regarded as a common feeling in Japan, France, and the world, and through a number of attractive works and performances, “authentic Japanese culture” that lives in the present while accumulating times and being carefully handed down,WABI SABIIt was delivered to many people who visited.

Also, according to the world view of the pavilion,WABI SABIOnce a day on the central ART stage, a “Hagoromo Show” with a “celestial maiden” as a motif is held as a special stage. A group of performers dressed as celestial maidensWABI SABIWhen they appeared at the entrance, the visitors who were present stopped and watched their whereabouts with expressions of surprise and excitement.
Approaching the essence of Japanese culture from a different perspective with a unique space production every yearWABI SABIIt is one of its unique attractions.

Focusing on “beauty unique to Japan,” all of the exhibited works created with a unique sensibility are of high quality and unique. Also, this year, not only were works filled with the desire to preserve and pass on traditional Japanese culture, but works that were newly born in the past few years, attracted a lot of attention, and skillfully incorporated fresh Japanese culture that continues to evolve even now stood out.

There are also many voices of exhibiting artists saying that the live voices of the visitors that can only be heard here, and the live reactions will be an encouragement for the next creation. Communication with visitors through workshops at the booth also blossomed.

Record the highest sales ever! A number of works filled with the appeal of Japan are in the hands of visitors

And thanks to the activities of everyone who exhibited this year, we established No. 1 sales in 8 years! In particular, sales of items that can be easily incorporated into everyday life, such as stamps, accessories, postcards, and clear files, were remarkable.

Also, continuing from last year, Japan Promotion comprehensively supports regional promotions in each prefecture in Japan. On the stage of Kumamoto Prefecture's “Team Kumamon” led by Kumamon, the vice governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, Mr. Taisuke Ono, who visited the site for an inspection, and Mr. Yasushi Aso, the representative of the Kyushu Economic Federation, also showed up.

On stage, Mr. Aso powerfully appealed to the diverse appeal of Kyushu.
To coincide with the 2019 Rugby World Cup (Kyushu venue was selected as the venue for the Japan tournament), they spoke enthusiastically to a large audience so that as many people as possible from overseas could visit Kyushu.

Other than that, “Shinjo-kun” from Susaki in Kochi Prefecture, “Tochisuke” in Tochigi City, “Dog Brother” from Iwate Prefecture, and “Mikke-chan” from the Osaka Kuzuha Shrine Shopping Association, etc., nowWABI SABILocal characters, which are essential, will also appear at each booth and stage. It was hugely popular this year because of its adorable appearance.

Unique Japanese fans gather on the stage! “2nd Suzaki Ambassador Project”

Speaking of Shinjo from Susaki City, it was the whereabouts of the “Susaki Ambassador Project” that attracted the attention of all Japan Expo fans this year as well. A total of 1,478 people applied for this project, where 3 French people who love Japan were selected through a contest and invited to a free tour hosted by Susaki City.

Click here for a detailed article on last year's “Suzaki Ambassador Project”!
‍>> [Susaki Ambassador Project] Susaki City in Kochi Prefecture is fully developing inbound business in France
‍>> [Susaki Ambassador Project] French people who love Japan come to Japan and go to Susaki in Kochi Prefecture! 4 days to fully enjoy nature and culture

This year's theme, which was held for the 2nd time, was “Anime Ambassadors.” To commemorate the decision to animate Shinjo-kun in Taiwan, etc., an anime version of Shinjo-kun, who moves around in a pop and adorable manner, has also appeared on a special site. Even before the event, it attracted a lot of attention, mainly from fans from all over the world.

Here are this year's ambassadors for Susaki who passed through strict document screening, shouted out their love for Japan loudly on the Japan Expo stage while a large audience watched, and won the final stage!

(from left)
・Carole
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyalolu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bienvenue.shinjokun/
Carole says she learned about Shinjo's existence when she first attended the Japan Expo 3 years ago and became a big fan.
Wear your own Shinjo-kun goods,Japan ExpoIt seems that it is an annual tradition to visit.
The original Shinjo-kun illustration has also been published on the Instagram account.

・Stella
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetartine/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/streetartine/
Stella is active as a food artist who makes cuisines that look fun, such as character bento with motifs of famous characters and artists.
It seems that they are very interested in ingredients from Susaki City, and when I visit Susaki City next year as an ambassador, I would like to do an exchange event with local people through developing original menus and cooking! It looks like they are full of motivation as early as now.

・Aala
HP: https://www.gaijinjapan.org/
Facebook: https://ja-jp.facebook.com/agaijinjapan/
Aala is a popular blogger who is familiar to Japanese fans in France.
Currently, they live in Japan, and they are trying to go around Japan on foot.
It seems that they are planning a pilgrimage trip later this year.

The above 3 people are scheduled to visit Susaki City in March 2019. Until then, we plan to have you carry out promotional activities through various SNS as ambassadors. Please keep an eye out for future developments!

Experience the appeal and energy of Japanese culture with your own skin! Impressive stage show

Also, this year, various stages unfolded brilliantly every day at the SAKURA stage and ART stage produced by Japan Promotion.

■SAKURA stage
On the SAKURA stage, which boasts a capacity of 830 people, there are many enthusiastic stages that make use of the spacious stage. The audience was thrilled with a diverse lineup, such as an impressive performance by Kamui Tsurugishu, who was in charge of the sword fight choreography for the movie “Kill Bill,” an artistic stage that combines calligraphy, DJ, and painting, and an Awa dance performance where the performers and audience worked together to make a big explosion of energy.

■ART stage
WABI SABIEven on the ART stage, which attracts many visitors every year as the face of, unique stages are unveiled one after another. In addition to the diverse lineup, such as a music stage where you can enjoy the beautiful singing voices of divas and elegant sounds of the koto and flute, a heated kendama show, and a vivid fashion show that mixes kimono and modern forms, what attracted particular attention this year was a number of powerful staging by calligraphers. Creative performances by talented artists were shown every day, showing off the power of the Japanese calligraphy world.

Another appeal unique to the ART stage is that the distance to the audience is close to the audience and the performers can share their enthusiasm with each other. The gathered audience members were moved by the energetic performance, and there was a succession of people taking pictures along with the performers and the finished works on stage.