8Ships Is Connecting Japan's Artists, Artisans, and Craftmen to a Global Audience

8Ships’ mission is to connect people all over the world with Japan’s unusually hard-to-reach artists, craftsmen, and artisans.

Japanese culture has captivated millions of people around the world, but the creators behind its art often remain inaccessible. Terry Tomonaga is changing that with 8Ships, a company that connects people all over the globe with Japan’s unusually hard-to-reach artists, craftsmen, and artisans.

While Japanese culture is exported, voraciously consumed, and lauded, financial access to the Japanese people creating much of what is appreciated is largely impossible for non-Japanese. Even within Japan, empowering the purveyors of this creativity is rare.

Terry is well situated to fix this deficiency. A Japanese person who graduated from UCLA in California and worked in US finance before setting out on his own, Terry understands the norms and practices of both the West and Japan.

In this conversation, Terry talks about the opportunity 8Ships affords. He gives the example of Sakazuki, an innovative project that incorporates NFTs to give one-of-a-kind, bespoke experiences of Japan’s world famous whiskey industry. Sakazuki not only gives its members access to Japan’s legendary whiskey, it lets people experience Japan’s less known, but equally impressive, immersive traditions such as omotenashi (the Japanese art of hospitality) and ichigo ichie (a philosophy emphasizing the uniqueness of each moment and encounter, such as in tea ceremony).

Terry also speculates on why Japan remains hard for foreigners to access despite the global reach of its culture. I enjoyed speaking with Terry, and as a long-term Japanese resident, I look forward to a renaissance of Japanese creativity powered by smoother access to foreign partners.

Do you enjoy Japanese culture, such as manga, anime, JRPGs? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.

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