Big and bigger in Japan

By Liisa Karvinen
     
      At the same time as the Finns roll and stuff sushi vigorously in their kitchens and the comic-book shelves at bookstores and supermarkets are filling up with Japanese manga titles, Finland has for its own part become better and better known in Japan.
      Over the last couple of decades it has been the Moomins, Santa Claus, and the mysteries of the Northern Lights that have tended to dominate the Japanese image of things Finnish.
      But nowadays there is more to Fuinrando than these staples: many Japanese people associate Finland with concepts such as good education and a strong social welfare net.
      Yes, naturally Jean Sibelius and Finnish design fit into the picture as well, and if you give your conversation partner a nudge in the right direction, there is name-recognition for the industrial flagship Nokia, too.
     
But however much we Finns might want others to remember us for our unparalleled competitiveness, innovative skills, and the absence of perceived corruption, these are really more the province of a few totally dedicated Finn-fans or enlightened businessmen.
      Questions of culture or of social wellbeing are more interesting and strike more of a chord with the average members of the Japanese public.
      The Japanese love comparisons, and the success of young Finnish pupils in the OECD’s PISA assessment programmes put Finland into the headlines.
      Interest was further whetted by the fact that Japan itself is currently wrestling with serious problems in its own education system, and people are eagerly looking abroad for ideas that might improve matters.
      In the past few years, hundreds of teachers, education officials, and journalists have made the pilgrimage to Finland and its schools. The list of press articles and TV spots effusively singing the praises of the Finnish comprehensive school system is practically endless.
     
The illusion of Finland’s pure and unadulterated natural surroundings and the blissful way of life up here is a hard one to shake from Japanese minds.
      Last year it was further reinforced by Kamome Shokudo ("Kamome Diner"/"Ruokala Lokki"), which was screened in more than 60 cities around Japan and which did such good business at the box office that its makers were knocked sideways.
      The film was set in the Finnish capital, and even now you can see groups of Japanese visitors trooping past the filming locations in Helsinki’s Punavuori district - and these are not your usual package tour holidaymakers.
      For Japanese tourists, Finland is the most popular destination among the Nordic countries, and an increasing number of them are travelling independently and looking for suitable tourism services even outside of the capital area.
     
It is image that sells a country abroad to a very large extent.
      In the best of cases, the image is backed by quality products that are seen as being suitably trendy and buyable.
      The Japanese, who exhibit an apparently inextinguishable desire to shop until they drop, have taken brands such as Marimekko and Iittala particularly to heart.
     
In the cultural arena, Finland punches above its weight, thus far largely on the strength of the country’s classical music names.
      Every year, Finnish conductors are seen guesting with major Japanese orchestras, and for instance the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra toured eight cities in Japan earlier this year, playing to sold-out halls.
      More recently, Finnish heavy rock acts have also started to win airtime in Japan, even though it is only fair to say that the crowds and the record sales are as yet marginal. Then again “marginal” in a country with a population of 127 million is a relative concept.
     
One new breakthrough has been in the field of Finnish books for children and juveniles.
      In July, the Finnish Literature Exchange FILI took part for the first time at the Tokyo Book Fair, and the results were very positive: a good many new publishing contracts were signed for Finnish works in translation.
      The popularity of Tove Jansson’s Moomins in Japan is not to be sniffed at, either.
      Professors have analysed the profundities of the Moomin characters and tailored whole supplementary university courses about the books.
     
At the beginning of the summer, the Finnish Embassy in Japan launched a “Project Finland” Internet portal aimed at Japanese schoolchildren, in which Moomintroll acted as a guide to Finland and things Finnish.
      The site gained more than 20,000 unique hits in the first couple of days, and the pages were featured in all the national newspapers.
     
Perseverance is the keyword in marketing Finland to the Japanese. Success requires time, contacts, and professionalism.
      At least right now the basics are in place: Finland is a subject that stimulates people’s interest, and the country’s reputation hardly needs any polishing up.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 24.9.2007
     
The writer was Counsellor for Press and Cultural Affairs at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo from 2003-2007.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Japanese movie audiences become familiar with land that created Moomins (29.8.2006)

Links:
  Embassy of Finland, Tokyo
  Project Finland (English Version)