The Campaign

1) Present solutions to the global food problems from the angle of “Japanese food is future food.” 2) Provide the experience of traditional Japanese cuisine using the latest digital technologies. 3) Create advantages of sponsoring Japan Pavilion and secure a good amount of funding from company sponsors.

Creative Execution

[Expo Milano Japan Pavilion] The Pavilion offered an entertaining virtual visual experience that recreated seasonal farm landscapes as well as dining tables lined with dishes. Various tableware and miniature food were displayed to portray supreme craftsmanship around food, and together they made up a colorful and engaging narrative for the visitors. The use of sensing technology realized an enhanced interactivity, and incorporating the mobile app technology enabled visitors to take the experience home. [Japan Salone] Coinciding with the Expo, a second base of Japan Pavilion was set up in the city of Milan. Here, companies presented Japanese knowhow, skills and technologies in order to link them to business opportunities. [Japan Day parade] Japan Day parade, mainly featuring festivals from the six prefectures of the Tohoku region that were hit by the 2011 earthquake, expressed thanks for the global support after the disaster.

[Japan Pavilion] During the 184-day season, 2,280,000 people visited the Japan Pavilion. That amounts to 1 in 10 of total Expo visitors. In a survey conducted by an Italian agricultural organization, Japanese Pavilion was chosen as the “best pavilion.” The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera gave a favorable review, recognizing the “balance of the poetical and the high-tech” of Japan Pavilion. In the Pavilion Prizes awarded by BIE (Bureau International des Expositions), Japan Pavilion was awarded gold, the best prize, for exhibition design. This is the first time ever that a Japanese Pavilion receives the gold prize. [Japan Salone] During the 19 days (June 25 – July 13), 5 national departments and 21 local governments and organizations participated in Japan Salone, drawing over 30,000 visitors. [Japan Day parade] Enjoyed by estimated 60,000 people.

Through the Japan Pavilion enterprise, we aimed to present and promote Japan (to make people like Japan, eat Japanese food, and want to visit Japan) and whereby to contribute to Japan’s growth.

Target audience is young and old, men and women, from all over the world 1) Knowledge and skills behind Japanese food are diverse, and they have a potential for contributing to the solution of global problems. 2) In cooperation with globally-active Japanese creators and using Japan’s latest technologies, we have created the exhibition that communicates through five senses across the barrier of language difference. 3) Excessive commercial activities of sponsor companies are not allowed at Expo. In light of this, venues for promotion, advertising, and sales meetings were secured elsewhere in Milan in order to maximize the appeal of sponsoring Japan Pavilion.