Vision & Mission

1. Purpose of the establishment


Our Japanese values, manners and customs have been greatly changed from what they were before, after over hundred years since Meiji Restoration. However, the Japanese traditional culture that have been cultivated over thousand years since the dawn of history, is still the spiritual foundation of Japanese today, from the behavior to the products, also from our personal way of being to society as the gathering of these individuals.

If the Japanese culture in the broad sense of the term are the thoughts and sensibilities come from national character of the Japanese, it is considered that the arts and crafts, performing arts and literature are the Japanese culture in narrow sense, then the ritual and etiquette, Annual Events are those in between. Even our life style is westernized now a day, we believe that our culture in the broad sense of the term will not be disappeared, however, the other two aspects of cultures will be disappearing unless we protect and bring them up consciously. In fact, due to rapid transformation of our life style and demographic changes, the decrease of the person who inherits the culture and shrinking of the market occurs, and the socio-economic environment surrounding the traditional culture and traditional industries are increasingly becoming difficult every year.

The culture in the first place, is the thing that changes and/or disappears by the social condition of each era and/or by the transformation of the people's values. However, the loss of the foundation that has been shaping the Japanese people, can lead to extinction of our identity itself. In recent years, the trend to review the splendor of traditional Japanese culture in the country has seen a surge little by little, and the economic value of itself has started to be recognized. However, it is often limited to fashion, tourism, and the area of the entertainment industry, so in the reality, it has not reached to understand the meaning of the true culture, and incorporate them in the life.

We, the Japanese Traditional Culture Promotion & Development Organization (JTCO), know that traditional culture that has been cornerstone of Japanese society, and the traditional techniques that have been produced endless beauty and functionality, are recognized as having tremendous cultural, social and economic value, by not only Japanese but by the people from all over the world. The purpose of the establishment of our organization is, in order to spread and develop these cultures as rooted in basic life involving many people's thoughts and behavior, instead of inheriting these cultures as literature, resources of museum, or as some people's enjoying. To do so, we are intended to carry out the following activities as a private non-profit organization.

Collection of information of traditional Japanese culture, traditional industries, and cultural heritage, and its' transmission to domestic and international
Recruitment and training of successor of traditional Japanese culture and traditional industries, interaction between the parties, and activities for the promotion of traditional culture and industries for the purpose of planning and promotion of products and services.
Promotion of regional economy combined with the above.

In addition, Japanese culture that we deal with is centered on the following area (i) within one to two years after the establishment of this NPO, we will then spread gradually in the area of the (ii).

(i) Traditional arts and crafts of Japan, local folk culture, historic sites, scenic beauty, etc…
(ii) Japan's tangible, intangible cultural heritage
(General traditional arts such as architecture, landscaping, entertainment, martial arts, literature, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, incense burning, etc…)


2. The details about application


Board members of JTCO built a web site Nippon-net(*1) in 2000 with the support of Piconet Inc., aiming at promoting and re-energising the local culture which has been handed down to today in communities in Japan. Since the establishment of the web site, we have offered the information online about local festivals, traditional crafts and local cuisine. This web page has helped increasing the awareness of locally unique culture, which have not yet well known in other areas. People from many parts of Japan have contributed to this web page by submitting information about the local area they live in.

The information offered in Nippon-net has been used in integrated learning classes at schools as the supplementary material, and it has been introduced by the media such as local newspapers. Moreover, the page 'Local cuisines in Japan(*2)', on this website was recognised and selected as one of the reference web pages for the final selection of the project, 'Japan's Tasty Secrets' (originally titled as '100 Local Cuisines in Japan' in Japanese) conducted by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

JTCO has been engaged in aforementioned activities with the support and cooperation of commercial companies. However, we come to the conclusion that profit-making business is not the only way to sustain and develop our contribution, considering the nature of our activities to promote the traditional culture and industries; whilst the number of successors in traditional culture is decreasing, the scale of market of traditional industries is also declining. The activities we are aiming at include promoting and creating a market for traditional industries so that more people would take interest in traditional culture and the related industries would continue to develop. JTCO will achieve such goals not by relying on a particular organisation or company, but by disseminating and sharing our aim through offering the information. Our project is highly public: we will arouse awareness in general public against traditional culture and techniques, which ultimately results in the traditional culture, technique and industries taking root in everyday life.

For the reasons stated above, JTCO hereby apply for establishing a NPO in order to execute the enterprise described above, based on the achievements so far.

May 22, 2009

NPO Japanese Traditional Culture Promotion & Development Organization
1401 1-3-2 Atago, Minato-ward Tokyo
Noriko Osaka / President

*1 Nippon-net <http://www.piconet.co.jp/nippon-net/>
*2 'Local cuisine in Japan' <http://www.piconet.co.jp/magazine/recipe/index.html>