We were delighted to be part of the Prestigious British Fair in Osaka this October which is now in it's 58th year. It is Japan's largest and longest-running British Fair that attracts over 250,000 visitors and celebrates all things British.
Cotswolds Plus Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) has worked with Hankyu Department Stores Japan to curate a selection of businesses to showcase the quintessential English countryside charm of the Cotswolds. We were thrilled to be chosen to be part of the event along with other local businesses including Cotswold Cheese Company, Bakery on the Water and lace maker Jane Wright of Chalford.
Keiji Hayashi, UK project and business development executive of Hankyu Hanshin Express, owner of the Osaka department store, has been liaising with CotswoldsPlus over the past six months and scouring the Cotswolds to select a range of businesses that best represented the very English character of the area.
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“The Japanese market is of huge strategic value to the Cotswolds’ visitor economy,” said a spokesperson for Cotswolds Plus LVEP. “We’re proud to support businesses in building long-term international links that can grow beyond tourism into retail, trade and brand partnerships as well as encouraging inbound tourism to the region.”
“We are excited to promote these wonderful Cotswold businesses to Japanese audiences,” said Yukiya Matsunaga, Event Planning & Marketing Manager at Hankyu. “During our recent visit, I enjoyed a lavender scone in the middle of the fields where it was grown—this sense of place and quality is exactly what appeals to our customers in Japan.”
Charlie Byrd, owner of Cotswold Lavender welcomed both Yukiya and Keiji to the Lavender Fields last summer and took them on a tour so they could understand the history and process of harvesting the lavender, some of which is then used by North’s Bakery to make the scones.
Charlie said “Being a small rural business we were delighted Hankyu wanted to feature us within the British Fair. Opportunities like this are rare and we appreciate the support that CotswoldsPlus team have given us to ensure we have been able to make the most of this. This isn’t just about selling products and raising the profile of our brand —it’s about storytelling, place-making and expanding the global footprint of us as small rural businesses. The Japanese market values quality, heritage and authenticity—qualities the Cotswolds and the many small businesses that operate here has in abundance.”
