- Recruiting “SANCHI Communicators” for Content Creation and Local PR to Help Develop Local Japanese Craftwork into Local Brands -

All About, Inc., the company that operates All About Japan, an information site showcasing the appeal of Japan to a global audience, has set up “Local Creators’ Market” to support the creation of local brands based on local craftwork and assist with their overseas expansion by bringing together overseas market specialists and creators under the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. Local Creators’ Market is recruiting communicators who will work with craftwork creators in selected regions to help publicize the project.

(Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M100558/201809147952/_prw_PI4fl_lXrd11hC.png)

For 2018, six regions were selected from the many regions that applied for the project: Aizu, Fukushima Pref. (“mishima amikumi zaiku” basketwork )

Gunma Pref. (silk production )

Seto, Aichi Pref. (“seto-yaki” pottery )

Kainan, Wakayama Pref. (“kishu shikki” lacquerware )

Kurashiki, Okayama Pref. (“hanpu” canvas )

Hamada, Shimane Pref. (“sekishu washi” handmade paper )

A revamped English-language website for the project, underway since 2017, was relaunched on September 4, 2018, specializing in showcasing Japanese local products. Through the site, the project is seeking to reach a large audience and generate interest in unique local products and the regions where they are created.

“Local Creators' Market”: https://local-creators-market.com/

Local Creators’ Market has also joined forces with several e-commerce sites, including NIHON ICHIBAN and Dongjia, to make local craftwork available for purchase by shoppers worldwide.

Recruiting Communicators to Share Japanese Craftsmanship with the World

Besides sharing information about craftsmanship in each region to audiences in and outside Japan, Local Creators’ Market is also recruiting “SANCHI Communicators” who will work with passionate craftwork creators in the six selected regions, share information about local products and support local PR and translation activities for observation teams and buyers.

Creative Communicators Sought: https://local-creators-market.com/recruit

(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/201809147952-O1-fqGyglPF)

Those appointed will be issued an annual passport that helps cover transportation costs to the region and be provided with housing, so they can experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle and culture that are at the heart of the local products and techniques. Communicators will have the chance to connect with each region’s nature, history, cuisine and community as they carry out their work.

About the Local Creators' Market Project

Diving in to discover the techniques, stories, appealing points of brands and local regions, Local Creator’s Market aims to create branding that considers both outbound and inbound elements, while also sharing information about the regions’ craftwork worldwide and conducting sales promotions. Leveraging networks of local governments, manufacturers and related industries, the project seeks to expand overseas demand by inviting industry experts and buyers to the selected local areas to experience the regions and traditions firsthand.

This project combines All About Japan’s network and experience with Japanese government projects with a team of top-class experts, such as Akira Miyake, the overall producer of the project and former editor-in-chief of Kateigaho International Edition, an English-language magazine about Japanese culture, and Atsushi Takada, the brand management leader for Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus.

About “All About Japan”

All About Japan, launched in September 2015, is an overall information site about Japan that provides detailed information about a broad range of topics, including tourism, cuisine, culture and technology. Based on a vision of “discovering and sharing Japan’s appeal from a global perspective,” the site’s original articles are written by a network of 500 writers, experts and bloggers, shared in five languages -- English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Thai and Korean.

Official website: http://allabout-japan.com/en/