Event Details
Organized by: NCCJ and Nordic Net•Works (Nordic Chambers of Commerce in Japan).
Fee: Free for all Nordic Chambers’ Members.
Time: Wednesday, March 22. 2023
18:00 - 21:00, (Doors open 17:45).
Place: Hyvää Matkaa! in Omotesando MAP.
Service: Nordic Beers, other drinks, and light food items for sale.
Program and hosting company; Finn Corp.
The inspiring Hokuo – the image of the Nordics in Japan from the travel industry perspective
The interest in the Nordics keeps on increasing in Japan and you can continuously see the Nordics referred to in Japanese business and media. Wide and clean nature, sustainability, Northern Lights, sauna culture, design, coffee culture, simple lifestyle, social welfare, and happiness – the Nordics have a lot to offer to the Japanese.
But what does the Nordics mean to the Japanese, what is “Hokuo” and what makes it interesting? How can we communicate the Nordic identity to the Japanese, and how to inspire and engage them to hop on the plane? How can this be used in other industries?
We hope to share our experiences from the travel industry and discuss ways to utilize the highly positive Nordic image for marketing in a variety of industries in Japan.
Come to Nordic Share & Connect to learn more about:
The image of the Nordics in Japan from a viewpoint of the travel industry.
How has the Nordic image evolved and what is interesting for the Japanese in the year 2023?
How can the Nordic image be used for marketing outside of the travel business?
Opportunities for cross-industry cooperation between Nordic organizations, Hyvää Matkaa! as an example.
About Nordic Share & Connect
Nordic Share & Connect is a networking event collaboration with the Nordic Chambers NCCJ, FCCJ, ISCCJ, DCCJ & SCCJ (Nordic Net•Works) aimed at connecting Nordic companies in Japan. A member company of a Nordic Chamber of Commerce opens its doors to its fellow Nordic Chamber members to share their insights and experiences. The event will take place on March 22, 2023, at Hyvää Matkaa! in Omotesando, and will be attended by members of Nordic chambers in Japan. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and network with like-minded professionals from the Nordic business community, and to learn about successful business strategies, as well as potential challenges, in the Japanese market.
On the 22., in addition to the valuable networking opportunities, guests can enjoy a selection of Nordic beers available for purchase. This will provide an opportunity to unwind and continue the conversations started during the event while enjoying a taste of Nordic culture.
Join us at Nordic Share & Connect and take advantage of this unique opportunity to connect with other Nordic companies in Japan, gain insights, and build relationships that can help you succeed in the Japanese market. We look forward to seeing you there!
Company profile: Finn Corporation
Finn Corporation is a Japanese travel company focused on Nordic and Baltic countries. Established in 1983, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2023. We are a pioneer of Nordic travel in Japan and were the first company to introduce Santa Claus & Northern Light tours to Finland as the main purpose of travel.
We focus on special interest tours with a wide variety of themes from official Moomin tours to the sauna, Nordic design, movie collaborations, and local lifestyle. We work closely with Nordic Embassies, chambers, and tourism bureaus as well as collaborate with Japanese media. In our product line-up, we offer both group tours, FIT travel as well as make B2B travel arrangements for companies and organizations. In Japan, we market our products under our brand name “Finntour” and for land operations & reservations in the Nordics, we are known as “Nordic Japan”.
We actively share recent information about the Nordics on our popular social media to engage our customers and reach to new ones. In 2022, started a new business, Nordic cultural space “Hyvää Matkaa!” in Omotesando.
The Venue
Hyvää Matkaa! is a new Nordic event venue, café, shop and cultural space in Omotesando, Tokyo opened in April 2022, operated by Finn Corporation. When you wish to feel the Nordic culture and stroll the picturesque streets of the Nordic cities, we hope to welcome you to Hyvää Matkaa!.
In Hyvää Matkaa!, you can get inspired by the Nordic countries, and always find something new about the Nordic culture. In the café, we have Finnish cinnamon rolls and Nordic snacks to enjoy with a cup of coffee, as well as a selection of Nordic beers and soft drinks. We have a changing selection of Nordic and Baltic items in the pop-up shop, and we regularly organize ourselves or rent our venue for Nordic events. All staff is Finn Corporation personnel, and we are always ready to help with your travel planning to the Nordics, was it for leisure, business, media or something else.
Hyvää Matkaa! means “Have a nice trip!” in Finnish. Entering the doors of Hyvää Matkaa! is a beginning of a new journey, new matka.
Covid restrictions
Participants are asked to wear a mask while not eating or drinking and refrain from joining the event if they have a temperature of over 37.5, flu-like symptoms or have been in close contact with a person infected with covid-19.
Speakers
Shino Mikamo (Ms.)
Managing Director / CEO
Finn Corporation
After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University with a Master’s Degree, she began her career in the tourism industry as cabin crew at All Nippon Airways on both domestic and international flights, eventually becoming Chief Purser in international flights. She entered Finn Corporation in 1994 and gained wide experience on reservations, sales, product planning and marketing. Managing director of Finn Corporation as of 2014. Pioneering “Santa Claus & Aurora tour” as well as “Nordic Design Tour” were awarded as the Tour of the Year, followed by highly popular “Official Moomin Tour” which sold out on the first day of sales. Her first encounter to the Nordics was living in Sweden already in her early years due to her father’s work, and she continuous to actively spread the charm and hidden treasures of the Nordics to the Japanese.
Noora Sirola (Ms.)
Project Manager
Finn Corporation
Master’s Degree in Economics, Marketing from the University of Tampere, Finland. During her studies, she experienced exchange studies at Ochanomizu University and after graduation, moved to Japan for an internship at the Embassy of Finland Trade Section (Business Finland) in 2019. She continued working for Business Finland for 3 years, with her main responsibilities being marketing and event management for the Finland National House for the Tokyo Olympics “Metsä Pavilion”. At the same time, started her career in the tourism industry, working for Visit Finland and promoting Finnish travel & lifestyle to the Japanese. In 2022, she joined Finn Corporation as Project Manager for the new Nordic cultural space “Hyvää Matkaa!” with marketing, events and PR as her main responsibilities. She continues promoting the Finnish lifestyle and culture in Japan through various media and events, and in 2020, appeared in “Sekai Fushigi Hakken” as Mystery Hunter.