Yin yang

Published on Wednesday 3 September 2008 11:09

WHEN A JAPANESE WHISKY, Yoichi 20-year-old, became the first variety produced outside Scotland to win the single malt award in a recent Whisky magazine competition, it was something of a blow to national pride. But then, consider: 150 years after we first enjoyed diplomatic relations with Japan, Scots have developed a huge appetite for all things Japanese – sushi, author Haruki Murakami, manga and sake for a start; even kabuki and kimonos float our boat.

To celebrate a century and a half of ties between Britain and Japan, a programme of special events, entitled Japan-UK 150, is taking place around the country until the end of next year. As Edinburgh has the only Japanese consulate outside London, many of these events – including an Edinburgh University Japan Day on 25 October, featuring a nomikai drinks party (a boozy shindig for colleagues) and lectures about tea ceremonies and manga – will be concentrated north of the Border.

Japan-UK 150 is aimed at "advancing mutual understanding between the Japanese and British people". Looking at popular culture in Scotland, however, you'd think we didn't need much more of this – our symbiotic love affair just seems to run and run.

Someone at the frontline of organising events all year, every year, is Kumiko Hatori, who moved from Japan to Glasgow seven and a half years ago. She founded the Japanese Association in Glasgow in 2001 and it now involves hundreds of local people in a consistently popular programme of events. She's a busy woman, running sushi classes (she recently made 1,000 individual pieces for a Japanese/Pakistani wedding in Glasgow), tea ceremonies, sake-tasting and flower-arranging classes, among other traditional happenings.

"As this is the 150-year anniversary of our friendship, the Japanese consulate are being very helpful and encouraging us to organise some interesting projects," says Hatori. "We're getting more and more people who're fascinated by what we're doing. It's certainly a great distance between Japan and Scotland – it takes me almost 24 hours to visit my parents' home. However, despite this, our cultures have connected in many ways."

In fact, many Scots participated in the early industrialisation of Japan, including the founder of the Mitsubishi corporation and Kirin Beer, Thomas Blake Glover, who was originally from Aberdeen. It's rumoured that Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly was based on his tumultuous love life.

If you prefer more relaxing inter-cultural comparisons, take a look at the Botanic Garden in Edinburgh or Glasgow and you'll find that even our green spaces owe a debt to Japan (hence, for instance, the popular Scottish Bonsai Association). The adventurous Scottish plant collectors of the 19th century brought back samples of Japanese maples, cedars, acers and camellias – all of which, mercifully, thrive in wet climates.

If you stroll through the 18th-century Broughton House gardens, you'll see these elegant shrubs in-situ, as these Kirkudbright grounds were designed by painter EA Hornel, whose artistic style was very much influenced by orientalism. This leafy space, now owned by the National Trust for Scotland, has been designed in a complimentary "yin and yang" of Japanese and Scottish styles.

Our love of oriental plant-life hasn't been neglected as part of the Japan-UK 150 programme either. Visit the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh before 12 September to view its exhibition, From Kyoto to Carbeth, which is designed to celebrate the parts that plants play in both cultures.

But what about what we've done for the Japanese? After all, this is a give and take love affair. Aside from their love of malt whisky – "there are real connoisseurs of Scotch in Japan", says Hatori – and fascination with golf, we also have an appreciation for each other's fashion nous. In the Far East, they're crazy about authentic heritage brands such as Harris Tweed and Pringle of Scotland. Plus, any brand of Scottish cashmere does a roaring trade over there (for example, Belinda Robertson has a cashmere showroom in Tokyo). There's also a market for avant-garde, experimental pieces, so much so that many young Scottish designers make it their aim to have their products stocked in some of the hottest, most fashion-forward boutiques in Tokyo or Kyoto.

However, first of all, they have to get buyers interested. Two young Scots, 29-year-old Alice Palmer and 22-year-old Iona Crawford, are hoping to do just that when they head to Tokyo Fashion Week, running from 28 October to 3 November.

As Crawford says: "It doesn't have as much kudos as London or Paris Fashion Week, in the sense that not so many people know about it, but it is most certainly at the cutting edge."

They were presented with this opportunity after making it to the final stage of the national innovation programme, Starter for 6, which is funded by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). They'll be taking part in an exhibition called From Scotland With Love, held in Tokyo's massive Omotesando Hills shopping mall, and they already have a good idea of their potential market.

