Exporting Made In Hawaiʻi Products to Japan
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Powered by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority
Exporting Made In Hawaiʻi Products to Japan
Monday, November 4, 2024
Learn from key experts from Japan on how to market and export your Made In Hawaiʻi products to Japanese consumers. This seminar is best-suited for manufacturers who have capacity to research the market, manufacture enough inventory and seek out in-country support for import approvals, marketing and distribution.
The speakers will present in Japanese, with slides and interpreting in English.
Time
Venue
Registration
Cost
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM (1:30 PM: event registration opens)
Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Emalani Theater, 3rd Floor
REQUIRED, please use this online form
Seminar is no charge. There is a fee for parking.
Schedule
2:05 PM
James Kunane Tokioka
Director, DBEDT
Opening remarks
2:10 PM
Jamie Lum
Branch Chief, Business Development, DBEDT
DBEDT’s HiSTEP program benefits, activities, timeline
2:25 PM
Saki Igawa
CEO of Inflorescence, specializing in new business development, brand communication in Japan market
1. Customer behaviors and characteristics in the Japan Market
2. Brand story and cultural adaptation
3. Marketing strategy and channel selection
2:40 PM
Reijin Fukao
President of Razyworks, Inc. Distributor of body care products, jewelry products
1. Launching your brand in Japan
2. Case study: Malie Organics, etc.
2:55 PM
Hiromi Kobayashi
Project Manager of Inflorescence. A specialist and logistic planner for importing food products.
1. Basics about exporting food products to Japan
2. Current status of food exports from Hawaii to Japan
3. Examples and tips
3:15 PM
Q&A #1
3:25 PM
Mitsue Varley
Japan Country Director, Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan
Various Hawaiʻi fairs and retail activities organized in Japan
3:35 PM
Panel Discussion
Yuichiro Nishimura, Senior Manager, Specialty Contents Development Division, Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc. and Hiroshi Yamada, Director of Store Sales Planning, Takashimaya Group
1. Hankyu Hawaiʻi Fair in Osaka, and Hawaiʻi Life online shopping and external fairs in other prefectures
2. Hawaiʻi Fairs at Takashimaya in Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya
4:05 PM
Q&A #2
4:15 PM
Closing Remarks
4:20 PM
In-person networking between importers/distributors and Hawaii companies
Speakers
Reijin Fukao
CEO of Razy Works Inc.
Razy Works is a branding and distribution company in Tokyo, with their head office located in Harajuku. They are the distributor of Mālie Organics (body care products), Misha Hawaiʻi (jewelry), Kai, APORTHIA (California), and several other brands. Their retail clientele includes high end stores such as Ron Herman, Isetan Shinjuku. Mr. Fukao focuses on raising the branding of Hawaiʻi’s vendors and the level of production and quality standards.
Saki Igawa
CEO of Inflorescence
Ms. Igawa has been involved in new business development and brand business development at various companies, with specific expertise in branding and public relations. She was part of the launch of Blue Bottle Coffee Japan, becoming CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee Japan and Blue Bottle Coffee Asia before starting her own business in 2022. She currently specializes in global branding and consulting on branding communication strategies for Japanese and American companies. A current client is Holey Grail Donuts.
Hiromi Kobayashi
Project Manager of Inflorescence
Ms. Kobayashi started her career as a logistics assistant at a Japanese trading company exporting Japanese auto parts. Two years later, she joined Blue Bottle Coffee Japan as a logistics specialist, responsible for import/export, supply and demand forecasting, purchasing, and domestic logistics for cafes and e-commerce. She also engaged in supply chain team management and brand launch support in overseas markets such as South Korea, Hong Kong and China. Eight years later, she became a freelancer, working primarily with clients in the food and beverage industry, as well as hotels and fitness industries. She provides a wide range of services including logistics development for overseas companies setting up business in Japan, project management for business improvement of Japanese companies, including back office support. She joined Inflorescence in 2024.
Dennis Ling
Administrator, Business Development and Support Division
Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT)
Dennis Ling is the Administrator of the Business Development and Support Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) of the State of Hawaii. The Division oversees trade and export opportunities for the state; markets the state for business investment; supervises international relations and handles sister state relationships; and administers the state’s Enterprise Zone, Community Based Economic Development and Opportunity Zones Programs. Mr. Ling has an BA in Mathematics and an MBA in Finance from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He was twice chosen as State Manager of the Year for DBEDT.
Jamie Lum
Branch Chief, Business Development
Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT)
Jamie Lum is the Branch Chief of the Business Development Branch in the Business Development and Support Division of DBEDT. She administers the Hawaiʻi State Trade Expansion Program, known as HiSTEP, which is supported through a grant from the Small Business Administration. HiSTEP is a comprehensive export development program that enables Hawaiʻi companies to sell their Made In Hawaiʻi products and services worldwide.
Yuichiro Nishimura
Senior Manager, Specialty Contents Development Division, Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc.
Mr. Nishimura was the Project Leader for the Hankyu Hawaiʻi Fair from 2015 – 2018, where he solidified the Hawaiʻi Fair’s positioning near the top of Hankyu series of World Fairs. He has also managed the New York Fair and the UK Fair, Hankyu’s largest Fair and longest running at 55 years. He has worked at Hankyu Ningbo Department Store near Shanghai, China, then in 2023, Mr. Nishimura returned to Umeda Hankyu and is now overseeing project leaders for various World Fairs and events. Mr. Nishimura began his career in men’s fashion, working for two years in the Hankyu Men’s Department Store in Osaka, then later supported the opening of the Hakata Hankyu Department Store. Mr. Nishimura continues to search for the best in category and most-popular Hawaiʻi products and brands, and seeks to share his insight with Hawaiʻi company owners and manufacturers.
Mitsue Varley
Japan Country Director, Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan
Mitsue is Japan Country Director of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan (HTJ). She oversees the Tokyo and Honolulu offices and is responsible for managing and supervising marketing, trade sales, consumer promotion, and public relations activities to enhance Hawaii’s brand value in the Japanese market, the largest international market in the State of Hawaiʻi.
Hiroshi Yamada
Director of Store Sales Planning, Takashimaya Group
Mr. Yamada is in charge of Hawaiʻi Fairs in Kyoto and Osaka’s Takashimaya department stores. He is planning to expand Hawaiʻi Fair to their Yokohama store in 2025 and seeks to showcase more vendors from Hawaiʻi at their growing events.