The kansei-Japan Design Exhibition is one of the two components of "Japan by Design", an event that was held as a "fair-within-a-fair" at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), North America’s largest international furniture exhibition, in a hall entirely reserved for it. The kansei-Japan Design Exhibition featured 121 products that symbolize the Japanese concept of "kansei" and were classified and organized under 12 Japanese words. The other half of Japan by Design was the Japan Pavilion, a showcase of select Japanese companies.

Title: kansei-Japan Design Exhibition in NY
Date: May 16th -19th, 2009 *Closed on May 19th
Venue: Javits Center Hall 1D
Organized by: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

(1) Number of visitors: 11,966

• counting visitors to Japan’s exhibition hall only, and not including press people and ICFF exhibitors (14,903 visitors in total to ICFF)

(2) Degree of satisfaction

• 99% (for the top two items) among respondents to the visitor questionnaire

(3) Feedback from visitors

• "Wonderful!"
• "Cool!"
• "I felt a fusion of craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology."
• "Although the theme is conceptual, I was able to understand it better as I looked at exhibits."
• "It was wonderful that I could see this kind of conceptual exhibition in a trade show."
• "I was impressed by the way the entire hall was dedicated to showcasing Japan in an integrated way."

(4) Number of media interviews

• 94 (89 with U.S. and other foreign media, 5 with Japanese)

(5) Appearances in the media

• 4 articles in 3 newspapers in Japan
• 1 newspaper, 3 articles in 2 journals, and 12 articles on the Internet in North America

Japan’s exhibition hall attracted many visitors, including designers, architects, representatives of manufacturing companies, and professional buyers, and became a major focus of attention. Local attendants assigned to individual exhibition zones responded to visitors’ questions about the products on display and provided information on the exhibiting companies, thereby expanding the potential for future business opportunities. Although none of the products were for sale on the spot, visitors showed a keen interest in their business potential, as reflected by the fact that some exhibitors won provisional contracts. Products embodying Japanese kansei have proven to have strong appeal to North American professional buyers.

• Paris, France (December 12th-21st, 2008) *closed
• Tokyo, Japan (January 23rd-28th, 2009) *closed
• Kobe, Japan (September 5th-13th, 2009) *closed

• New York, USA (May 16th-19th, 2009) *closed
• Kanazawa, Japan (October 16th-24th,2010)*closed
• Hong Kong (December 2nd-4th,,2010)

Creative Industries Promotion Office
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) JAPAN
Tel : +81-3-3501-1750
Fax : +81-3-3501-6782
E-mail : cool-japan@meti.go.jp