Index
- Japanese artists and creators are unwittingly putting a cap on their potential
- Japanese artists and creators are already among the top on a global scale
- Can Japan grab the upcoming Web3 opportunity?
- Initiating NAYUTA:東京電脳R…

In Japan, we often hear people say, “Japan is so behind in the global art market” - but is this really the case?

According to the “Japanese Art Industry Market Report 2021,” the overall art market in Japan is worth approximately 2 billion USD, which accounts for only 4% of the global art market. This figure alone does look small considering the size of the overall economy in Japan. There are many reasons behind this - the stagnant growth of the Japanese economy, the tax regulations for art in Japan, the lack of business experience of art galleries in Japan, etc.

However, we think evaluating the Japanese art market based on this 4% figure alone is very shortsighted.

The “art” mentioned above mainly refers to more traditional art such as antiques, crafts, and paintings. It does not include creative content such as games, manga, and anime, which often is considered “art” to a global audience. We believe any creation with the “philosophy of the creator” or “artistry” should be considered “art.” In fact, it would be more difficult to conclude that creations such as manga or anime are NOT art.

Perhaps in Japan, with the mindset to strive for higher quality and authenticity, the bar for “art” is set unnecessarily high, wrongly categorizing light creative content such as games, manga, and anime.

It is not necessarily harmful to strive for higher quality and push for self-improvement, but it may cause the artists/creators to lose confidence in thinking, “I am not good enough.” They will then stay within their comfort zone, neglecting to stretch out to the field they have never been to and unwittingly putting a cap on their potential.

The markets for games, manga, and anime in Japan are already one of the largest in the world, and many Japanese-born contents have continued to fascinate the world.

And we believe “worldview,” “characters,” and “story” are essential keywords when discussing these types of content.

A “worldview” is a unified interpretation of the world, which is often defined by how people live their lives. It includes not only an intellectual but also an emotional evaluation and view on life. A virtual reality world where we get to immerse ourselves fully, and even more when there exist some links to reality. We believe Japanese artists and creators are exceptionally talented at creating a unique “worldview.” It might be the innate talent of having a flourishing imagination, or it might be a form of desire to escape from a closed and painful reality to create an ideal world. We might be able to gain a deeper understanding of the roots of their talent by looking more into historical and cultural backgrounds - but either way, their imagination is amazingly surreal.

Fans link themselves to the “characters” in the worldview, and as those “characters” develop and grow over time, fans get the simulated experience of growth themselves. Then, when those characters achieve something big, fans also get a sense of accomplishment. The characters’ life then becomes the “story,” which generates the whole excitement.

“Community” is formed when the fans are attracted to the unique worldview, compelling characters, and exciting stories as a whole. Those immersed in the same world gather together (whether real or virtual) and confirm each other’s virtues and values. The sense of connection creates an even greater sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

In Japan, the virtual world has already been part of everyday life - Japan is a pioneer and a leading country in this field. Consumers set the high bar for quality, which pushes creators to the levels beyond. In this environment, we must recognize that many artists/creators, whether already renowned or not, are already at a high enough level to show off their creations on a global scale. They already have the right to be confident and proud, not only in Japan but also globally.

The big wave of Web3 is approaching. We believe Web3 is about utilizing blockchain technology on top of web technologies that we have built thus far. By logging all transactions on the blockchain, transparency of transactions is assured, and individuals get to own the rights to access information, which will decentralize the power to control. This makes it possible for anyone with the internet to create and fairly compete on a global scale, unbound to physical locations or specific distribution channels.

However, the future does not look too good in Japan. With the current outlook, many artists and creators in Japan will probably end up just staring at the big wave just passing by. There are many contributing factors to this - the government’s policies and taxation system towards cryptocurrency, the lack of confidence of artists and creators as described above, the cultural restrictions, lack of entrepreneurship, etc.