"I think that Japanese people are much more wild in their clothes choices," says Edinburgh-based Crawford, whose current collection is a collaboration with Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers and Jeremy Law of Dunkeld. "They're far more open to conceptual ideas and less straight-laced than the Brit consumer. The fact that my pieces are inspired by the Scottish landscape, as well as being made and manufactured here, is important to them, as is good quality and exclusivity in general."

Another Scottish designer taking part in this exhibition, Alice Palmer, hopes her work might be spotted by buyers from one of the popular Mitsukoshi stores, the oldest malls in Japan, or even by a representative from Comme des Garons, which owns the exclusive four-storey London fashion boutique, Dover Street Market in Mayfair.

Also, not that bringing their clothes to Japan is going to be like taking coals to Newcastle, but both Palmer and Crawford admit their clothing lines are heavily influenced by eastern designers. You can identify the Japonaiserie vibe of monochrome, muted shades and impactful structures instantly in their work.

"I'm really influenced by the way Issey Miyake is interested in manufacturing processes," says Palmer, whose pieces echo the designer's simple yet dramatic silhouettes.

"I'm also influenced by Miyake, but also Yohji Yamamoto," concedes Crawford. "They're both really creative with pattern cutting. You see, rather than sticking to traditional tailored patterns, they're bold about how they put things on the catwalks. They really know how to make an impact with shapes."

The influence of Japanese designers on fashion graduates is huge. However, there's also a slightly more unconventional contingent in Scotland, who are being influenced by a whole different flavour of dressing up. In the central belt, the popularity of the Japanese art of "cosplay", where participants dress up as their favourite characters from anime, films, books or video games, has mushroomed. There have been a number of gatherings of people indulging in this quirky hobby recently, including one last month at Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow.

If you don't fancy dressing up like Papa Smurf, there are lots of other aspects of Japanese pop culture to explore. For evidence, just visit www.jock samurai.co.uk for updates on films, events and a number of local restaurants offering a taste of this culture for insatiable Japan-ophiles.

Alternatively, get down to your local karaoke bar and get on the mic, your country needs you. After all, if Japan has got the cheek to produce better whisky than us, we had better beat them at one of their own games.

Edinburgh University Japan Day, Pleasance Student Union, Edinburgh, 25 October, visit eduni.japanese-society.org.uk

From Kyoto to Carbeth, Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton's Close, Edinburgh, until Friday 12 September, www.spl.org.uk

www.japanuk150.org; www.learnsushi.co.uk; www.alicepalmer.co.uk; www.ionacrawford.com

Scotland's gifts to Japan

WHISKY

Despite the fact that with Hakushu distillery in Yamanashi, at the foot of the Japanese Alps, Japan has the biggest distillery in the world and is now the main producer of whisky outside the UK and North America, there is still a healthy respect for our single malts. Scotch is considered a status drink and attending tasting and sampling classes is an extremely popular activity among the middle classes.

GOLF

The Scots famously invented golf and the game is one of the most popular sports in Japan. Although there are more than 2,340 courses over there, club membership is expensive, meaning it is an exclusive pursuit.

FASHION

Designers such as Vivienne Westwood, whose tartans are manufactured at Lochcarron of Scotland, are highly popular in Japan. As her brand is a top-end label she's in demand, as Japan is responsible for a third of the world's luxury clothing sales. New young Scottish designer, Christopher Kane, is finding his clothes are very popular, as he cuts his designs for smaller frames – perfect for Japanese women, who are a UK size 6-8, on average.

Japan's gifts to Scotland

SUSHI

Although Edinburgh's Yo Sushi! closed down a few years ago, there are a number of Japanese restaurants that have stayed the distance as part of Scotland's eating scene. These include Bonsai (46 West Richmond Street, Edinburgh, 0131-668 3847), Sushiya (19 Dalry Road, Edinburgh, 0131-313 3222) and Mama San (190 Bath Street, Glasgow, 0141-352 8800).

TEA

Forget builder's tea, we now buy green, white and jasmine from the supermarket, in bulk. Alternatively, head to Tchai Ovna (42 Otago Street, Glasgow, 0141-357 4524) for sencha hon, orange oolong or genmai cha.

FASHION

We've loved Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garons, Kenzo (left) and Issey Miyake for aeons. Now we have a cheaper label called Uniqlo (www.uniqlo.co.uk) to add to that list.

KARAOKE

While the origins of karaoke aren't clear, most people agree that it started in Kobe, a city in Hyogo, Japan. Although Japanese people sing a mixture of Japanese songs and western tunes, the Scottish karaoke contingent usually sticks to the classics. After a few jars, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley or Robbie Williams will do.