Exhibitors (Council Meeting No. 7 in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture)

Cool Japan-related image(Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture)

Kogi Abe
Head Hokkaido Branch, Japan Shopping Tourism Organization
JTB Hokkaido seeks to contribute to "Hokkaido’s cultural and economic development" by providing products that deliver "value, excitement, and originality" to not only residents of Hokkaido but also domestic tourists and overseas visitors. It promotes exchanges and cultural activities through its survey and consulting business.

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Hiroyuki Ito
President Crypton Future Media, Inc
Crypton Future Media develops technologies that fuel new audio ideas, including music production software, online music distribution, voice synthesis technology, and 3D computer graphics technology. One of its developed products, "Hatsune Miku," has become an international phenomenon and is the focus of highly successful events held in the United States, Southeast Asia, and China. The company was awarded Japan’s Medal with Blue Ribbon in 2013.

Hiroyuki Ito

President
Crypton Future Media, Inc

Crypton Future Media develops technologies that fuel new audio ideas, including music production software, online music distribution, voice synthesis technology, and 3D computer graphics technology. One of its developed products, "Hatsune Miku," has become an international phenomenon and is the focus of highly successful events held in the United States, Southeast Asia, and China. The company was awarded Japan’s Medal with Blue Ribbon in 2013.

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Takahiro Otsuka
Cool Hokkaido Co., Ltd. Executive Officer
Hokkaido is blessed with an enviable array of resources that include safe foods, excellent tourist destinations, and high-quality services. Cool Hokkaido teams up with local small- and medium-size enterprises in Hokkaido to present these resources to ASEAN countries. It seeks to deepen ties between Hokkaido and ASEAN through exchanges and to stimulate economic activity on both sides.

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Ayumi Suzui
President Creative Office Cue
Creative Office Cue is a talent agency. Among its clients is the TEAM NACS drama group, which includes the popular actor Yo Oizumi. Based in Hokkaido, it develops its business as "a local rooted effort to spread the word about Hokkaido entertainment." It enhances the value of local resources and develops new markets by planning and developing original content.

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Takashi Nishiyama
President and CEO Nishiyama Seimen, Inc.
This company’s founder was one of the creators of miso ramen. Nishiyama Seimen supplies noodles with the unique "Sapporo ramen" flavor to ramen restaurants throughout Japan. It is known for its management policy of developing new products and menus together with its customers. Amid the growing overseas popularity of ramen, it now exports noodles, sauces, and other products to 19 countries.

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Neil Hartmann
Representative One Film
Hartmann began as a radio presenter for a station in Hokkaido (FM Hokkaido, now AIR-G’). He was the original presenter for Hokkaido Television Broadcasting’s snowboarding program "no matter board." He served as the MC for the half-pipe events at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and as the regular MC for the Nissan X-Trail Jam. He began teaching himself the art of snowboarding photography in the late 1990s, and later created a series of self-produced documentaries on Hokkaido-based snowboarders named "Car Danchi." As part of his work as a photographer, he shoots images for catalogues and advertisements. He has contributed works to ad campaigns for the Daihatsu Wake, The North Face, Burton Snowboards, and Trans-world Snowboarding as well as to numerous magazines.

Neil Hartmann

Representative
One Film

Hartmann began as a radio presenter for a station in Hokkaido (FM Hokkaido, now AIR-G’). He was the original presenter for Hokkaido Television Broadcasting’s snowboarding program "no matter board." He served as the MC for the half-pipe events at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and as the regular MC for the Nissan X-Trail Jam. He began teaching himself the art of snowboarding photography in the late 1990s, and later created a series of self-produced documentaries on Hokkaido-based snowboarders named "Car Danchi." As part of his work as a photographer, he shoots images for catalogues and advertisements. He has contributed works to ad campaigns for the Daihatsu Wake, The North Face, Burton Snowboards, and Trans-world Snowboarding as well as to numerous magazines.

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Takuya Minee
Creative Director
Minee handles management and design for a uniform and apparel company in Sapporo and Taipei. He is a representative of CREATIVE HOKKAIDO, a private organization that conveys new and attractive concepts from Hokkaido to Japan and the world. He serves as the creative director of "mina an ikor," a project that uses new approaches to link Ainu designs to the future.

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Miyuki Muraki
Managing Director The Ainu Museum
The Ainu Museum is dedicated to presenting tangible and intangible cultural artifacts of Hokkaido’s aboriginal Ainu people. It is an outdoor museum dedicated to study and research, the preservation of traditions, and education concerning Ainu culture. On its grounds, which are centered around five Ainu chise (traditional houses), there are displays and performances of traditional handicrafts as well as performance arts that have been designated Important Folk Cultural Properties. Hands-on learning programs are also offered there. Popularly known as Porotokotan (meaning “large lakeside village”), it has attracted some 1.8 million visitors since its opening in 1976.

Miyuki Muraki

Managing Director
The Ainu Museum

The Ainu Museum is dedicated to presenting tangible and intangible cultural artifacts of Hokkaido’s aboriginal Ainu people. It is an outdoor museum dedicated to study and research, the preservation of traditions, and education concerning Ainu culture. On its grounds, which are centered around five Ainu chise (traditional houses), there are displays and performances of traditional handicrafts as well as performance arts that have been designated Important Folk Cultural Properties. Hands-on learning programs are also offered there. Popularly known as Porotokotan (meaning “large lakeside village”), it has attracted some 1.8 million visitors since its opening in 1976.

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Ross Findlay
President NAC
Findlay established Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC) in March 1995 to organize rafting and other activities for enjoyment throughout the year. NAC opened its Sapporo branch in 2008. In recognition of NAC’s significant role in promoting Niseko’s summer tourist season, Findlay became the first non-Japanese selected as one of the "Top 100 Charisma Ambassadors of Tourism" by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2004.

Ross Findlay

President
NAC

Findlay established Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC) in March 1995 to organize rafting and other activities for enjoyment throughout the year. NAC opened its Sapporo branch in 2008. In recognition of NAC’s significant role in promoting Niseko’s summer tourist season, Findlay became the first non-Japanese selected as one of the "Top 100 Charisma Ambassadors of Tourism" by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2004.

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Naoyuki Watanabe
Conde House Co., Ltd. Executive Chairman
A high-quality furniture manufacturer of Asahikawa, Conde House began doing business overseas in 1980. Through its showrooms in Germany and other activities, it has come to enjoy considerable popularity as a supplier of high-quality interior products.

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