Little Dragon – Symbol of Slovenia in Japan

Last weekend Slovenia made an appearance at the JATA World Travel Fair in Tokyo, Japan. Slovenia was presented with the official I FEEL SLOVENIA brand and, chosen specifically for the Japanese market, a little dragon by Slovenian artist Lila Prap.

The dragon represents a positive figure for the Japanese, whereas in Europe it was given a negative connotation with the rise of Christianity. Old tales, however, in which dragons guard hidden treasures or sleeping princesses, suggest that the dragon originally stood for sleeping forces of nature just waiting to wake up.
Based on Prap's picture book WHY?, NHK Enterprises, a section of NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, prepared a series of 26 cartoons titled GAO GAO BUUU. Together with the cartoons, NHK Enterprises also started a comprehensive and elaborate marketing campaign encompassing everything from DVD cartoons, characters featured in mobile telephony and other electronic technologies, various toys and useful objects with cartoon characters, and similar, all under the LILAPRAP trademark.
Also, the www.lilaprap.com website was set up to present the author and its work along with Slovenia as Prap's home country. Dragons have roots in Slovenian history too: Many Slovenian cities and towns’ coats-of-arms feature a dragon, including the capital, which unites all the regions of Slovenia not only at the administrative but also symbolic level. Over the next few months, the NHK will prepare a comprehensive TV presentation of Lila Prap, and its plans also include a major exhibition of her original work in Japan. For that occasion Lila Prap will be officially invited to Japan. According to Prap, the idea for the little dragon was first given by the NHK team filming in Ljubljana, which was amazed by the dragons on Dragon Bridge. “The idea to use the little dragon for Slovenia's presentation in Japan appealed to me right from the start because it—in contrast to some other anaemic symbols of Slovenia—embodies a will to live and be awoken, to create and face challenges,” the artist added.

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