In July this year, I released my new book, “Nihon ga Suki Sugiru Chugokujin Joshi” (lit: The Chinese Girls With too Much Love for Japan) (PHP Shinsho), and I’ve decided to make this the theme for my article this week.

I first began my cultural activities in China in January 2010. Three and a half years later and I’ve visited the country 21 times and carried out activities in 38 individual cities. During this time I’ve constantly been interacting with the local youth in China in various shapes and forms. I’ve been a part of large projects like official group tours, produced fashion shows in pedestrian malls and given lectures at universities where I don’t come across a single other Japanese citizen. Lately, the social and political state-of-affairs between Japan and China has been on somewhat shaky grounds. Rather than mention the good relations between Japan and China, newspapers and magazines only report the opposite. But there’s always a lot more to the story. I’ve been carrying out my cultural diplomacy activities right in the midst of this media turmoil and that’s exactly what I felt.

It’s rather important for Japan and the Japanese economy, but what kind of lives young Chinese girls lead and what the kinds of things they think about is almost never reported.

People who have experienced the same thing for themselves in China will probably read this and know exactly what I’m talking about. But it’s these things that seem so natural that don’t relay to Japan. Girls like these who have a strong passion for Japanese anime and fashion are vital to the future of Japan-China relations.

China is a country that’s so close, yet seems so far away. But once you see these girls who have all this love for Japan, the gap between the two countries suddenly feels a lot smaller. I hope that people will read this book and come to understand a little more about China through what I experienced during my travels there.

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