Even though Germany is home to a number of Japanese culture centers and various collections of East Asian art, Japan should do more to promote its image there and in Europe as a whole, said departing German Ambassador Heinrich-Dietrich Dieckmann in a recent interview.
"Germans are surrounded by Japanese goods, from motorcycles to televisions and computers," he said, "but most know very little about the country from where all this comes. Young Germans have a growing fascination with Japan and Asia. Hundreds have come (to Tokyo) on both exchange programs and just on their own, so this is very fertile ground."
He pointed out that most Germans know much less about Japan than Japanese know about Germany.