Japan Goes on a Soft Power Offensive With Wooden Keyboards and Hello Kitty Teacups
Ikoma is currently the producer of “Future Tradition WAO,” a Cool Japan traveling exhibition of contemporary design aesthetics formed with Japanese traditional craftsmanship debuting stateside in New York this weekend. The combination of “wa,” Japan, and “o,” birth, WAO stands for the rebirth of Japan (while simultaneously letting out a sound of awe). It fuses ancient traditions with new technology, familiar shapes with foreign designers. Featuring a crystal Baccarat bowl created for tea ceremonies, cypress trays accented by neon plastic lids, keyboards crafted from walnut and oak, and lacquered USB drives adorned with Japanese cultural symbols in gold leaf, the show is a demonstration of the Japan’s duality — a deeply traditional culture rooted in meticulous, time-perfected craftsmanship with an inventive and innovative eye towards the future.
We’ve always known Japan was cool — let’s not forget the pioneer in progressive, futuristic design also gave us (and Gwen Stefani) Harajuku fashion, Metabolist architecture, and Murakami. But the nation needed some practice in capitalizing on its cool factor. “We’d like to expand our market,” Ikoma said. “We have so much to offer in terms of the arts, but Japan has no idea how to sell outside Japan. For now we have to cultivate the new possibility on the global stage.”