Among many factors, lack of language skills, i.e., not being able to speak English, probably is the most significant contributor. No matter how much they leverage the power of the web3, if they cannot speak English, they will not be able to convey their worldview, characters, and stories and will not be able to build a community. Limited global experience will then limit access to capital and labor - not an easy vicious cycle to get out of.

However, English is not something the Japanese artists/creators can learn in a short time frame. It is still possible to create a unique worldview, characters, and stories with only Japanese - it might even help them be more creative by speaking only Japanese. There are already many bilinguals (Japanese and English) who can bridge the gap between Japanese artists/creators and the global market, so why not utilize them? We think this is the short-term and viable solution considering the speed of the upcoming wave. 

Disclaimer - We are not trying to advocate for “globalization” in Japan. Forced globalization has brought a vast amount of stress and burden to Japan since the Meiji Restoration. The bigger the market, the bigger the dream. That is all we are aiming for here.

With these missions in mind, we had a chance to meet Steak Ninja Boy, the leading artist for the NAYUTA:東京電脳R project. We found his work on Twitter and were very intrigued with his Genesis Collection - the unique worldview is vividly conveyed even by just glancing at his artwork. Soon after, we contacted him, met up in person, and decided to start a project together. We were even more intrigued by his worldview and personality when we talked for hours and had no doubts about the potential of this project.

The core of NAYUTA:東京電脳R is the unique worldview, compelling characters, exciting stories, and the community to be formed. When people are drawn into a fantastic world and exhilarated by the characters and stories, they gather to create a community. 

To anyone who reads this blog and resonates with Steak Ninja Boy’s creation and our thoughts, I sincerely hope you will participate in any way you can and watch where the project goes together. Every fan’s participation will directly contribute to the success of this project. But, more than anything, we really hope you enjoy the project with us.

Wishing for a world where Japanese artists/creators get to shine on a global stage.

by la_croix

Bibliography

Market Report 2021 on the Japanese Art Industry" https://artmarket.report/

Index
- Japanese artists and creators are unwittingly putting a cap on their potential
- Japanese artists and creators are already among the top on a global scale
- Can Japan grab the upcoming Web3 opportunity?
- Initiating NAYUTA:東京電脳R…

In Japan, we often hear people say, “Japan is so behind in the global art market” - but is this really the case?

According to the “Japanese Art Industry Market Report 2021,” the overall art market in Japan is worth approximately 2 billion USD, which accounts for only 4% of the global art market. This figure alone does look small considering the size of the overall economy in Japan. There are many reasons behind this - the stagnant growth of the Japanese economy, the tax regulations for art in Japan, the lack of business experience of art galleries in Japan, etc.

However, we think evaluating the Japanese art market based on this 4% figure alone is very shortsighted.

The “art” mentioned above mainly refers to more traditional art such as antiques, crafts, and paintings. It does not include creative content such as games, manga, and anime, which often is considered “art” to a global audience. We believe any creation with the “philosophy of the creator” or “artistry” should be considered “art.” In fact, it would be more difficult to conclude that creations such as manga or anime are NOT art.

Perhaps in Japan, with the mindset to strive for higher quality and authenticity, the bar for “art” is set unnecessarily high, wrongly categorizing light creative content such as games, manga, and anime.

It is not necessarily harmful to strive for higher quality and push for self-improvement, but it may cause the artists/creators to lose confidence in thinking, “I am not good enough.” They will then stay within their comfort zone, neglecting to stretch out to the field they have never been to and unwittingly putting a cap on their potential.

The markets for games, manga, and anime in Japan are already one of the largest in the world, and many Japanese-born contents have continued to fascinate the world.

And we believe “worldview,” “characters,” and “story” are essential keywords when discussing these types of content.

