JNTO Unveils Video Campaign with Chef Eric Ripert

Americans’ awareness of Japan is linked to the cuisine being served across the nation. So, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) created a recipe for a new marketing campaign that took a celebrity chef on a culinary adventure.

Recently JNTO unveiled a new digital mini-series featuring Chef Eric Ripert exploring spiritual, artisan and epicurean interests within the Hokuriku region in central Japan.

Co-produced with Conde Nast Traveler, the series consists of two short videos. The first, titled “Unforgettable Experiences in Japan: Kanazawa,” has Ripert visiting Kanazawa, a capital city of Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture that is noted for its fresh seafood. He goes to Omicho Market, an izakaya restaurant and a soy sauce-making facility plus sits in on a traditional tea ceremony.

In the second video, “Unique Adventures in Japan: Yamanaka and Fukui,” the chef heads to Yamanaka and Fukui, noted for their arts and crafts heritage—with stops at artisan studios for viewing handmade wooden bowls, kitchen knife making and Kinpaku gold leafing. He also watches the making of soba noodles and sake brewing and mediates at Hokyoji Temple.

Video Series

In choosing Ripert for the series, Executive Director of the JNTO New York office, Ken Iwata explained ho the Michelin-starred chef was the best spokesperson for promoting Hokuriku to the travel luxury market for many reasons. Ripert already was knowledgeable about Japanese culture, as was his public recognition.

“It would be very easy to choose a famous Japanese chef like Masaharu Morimoto or Masayoshi ‘Masa’ Takayama,” said Iwata. However, he also noted that a celebrity chef like Ripert talking about Japan would be more persuasive to Americans in promoting Japan as a food destination.

“Also, Eric is a very popular New York City chef, and he uses many Japanese ingredients [at his restaurant],” said Iwata.

At Le Bernardin, Ripert—who is also the restaurant’s co-owner—apparently incorporates other Japanese influences. Iwata recalled dining one night at the French restaurant in New York City and finding at his table an oshibori (the practice of providing a wet towel for cleaning one’s hands before eating) and asked the staff about this offering.

“I was very surprised that a top French restaurant would have this,” Iwata remarked.

To film the series, Ripert traveled to the Hokuriku region last September. His itineraries were planned based upon his personal interests along with scheduling stops at in noted culinary and cultural locations.

“He wanted to visit temples, so we included them because he wanted to mediate with monks,” said Hiromi Yoneda, JNTO’s New York office director. (Ripert is a Buddhist.) And in tying with his background as a chef, Yoneda said Ripert was sent to see culinary craftsmanship places such as Takamura Hamono Knives.

In return, Ripert shared his experiences through posting photos on social media, such as watching gold leafing, bowl making and other experiences.

“We did not request that he [post] to Facebook or Instagram, but he posted many times,” said Iwata.

Along with highlighting different parts of Japan through cuisine, JNTO is also focusing on promoting parts of the country such as northern Japan that can get overlooked by visitors.

According to research by Japan Tourism Agency, 63 percent of visitors that visit Japan as of 2015 are first-timers. It’s understandable that they want to see Tokyo or Kyoto.

“We do not need to promote these big-name cities,” said Iwata, noting that JNTO concentrates on marketing Hokuriku and other local regions like Tohoku—the latter being in the northern part of Japan.

Pointing out the easy accessibility to these regions via rail plays a role in this mission. For example, Yoneda mentioned that visitors can travel to Kanazawa from Tokyo by taking a two-and-half hour-long bullet train:

“Kanazawa is also an easy city to walk around,” he added.

Video production is also a growing marketing component for JNTO.. Along with Ripert’s series, another project involved four American travel influencers new to Japan and exploring Tohoku. Filmed by Piranha—an American video production company—the documentary-style series follows these participants as they experience natural wonders, culinary finds and spiritual traditions within this region north of Tokyo.

On February 6, JNTO unveiled a new global, multilingual campaign known as “Enjoy my Japan” to encourage long-haul travelers to visit Japan and immerse themselves in the country’s nature and culture away from the tourist path. With the main message implying that Japan literally has something for everyone, the campaign’s website lets visitors craft a virtual tour. Viewers respond to questions about certain travel preferences, resulting in the creation of a “personalized movie” consisting of video clips associated with responses.

JNTO is also planning events in March such as their annual Japan Week inside Grand Central Terminal.