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【土曜版 #98】海外知識層は、日本の何に魅力を感じているか。文化を経済につなぐ方法（ゲスト：佐宗邦威さん）
Kuniake Saso (佐宗邦威), founder of strategic design firm Biotope, argues that Japan should stop chasing a return to economic supremacy and instead leverage what he calls a "third Japonisme"—a surging global respect for Japanese culture. Drawing on a five-city, 22-person ethnographic study conducted in partnership with METI's Cool Japan Policy Division, his new book *Japan as Only One* identifies four brand values that educated global consumers already associate with Japan and outlines how those values can be converted into economic gain.
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What this episode answers
Why should Japan aim to be 'Only One' rather than 'Number One' right now?
Japan has shifted from economic superpower to a mid-tier power in an era dominated by the US and China, making a return to manufacturing supremacy unrealistic; Saso argues Japan should instead pursue an irreplaceable uniqueness rooted in the global wave of respect for Japanese culture he calls the third Japonisme.
What aspects of Japan attract educated global consumers?
Overseas knowledge-class consumers value four things: the playful diversity of experiences (from pop culture to ski resorts to tropical islands), wellbeing offerings such as hot springs and Zen, the health and longevity image linked to Japanese food, and a craftsmanship ethic—symbolized by kintsugi—that signals a careful, intentional way of living.
What research methodology did Saso use for his overseas study?
Working with METI's Cool Japan Policy Division, Saso conducted in-home ethnographic interviews of more than two hours each with 22 people aged 20–30 in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, and Singapore, targeting high-income, culturally sensitive 'modern luxury' consumers that the Japan Tourism Agency is actively courting.
Why is Japanese food so strongly associated with a healthy image abroad?
Sushi and matcha established the health association first, and that image has since expanded to cover dishes like katsu curry and udon; additionally, Japan's tradition of using every part of an ingredient overlaps with sustainability values, leading Japanese food to be referenced in vegan contexts as well.
What are the challenges and prescriptions for turning Japan's cultural appeal into economic value?
Tourism and IP industries (anime, manga, games) are already Japan's core foreign-currency earners, but chasing volume risks overtourism; Saso proposes a luxury strategy of 'selling correctly at a higher price'—attaching appropriate premium pricing to scarce, high-quality cultural experiences—a direction the Japan Tourism Agency has already begun to adopt by shifting its target from classic to modern luxury travelers.
*Japan as Only One* and Japan's Future Vision
The title of Kuniake Saso's new book is a deliberate nod to Ezra Vogel's *Japan as Number One* (1979). In the 1980s Japan led the world as an economic giant; today, with the US and China holding overwhelming dominance, Japan occupies what analysts call a "middle power" position. Yet the fantasy of reclaiming the manufacturing throne resurfaces again and again like a ghost. Saso finds that impulse misguided. A middle-power Japan, he contends, should not aim to be Number One but to be a uniquely irreplaceable Only One. The evidence for that pivot is the rising global respect for Japanese culture—a phenomenon Saso calls the "third Japonisme."
A Five-City Ethnographic Study of 22 People
During a round-the-world trip, Saso repeatedly heard from Japanese expatriates that Japan is no longer seen as a technology country—it is now valued for its culture. Back home, he partnered with METI's Cool Japan Policy Division to design a rigorous original study. The five cities were New York, London, Paris, Berlin, and Singapore. Rather than a questionnaire, the team chose ethnography: researchers visited participants in their own homes and spent more than two hours with each person. Interviewees were drawn from the "modern luxury" segment that the Japan Tourism Agency targets for inbound travel—people in their 20s and 30s with high incomes and strong environmental and cultural sensibilities—for a total of 22 participants. Each brought photographs representing their image of Japan, shared life histories in deep conversations, and contributed to discussions documented in shared Google Slides that the full team analyzed to extract insights.
Four Brand Values That Educated Global Consumers See in Japan
The study surfaced four overarching values.
**① Playful, varied experiences:** Despite a compact landmass, Japan holds pop culture (anime, manga, games), the ancient capital of Kyoto, the modern metropolis of Tokyo, the tropical south of Okinawa, and ski resorts like Niseko and Hakuba—all coexisting. Foreign visitors find it extraordinary that a single country can offer both a snow country and a southern island, and even the local mascot characters (yuru-kyara) read as an invitation to "encounter playfulness on the street."
**② Wellbeing:** Japan is recognized as a high-stress society, but that reputation paradoxically gives it credibility as a country that has developed effective antidotes to stress. Hot springs, Zen, and nature experiences are the symbols. One practitioner of Japanese culture in Melbourne told Saso that Japan is perceived as "a theme park of wellbeing"—a phrase that stayed with him.
**③ Healthy living:** Foreign consumers notice Japan's long average lifespan and low obesity rate and attribute both to Japanese food. Sushi and matcha lead the association, but the health halo has extended to katsu curry and udon as well. The tradition of using every part of an ingredient also maps onto sustainability values, positioning Japanese cuisine as a reference point in vegan food conversations.
**④ A careful way of living:** Using tableware and crafts made by artisans infuses daily life with a sense of intentionality, foreign consumers feel. Kintsugi—the practice of repairing broken ceramics with gold lacquer and cherishing the repaired seam—has become especially popular in Europe as a symbol of craftsmanship. The image of "Made in Japan" is shifting from "high-tech product quality" to "quality of careful handwork."
Connecting Culture to the Economy: The Idea of Selling Correctly at a Higher Price
Tourism and IP industries—anime, manga, games—are already Japan's primary sources of foreign-currency revenue through the services balance. But pursuing volume indefinitely leads to overtourism. Saso's prescription is to "sell correctly at a higher price": a luxury strategy that assigns appropriate premium pricing to scarce, authentic experiences. The Japan Tourism Agency has already begun shifting its target from "classic luxury" to "modern luxury" travelers, and raising per-visitor spending through high-quality cultural experiences is set to become the central focus of that policy direction.
Takeaways
- Japan has moved from economic superpower to middle power, and Saso argues the country should stop chasing a manufacturing comeback and instead build on the third Japonisme—a global wave of respect for Japanese culture—to position itself as irreplaceable rather than simply competitive.
- A METI-backed ethnographic study across five cities and 22 high-income, culturally aware consumers identified four brand values—playful experiential diversity, wellbeing, healthy living, and craftsmanship—that educated global consumers already attach to Japan, while Japan itself has yet to fully recognize or monetize them.
- Tourism and IP are already Japan's core foreign-currency earners, but the path forward lies not in volume but in a luxury strategy of 'selling correctly at a higher price,' converting cultural scarcity into premium value while avoiding overtourism.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.