Source: Peatix

We will be hosting a special lecture at (PLACE) by method in Shibuya, Tokyo on Saturday, January 24th, featuring photographer and ceramics dealer Otani Shinji, who is a member of the British ceramics dealer Doki Limited and has set up shop at numerous Japan Fairs and Anime Expos across Europe, witnessing the forefront of retail and sales of "Made in Japan" products in Europe. The lecture will explore the possibilities of "Main in Japan" in Europe in the post-Cool Japan era.

In an interview for the WORKSIGHT newsletter "Selling Made in Japan: A Pottery Dealer's View of Post-Cool Japan in Europe" (published Tuesday, January 13th), Otani Shinji candidly spoke about the unprecedented "Japan Boom" in Europe. He will be lecturing on the know-how of "peddling" in Europe, and will be joined by four people: Yamada Yu, a buyer who has worked on a wide range of products both in Japan and overseas; Yamashita Shotaro, Editor-in-Chief of WORKSIGHT; and Wakabayashi Megumi of Kurotorisha, who produced this article, to consider the future possibilities of "Made in Japan." This is a rare lecture and talk event that those involved in manufacturing, food and beverage, and retail who are aiming to expand overseas will not want to miss. Come and join us!

【Summary】

Special Lecture: How to sell "Made in Japan" products in Europe?

Lecturer: Otani Shinji
Guests: Yu Yamada (Method) and Shotaro Yamashita (WORKSIGHT)
Moderator: Kei Wakabayashi (Kokudorisha)
Date and time: Saturday, January 24, 2026 16:00-18:00
Venue: (PLACE) by method (Caminito 14, 1-3-1 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Capacity: 30 people
Participation Fee: Free
Co-organized by WORKSIGHT, Kurotorisha, METHOD

【Performer】

Shinji Otani
Born in Shiga Prefecture, he currently resides in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He moved to the Netherlands after working as a ceramic artist in Japan. He graduated from the photography department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in 2007. He has received awards including the Epson Art Photo Award (Germany), the Steenbergen Stipendium (Netherlands), and the Raymond Weil Photo Award (Switzerland), and in 2012 he won the Grand Prize at the first Unseen Unpublished Dummy Award (Netherlands) and published his debut work, "The Country of the Rising Sun." In 2015, he began working under the name Otani Nieuwenhuize, a duo project with Dutch photographer Johan Nieuwenhuize. His work has been included in public collections, solo exhibitions, and group exhibitions, including G/P gallery, Gallery 916, POST (Tokyo), Dazaifu Tenmangu Treasure House (Fukuoka), Ibasho (Belgium), Nederlands Fotomuseum, Foam Amsterdam, and Collection Neuflize OBC (France).
https://shinjiotani.com/work

Yu Yamada
After working as a buyer at IDÉE SHOP in Minami-Aoyama, he founded method in 2007 and began working as a freelance buyer. He is currently the CEO of method Inc. His major projects to date include the National Art Center, Tokyo Museum Shop "Souvenir from Tokyo," 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT SHOP, GOOD DESIGN STORE TOKYO by NOHARA, "made in Pierre Hermé," and "Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival." He continues to be active in a wide range of fields, serving as a judge for various competitions and giving lectures at educational institutions and production areas.
http://wearemethod.com

Shotaro Yamashita
Editor-in-Chief of WORKSIGHT and Director of KOKUYO Yokoku Research Institute and Workstyle Research Institute. WORKSIGHT was first published in 2011. In the same year, he established WORKSIGHT LAB. (now the Workstyle Research Institute), a research institute that considers future work styles. Since 2019, he has also served as a specially appointed associate professor at Kyoto Institute of Technology. In 2022, he established Yokoku Research Institute, a research and design lab that studies and practices alternatives for the future society.
https://yokoku.kokuyo.co.jp/

Kei Wakabayashi
Content director for Kurotorisha, TIGER MOUNTAIN, and WORKSIGHT. After serving as editor-in-chief of the Japanese edition of WIRED, he founded Kurotorisha. In 2025, he opened the second-hand bookstore TIGER MOUNTAIN. His books include Goodbye Future (Iwanami Shoten) and Experimental Democracy: From Tocqueville's Thought to Digital and Fandom (co-authored with Uno Shigeki, Chuokoron Shinsho). He has translated John Berger's The Seventh Man (co-translated with Kim Seong-won, Kurotorisha). His latest publications include Company and Society Reading Group (Kurotorisha), among others.
https://blkswn.tokyo/

【Notes】
・Please note that cancellations are not accepted after application has been made.
・Photography, filming, and audio recording during the event are strictly prohibited.
・It is strictly prohibited to reuse, reprint, transfer, or copy materials or web videos related to the event content without permission.
・Event footage may be published on media such as note and on social media, and may also be used in WORKSIGHT/blkswn publishers Inc.'s public relations activities (including coverage and information provision to television stations, newspapers, news sites, etc.).

[Handling of personal information]
・The personal information you register will be kept and managed by Kurotori Co., Ltd. Please be sure to check Kurotori Co., Ltd.'s privacy policy regarding how Kurotori Co., Ltd. handles personal information.
・Personal information submitted when applying may be used for Kurotori's advertising, publicity and sales promotion activities (such as sending information about products, services, various events and campaigns via email or direct mail, as well as recruitment and survey requests).

Venue