Did you know Haagen-Dazs was originated in the US? I thought it came from somewhere in North Europe, which, I assume, would be exactly what the brand founder intended. Let me tell you another example. In Japan, canned coffee is one of the profitable items in the canned-drink market. A Japanese beverage company launched a canned coffee named with “WEST” about 20 years ago, but it didn’t sell at all. They just changed the name to “BOSS,” and it became a big hit and still sells very well. The lesson we can learn here is names are important, sometimes more important than the contents.
In that sense, the name of our hometown (ASAHIKAWA) is at a disadvantage outside Japan because it’s not easy for non-Japanese people to pronounce. In fact, even most of our overseas business partners may not remember the name correctly, I guess. Today, I’d like to show some images (related to the furniture industry) to promote ASAHIKAWA, the Japanese mecca of wooden furniture.
Furniture loung at Asahikawa station
Photo Credit: Kagu Lounge at Asahikawa Station
Asahikawa Design Center
Photo Credit: Asahikawa Design Center
Shungo Ijima
He is travelling around the world. His passion is to explain Japan to the world, from the unique viewpoint accumulated through his career: overseas posting, MBA holder, former official of the Ministry of Finance.
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[…] I wrote before, our home town is the mecca of wooden furniture, where we have the world’s famous chair […]
[…] Last year a budget hotel opened right in the front of the central station, 20-minute walk from my home, and I stayed there the other day. There is a large public bath on the top floor. It was interesting to see the familiar street deserted as the evening went on while soaking in the hot water. Even if it’s just a short stay at a hotel close to your home, I think you can find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Another thing that interested me was that I felt like a spy, seeing real situations where the hotel guests used our furniture. It’s very grateful that many local hotels actively and preferentially use local furniture in our home town. As I’ve been writing it sometimes, here is the Japanese mecca of wooden furniture. […]