NCCJ member visits by Norwegian State Secretary June 4th

State Secretary Ragnhild Syrstad from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries visited Japan June 1-4 as part of the delegation led by Crown Prince Haakon.

On June 4th the State Secretary, accompanied by officials from the Norwegian ministries of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and Foreign Affairs, made visits to NCCJ corporate members in Tokyo, starting with Ekornes, followed by Oslo Brewing, Meiku and Fuglen.

At the Ekornes showroom in Kyobashi, President Kenji Oyama and the State Secretary discussed the history of Ekornes and its factory in Sykkylven, Norway, and the success of the Stressless brand in Japan. Testing a variety of Stressless chairs State Secretary Syrstad cheerfully declared this to be “the best day at work ever”.

Afterwards, the State Secretary enjoyed lunch together with the NCCJ secretariat at ØL La Cabina in Kodenmacho, owned by Oslo Brewing.

Following lunch, Meiku welcomed us at their showroom in Kanda. Meiku is the Japanese importer of Norwegian Jotul stoves and they have an impressive lineup of both classic and modern models. President Toshikazu Hirose gave us a guided tour of the showroom and discussed the environmental and disaster preparedness benefits of wood stoves compared to gas or kerosine stoves.

Finally the State Secretary enjoyed coffee at Norwegian style cafe Fuglen.

A big thank you to our members for the warm welcome and fascinating discussions. We hope to see the State Secretary back in Japan next year as well.