Undiscovered Partner Country: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Project to Build a Bridge between Asia and Japan’s Local Areas Field: Local specialties

Deployment of business models to support overseas businesses expansion of SMEs providing excellent products in Japan’s local areas. - Branding of local areas. - Suggesting new styles of sightseeing in Japan. - Analyzing the differences in customers' preference in Asian markets and reflecting the results in the product development. Outline of project Japan abounds in undiscovered local resources with potential to attract people from foreign countries. This project demonstrates the overseas business model of the series of Japanese local specialty shops, which are usually operated by the Japanese prefecture governments in large cities such as and . By opening the local specialty shop in the central city of Asia, the project aims to attract people's attention to the local culture of “Undiscovered Japan," to exhibit and sell the Japanese local foods and handicrafts, and ultimately to make the Japanese local areas tourist destinations for wealthyclass who have a favorable impression on Japan. This project plans to launch a local specialty shop in Vietnam, offering attractive products from and , so as to create the business model for Japanese local SMEs expanding business overseas. The successful model will be established in Vietnam, which can be followed by other prefectures and cities.

Project items and descriptions Business producer Yuji Koyama (1) Opening the Japanese local specialty shops in Ho Chi Minh, selling products from Tokushima Representative Director, R&D Associates (K.K.) and Hokkaido. Mr. Koyama is a city/construction planning consultant who has experience in (2) Creation of Vietnamese brochures, websites, SNS and footage for promotion of the local brands. real estate development, development and operation of commercial (3) Invitation of TV stations, newspapers, magazines to post tie-up advertisement or media coverage. establishments, and event production. His experience relating to marketing (4) Invitation of sightseeing tour planning in collaboration with local travel agencies. includes acting as the main producer of “Nara Silk Road Expo, Oasys Shop” (shop selling specialties from 43 countries along the silk roads), the “JR (5) Events to demonstrate rural sightseeing resources, such as Awaodori, contents from Hokkaido, American Train Project” (shop selling American specialties in stations all etc. over Japan), and “Kuzuha Mall” (shopping mall of Keihan Electric Railway). Main schedule Participating enterprises

Operation of specialty shop End of October 2012 to end of March 2013 ■BRAIN WORKS Co., Ltd. □Brain Works Asia Co., Ltd. PR activities Beginning of September 2012 to end of March 2013 □R&D Associates (K.K.) □Asian Brain Trading Co., Ltd. Website End of October 2012 to end of March 2013 □The Tokushima Shimbun □Hokkaido Food Industry Event planning Beginning of September 2012 to end of February 2013 □Tokushima Prefecture Tourism Association Promotion Association Japan tour End of October 2012 to end of February 2013 □Tokushima Prefecture Products Association Undiscovered Japan Partner Country: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Project to Build a Bridge between Asia and Japan’s Local Areas Field: Local specialties Undiscovered Japan Second year - Framework for the two prefectures in Japanese Exhibition Center Sightseeing Resources PR Events the first FY will be further extended to A specialty shops which wells PR events of local 20 prefectures. products from Tokushima and sightseeing - Products to be sold at the specialty Food Awaodori event shops will be mainly selected from the Hokkaido will be opened in the Phu Collaboration resources, such as My Hung area in Ho Chi Mihn city, Awaodori, aimed products which sold well in the first year. - Development of a food court, Japanese Traditional the residential area for the wealthy at promoting local Exhibition of contents festival event Handicrafts class. The shops will also have a café product sales and from Hokkaido - Marketing research for 47 prefectures space where the customers can eat the tourism. Regional signature foods bought at the store. Promotional will be conducted in the second year in foods materials showing tourist spots will be order to gather marketing information for available at the store. the business after the third year. - For sightseeing, variations are possible, Web Ordering Japan Tour such as cross-prefecture tours or Publication on website of the products Arrangement of intensive sightseeing of one area. from these prefectures as well as regular packaging twenty prefectures slated for PR Japan Tour tour to Japan in Food participation in the project from the collaboration with forthcoming FY. Products will be travel agencies, delivered to the specialty shop in Ho Traditional connected to the Third year onwards Chi Mihn city. Research will be handicrafts creation of - Framework will be further extended to conducted by the next FY for repeated visitors 47 prefectures. Regional signature gathering information on popular - Development into the "Japanese after the next FY. foods items and customer class. Exhibition Center" offering products from various regions. Exhibition/Events/Tourism - Development of a "gourmet corner" in the food court, and holding events in Business operator in Vietnam: Brain Works/Producer: R &D Associates "Japan Week." Making the event distinctive, by demonstrating the Information provision Exhibition/Events/Tourism Media coverage characteristics of various Japanese regions, in addition to the specific ・Tokushima Prefecture Japan side: ・ Media regions. Tokushima Prefecture Products Support - The Tokushima Shimbun Association Coverage - Create the packages for touring various ・Tokushima Prefecture Tourism Vietnam side: sightseeing spots in Japan. Attracting ・ Association Local companies/producers from Tokushima - Ho Chi Minh TV repeated tourists. ・JITSA and Hokkaido - Japan Style Magazine - Constant media coverage to advertise ・Local Products Association - PHUONG THAO NGUYEN “Undiscovered Japan" from the ・ Regional Hokkaido Food Industry Promotion revitalization CO.,LTD viewpoints of traditional culture and Association craftsmanship.