Cool Japan!

Super Mario, Doraemon, Pacman and Hello Kitty - to promote the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government definitely went all out and brought out all their big guns. Seven months ago, Japan stole the spotlight from Brazil as it unveiled its Tokyo 2020 teaser in front of millions of spectators all over the world. Social media and news outlets focused more on Japan's show-stopping promotional video instead of the equally enticing and colorful closing ceremony in Rio. 

After the video went viral online, several of my friends immediately posted about wanting to go to Tokyo to watch the 2020 Summer Olympics. Even I had the urge to book tickets to Tokyo after watching it! By combining video games, animated characters and nostalgia (almost all of us played Super Mario and Pacman at some point, after all!), Japan was able to successfully drum up interest in an event which is slated to happen four years after the promotional video's release.

Also, the use of fictional characters as a promotional tool is in line with the revival of the Japanese government's "Cool Japan" campaign, which aims to promote the Japanese brand overseas through the use of popular Japanese influences; mainly video games, manga and anime.

In addition to the promo video, Japan also launched Instagram accounts (@Tokyo2020 and @beautiful_japan_2020) which showcase the beauty of Japan through photos, in preparation for the 2020 Olympics.