展覽会銷售日本“設計”

A few weeks ago the NHK News on-line reported the following:

日本の“デザイン”売り込む展示会

10月3日 23時58分

経済成長が続く東南アジアに、日本の機能的なデザインを売りにした調理器具や生活雑貨などを売り込もうと、シンガポールで日本の中小企業の製品を集めた展示会が開かれています。

この展示会は、ＪＥＴＲＯ＝日本貿易振興機構が３日からシンガポールで開いていて、日本の中小企業を中心に８０社以上が出展し、機能的なデザインやさりげないおしゃれを売りにした調理器具や生活雑貨などが紹介されています。会場には、畳んでも厚さ２ミリと本のしおりとしても使える老眼鏡や、傘立てなしでも地面に立つ折りたたみ傘、しょうゆを入れるとサクラの形が現れる白い小皿など、およそ１２０点の製品が展示され、地元の人たちが興味深そうに見入っていました。
会場を訪れたシンガポール人の女性は「日本のデザインは控えめながら強い印象を残し、優雅さも兼ね備えていると感じました」と話していました。
製品の選考を担ったデザイナーの佐藤オオキさんは「。アジアの人たちに新しい視点を提供していきたい」と話していました。
経済成長が続く東南アジアでは欧米のブランド品の人気も高まっていますが、出展した中小企業としては、使い勝手のよさやライフスタイルに合った点をアピールして、販路を広げたい考えです。

(試譯文)

In Southeast Asia where economic growth was continuing, an exhibition that put together products made by Japanese small and medium enterprises was held in Singapore in order to sell Japanese functionally designed cookware and miscellaneous daily life items.

This show was held in Singapore from the 3^rd (October) by JETRO, a Japanese trade promotion organization. At the center were more than 80 companies from small and medium Japanese enterprises which held exhibition to introduce cookware and miscellaneous daily life items to sell functional designs and casual fashion. In the exhibition there were spectacles for the aged, even if folded it was just 2 millimeters in thickness so that it could also be used as a bookmark in a book, a folded umbrella standing on the ground even without an umbrella stand, and a white small plate with the shape of the cherry tree appeared when soy sauce was put into. Approximately 120 products were exhibited. Local people were gazing and looked interested.

A female Singaporean who visited the exhibition said that "the mild Japanese design has left me with a strong impression; I also feel that it has the elegance".

A designer Mr. Oki Sato who did the product selection was saying that “I would like to offer a new viewpoint to Asian people".

With economic growth in Southeast Asia continuing, the popularity of European and American brand name product was also rising. The small and medium enterprises doing the exhibition appealed to the point that easy-to-use and lifestyle could be combined together, and was considering expanding sales outlet.

It seems that the Japanese companies are eager to sell their designs to people in Southeast Asia.