Irish traditional music appeals to the Japanese 'longing for nostalgia' - and it is boosting tourism too, reports David McNeill in Tokyo
When President Mary McAleese praised "Ireland's wonderful ambassadors of goodwill abroad" to a St Patrick's Day audience of ex-pats and locals in Tokyo this week, it's unlikely that she was thinking about The Nolans. Yet for sheer brand-name recognition, few Irish people or products can compete with the 1970s singing-sibling sensation from Dublin, who have reportedly sold a staggering nine million records in Japan, rivalling the world's top acts.
Bernadette Nolan still pops up on local TV speaking pidgin Japanese, and it is even possible to go online and find recent birthday greetings to her sister, Coleen. "I spent a dreamlike period while you were in Japan," wrote one fan. "Please come back soon."
The Nolans are just one of a number of Irish music acts who are well past their prime back home but continue to be embraced by Japanese audiences.
Gilbert O'Sullivan has staged an unlikely career revival on the back of his popularity in Japan, where he had a number-one hit in the 1990s, and the Sultans of Ping (Where's Me Jumper?) still have a loyal cadre of obsessive fans here. A number of relatively obscure Irish groups also have strong support in South Korea.
But it is more traditional Irish groups that have really broken new ground recently. Altan, who are touring with President McAleese in Asia, are currently on their seventh tour of Japan, following in the footsteps of The Chieftains, Sharon Shannon, Donal Lunny and Enya, whose Celtic ambient warbling is seldom off Japanese TV and radio.
The growing popularity of Irish traditional acts in Japan mirrors the economy's decline since the early 1990s.
"When I first brought The Chieftains here in 1990, almost nobody knew about this kind of music in Japan," says Keiko Kawashima, president of Plankton Music in Tokyo, which has taken a special interest in Irish music imports. "By the time Altan came in 1996 the audiences were very big and there is now something of a Celtic boom. It just keeps growing."
When asked to explain the popularity of Irish music here, many stress its structural similarity to minyo, or traditional Japanese songs. This is one reason why Altan could play on stage at the Tokyo St Patrick's Day party with local musicians, despite very little practice. But some also suggest deeper reasons why Irish music resonates so strongly with Japanese audiences.
"Japanese people tell me that when they close their eyes and listen to our music it reminds them of the countryside," says Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, lead singer of Altan. "And I think that is one reason why Irish music is well-liked here. Japan is very urban and built up, and this music reminds them of their own past. It's like a touchstone to something they've lost."
Kawashima agrees that Irish traditional music taps into Japan's "longing for nostalgia" but says it also has a more concrete impact: boosting tourism.
"Celtic music has done more to increase Japanese tourism to Ireland than perhaps any other single factor," he says. "Every time I organise a tour of Irish music acts here, the numbers of tourists going to Ireland doubles and triples."
Given this correlation between the popularity of Irish music and healthy tourism figures - a record 30,000 Japanese visited Ireland last year - it is not surprising that government and corporate observers are drawing the obvious conclusion: in much the same way that Hollywood was once seen as a shop window for corporate America, Irish music and culture can be used to sell Ireland to the rest of the world.
"Culture is one of the key unique selling points for Ireland," says Eugene Downes, a culture consultant with the Department of Foreign Affairs, who is travelling with the Irish party in Asia. "All the surveys show that for people who are aware of Ireland or who are planning a holiday, culture is enormously important. Equally, on trade, the door-opener is often culture, because when Irish businessmen try to make contacts abroad they hope their business partners have heard of James Joyce, Altan or U2. It breaks down barriers."
St Patrick's Day in Tokyo this week might be seen as a trial run for the future. The president flew the flag for trade and tourism abroad, backed by one of the country's most popular cultural exports, a blending of the diplomatic, cultural and corporate worlds: Ireland Inc.
The establishment last month of the Culture Ireland initiative by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, may be the first official sign that the Government is beginning to recognise the broader promotional appeal of Irish talent, such as Altan, abroad.
"For the first time Ireland will now be able to take a formal proactive approach to the promotion of our artistic endeavours overseas," said O'Donoghue after the Culture Ireland launch.
But some believe more could be done. Donegal TD Cecilia Keaveney, who was in Japan this week as part of an arts and tourism delegation, says: "There is hardly a Japanese person who doesn't know Enya, and this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce her country to people who don't know it. The Government should recognise the role of music, not just the music itself but also its added value. It is a bridge between cultures and it creates the environment and the non-threatening ambience where other things can take place."
Some may of course lament, as they always have, the sullying of art with the grubby world of commerce and politics, but for now at least the worries are being drowned out by the sound of fiddles and bodhráns.
"I love this music," says Altan fan Keiko Ishii. "It makes me want to go to Ireland."