Scottish food and drink
Scotland is well known for its food and drink from traditional dishes to high-quality homegrown produce and of course, whisky. Japan is the ninth largest market globally for Scotch Whisky which is renowned for its diverse flavours and exceptional quality.
Did you know that Japan’s own whisky industry has historical ties to Scotland? Japanese whisky pioneers learned whisky making in Scotland, creating admiration for Scotch Whisky among Japanese consumers. There is even a popular Japanese TV show based on the lives of Masataka Taketsuru, who founded Nikka Whisky after studying whisky making techniques in Scotland, and his Scottish wife Rita.
Seafood is another sector experiencing consistent growth in exports to Japan. Scottish salmon is a flagship product which is celebrated globally for its premium quality. There is also strong demand for Scottish mackerel which has become widely available across Japan. Imports of Scottish mackerel have grown ten-fold since 2019 from 1,400 tonnes in 2019 to 15,000 tonnes in 2023.
Find out more about Scottish food and drink
Photo credit: VisitScotland / David N Anderson
Consumer lifestyle
Scotland is known for its excellent craftsmanship, unique heritage and authenticity which are valued by Japanese consumers. We also have a global reputation for excellence and produce some of the world’s best cashmere, wool and tweed.
Tartan is a globally renowned textile, and Japan is one of the key international markets. Did you know that tartan has been incorporated into the collections of major Japanese fashion designers? It also features in Japanese department stores.
V&A Dundee, on the east coast, is Scotland’s design museum which brings design from all over the world to Scotland. The V&A Dundee touring exhibition Tartan is the most comprehensive exhibition on the subject to date, and a radical new look at one of the world’s most iconic textiles and patterns. The museum was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma following an international competition and opened in 2018. Kuma wanted it to be a welcoming space and a way of reconnecting the city to the River Tay waterfront.
Find out more about V&A Dundee (vam.ac.uk)
Photo credit: Hufton + Crow for V&A Dundee
Scotland’s creative industries and gaming
Both Japan and Scotland are renowned for their creative industries, including world-leading gaming sectors. Japan is the third largest gaming market in the world and Scotland has a vibrant gaming sector with exciting opportunities for Japanese gaming companies and academic institutions.
Scotland combines the strength of its world-class educational institutions with a vibrant industry ecosystem. We’ve produced some of the world’s most popular games such as The Grand Theft Auto series and Lemmings.
Lemmings was developed in Dundee by DMA Design (later known as Rockstar North), which became a major success after its release in 1991. It is a puzzle-platform game that gained critical acclaim and won numerous awards. The Grand Theft Auto series was also developed by Rockstar North which is now based in Edinburgh.
Photo credit: Abertay University
In 2010, Scottish gaming company 4J Studios took on the task of developing and porting the highly influential Minecraft game to consoles which has now sold more than 300 million copies and is the best-selling game of all time.
Scotland also has a wide variety of games related courses through our education institutions making it one of the best places to study games. Some of the courses on offer cover game development/production, interactive media, narrative design, ‘applied games’ and more.
Abertay University has been named the top International School for video games design, with programmes ranked in the top 10 at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Find out more about games and creative industries (sdi.co.uk)
Find out more about studying in Scotland.
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
Are you interested in learning more about Scotland’s gaming, consumer, healthtech and energy transition industries? Find out more at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai (sdi.co.uk)
Learn more about doing business in Scotland (sdi.co.uk)
Header image photo credit: Abertay University