Life Power List 2024: Japan takes centre stage in Singapore and beyond

SINGAPORE – Scroll through your social media feed this holiday season, and practically everyone you know is in Japan or making plans to vacation there.

The running joke is that you are more likely to bump into a fellow Singaporean in Tokyo or Osaka than in Orchard Road.

Japan is, after all, the top destination for Singaporean travellers, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study released in early 2024. The country is undergoing a boom in inbound tourism and saw a monthly record of 3.31 million visitors in October alone.

By the end of November, the country saw 33.4 million in tourist arrivals in 2024, more than the previous annual record of 31.9 million set in 2019, before the pandemic.

Japan’s former prime minister Fumio Kishida predicted in July that by year-end, the country’s annual number of inbound tourists will top 35 million, 10 per cent higher than in 2019.

Thanks to the weakening yen, tourists are also spending more than ever on ramen, theme parks, shopping and much more.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, travellers spent a record 5.9 trillion yen (S$52.2 billion) in the first nine months of 2024, exceeding the 5.3 trillion yen spent in all of 2023.

What has helped is more and cheaper flight options from Singapore to Japan, with Japanese low-cost carrier Peach Aviation launching flights from Singapore to Osaka on Dec 5. It joins two other Japanese low-cost carriers, Air Japan and Zipair, which currently ply the Singapore-Tokyo (Narita) route.

But you do not have to travel out of Singapore to feel the might of Japan in mainstream consciousness in 2024.

In September, historical drama Shogun (2024), about warring dynasties in the country’s feudal era, broke several records at the Emmys when it scooped 18 prizes, the largest haul for a single season of a television series.

Made by Walt Disney’s FX studio with Japanese actors and producers, it was the first non-English-language show to win the highly coveted Best Drama Series award.

Main actor Hiroyuki Sanada picked up Best Actor (Drama) and became the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy, while lead actress Anna Sawai was the first actor of Asian descent to win Best Actress (Drama).

The show will likely bag more accolades, as it has earned four nominations at the 2025 Golden Globes on Jan 6.

Shogun was not the only show set in 1600s Japan to score big at the Emmys. Netflix’s adult animated series Blue Eye Samurai clinched an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Programme and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for three of its animators.

Japanese content was also lauded at the Oscars in March.

Animation icon Hayao Miyazaki picked up Best Animated Feature for The Boy And The Heron (2023), his second win after Spirited Away (2001). The two films made by acclaimed animation company Studio Ghibli are the only non-English victories in that category. Notably, The Boy And The Heron beat hot favourites such as Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023).

Kaiju epic Godzilla Minus One (2023), a sleeper hit in the US, picked up Best Visual Effects, the first Japanese film to win in that category.

Over in the music world, many people found themselves crooning “Okane kasegu, orera wa suta” – Japanese for “We make money, we are stars”. It is the catchy refrain from American hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion’s Mamushi (2024), which features two Japanese artistes, rapper Yuki Chiba and producer Koshy.

Thanks to a viral TikTok dance, the song peaked at No. 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August, the first with Japanese lyrics to hit the chart since 1963 – the year Sukiyaki (1961) by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto went to No. 1.

Mamushi’s music video was filmed in Japan and featured scenes inspired by Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa’s anthology film Dreams (1990). In September, it picked up Best Trending Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

There has also been a resurgence of J-pop in 2024, as Japan’s new wave of young stars made inroads worldwide, thanks to songs that went viral and popular anime soundtracks.

Atarashii Gakko!, the zany girl group dressed in sailor-style uniforms, performed at Coachella – one of the most famous music festivals in the US – in April. Their worldwide tour included a show in Singapore at The Theatre at Mediacorp in June.

Other J-pop acts that performed here include superduo Yoasobi – tickets to their debut show at Resorts World Sentosa in January sold out the moment they went on sale. They are coming back for two shows – also sold out – at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in February 2025.

In April, tickets for rock band King Gnu’s first Singapore show at The Star Theatre ran out too.

Hello Kitty fans had plenty of opportunities to celebrate as the Sanrio icon marked her 50th birthday this year, with Hello Kitty-themed cabins on Singapore Cable Car to an 8m-tall Hello Kitty figure at Changi Airport.

On the fashion front, the ubiquitous Uniqlo oversized T-shirt much loved by local men fully embraced its status as “The SG uniform”, as the Japanese fast-fashion retailer released Singapore-exclusive colours.

The Republic is the market with the highest density of Uniqlo stores per capita outside Japan, with 31 stores across the island.

The Japanese wave is not abating any time soon, here or elsewhere. In June, Japan announced a revamp of its “Cool Japan” soft power initiative, which will see it promote assets such as its content industry, tourism and food to further boost the country’s branding.