A “worldview” is a unified interpretation of the world, which is often defined by how people live their lives. It includes not only an intellectual but also an emotional evaluation and view on life. A virtual reality world where we get to immerse ourselves fully, and even more when there exist some links to reality. We believe Japanese artists and creators are exceptionally talented at creating a unique “worldview.” It might be the innate talent of having a flourishing imagination, or it might be a form of desire to escape from a closed and painful reality to create an ideal world. We might be able to gain a deeper understanding of the roots of their talent by looking more into historical and cultural backgrounds - but either way, their imagination is amazingly surreal.

Fans link themselves to the “characters” in the worldview, and as those “characters” develop and grow over time, fans get the simulated experience of growth themselves. Then, when those characters achieve something big, fans also get a sense of accomplishment. The characters’ life then becomes the “story,” which generates the whole excitement.

“Community” is formed when the fans are attracted to the unique worldview, compelling characters, and exciting stories as a whole. Those immersed in the same world gather together (whether real or virtual) and confirm each other’s virtues and values. The sense of connection creates an even greater sense of satisfaction and pleasure.

In Japan, the virtual world has already been part of everyday life - Japan is a pioneer and a leading country in this field. Consumers set the high bar for quality, which pushes creators to the levels beyond. In this environment, we must recognize that many artists/creators, whether already renowned or not, are already at a high enough level to show off their creations on a global scale. They already have the right to be confident and proud, not only in Japan but also globally.

The big wave of Web3 is approaching. We believe Web3 is about utilizing blockchain technology on top of web technologies that we have built thus far. By logging all transactions on the blockchain, transparency of transactions is assured, and individuals get to own the rights to access information, which will decentralize the power to control. This makes it possible for anyone with the internet to create and fairly compete on a global scale, unbound to physical locations or specific distribution channels.

However, the future does not look too good in Japan. With the current outlook, many artists and creators in Japan will probably end up just staring at the big wave just passing by. There are many contributing factors to this - the government’s policies and taxation system towards cryptocurrency, the lack of confidence of artists and creators as described above, the cultural restrictions, lack of entrepreneurship, etc.

Among many factors, lack of language skills, i.e., not being able to speak English, probably is the most significant contributor. No matter how much they leverage the power of the web3, if they cannot speak English, they will not be able to convey their worldview, characters, and stories and will not be able to build a community. Limited global experience will then limit access to capital and labor - not an easy vicious cycle to get out of.

However, English is not something the Japanese artists/creators can learn in a short time frame. It is still possible to create a unique worldview, characters, and stories with only Japanese - it might even help them be more creative by speaking only Japanese. There are already many bilinguals (Japanese and English) who can bridge the gap between Japanese artists/creators and the global market, so why not utilize them? We think this is the short-term and viable solution considering the speed of the upcoming wave. 

Disclaimer - We are not trying to advocate for “globalization” in Japan. Forced globalization has brought a vast amount of stress and burden to Japan since the Meiji Restoration. The bigger the market, the bigger the dream. That is all we are aiming for here.

With these missions in mind, we had a chance to meet Steak Ninja Boy, the leading artist for the NAYUTA:東京電脳R project. We found his work on Twitter and were very intrigued with his Genesis Collection - the unique worldview is vividly conveyed even by just glancing at his artwork. Soon after, we contacted him, met up in person, and decided to start a project together. We were even more intrigued by his worldview and personality when we talked for hours and had no doubts about the potential of this project.

The core of NAYUTA:東京電脳R is the unique worldview, compelling characters, exciting stories, and the community to be formed. When people are drawn into a fantastic world and exhilarated by the characters and stories, they gather to create a community. 

To anyone who reads this blog and resonates with Steak Ninja Boy’s creation and our thoughts, I sincerely hope you will participate in any way you can and watch where the project goes together. Every fan’s participation will directly contribute to the success of this project. But, more than anything, we really hope you enjoy the project with us.

Wishing for a world where Japanese artists/creators get to shine on a global stage.

by la_croix

Bibliography

Market Report 2021 on the Japanese Art Industry" https://artmarket.report/