IN terms of music sales, the Japanese pale in comparison to the bigger United States and British markets. When it comes to soaking up Jamaican culture, Japan is right up there.

Kengo Fukai and his wife Tomoko are from the city of Osaka, where they operate and produce their AnSWeR reggae merchandise.

The line of T-shirts, shirts and mesh merinos have been on the market for 12 years. They are endorsed by dancehall’s biggest names including Sizzla, Bounty Killer and Vershon, who are seen in HARDEST, a magazine celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Fukais company.

HARDEST was released in late 2016. It contains a cache of photos with multiple dancehall/reggae personalities decked out in AnSWeR products.

“We wanted to show appreciation to friends in Jamaica who helped us along the way. We get a joy when we see artistes use our clothes in videos or on Instagram,” said 38-year-old Kengo.

He and Tomoko, 42, have visited Jamaica several times since AnSWeR was launched in 2005. Encouraged by sound system selector and music producer Rory Gilligan, they first approached top artistes to wear their gear three years later.

It has helped spur sales for AnSWeR in their homeland, especially in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, areas where dancehall/reggae are popular.

Japan has had a healthy dancehall/reggae scene since the mid-1980s when the Japan Splash festival thrived.

The last 15 years has seen an influx of Japanese into Jamaica. Many of them are young people immersed in Jamaican pop culture, operating sound systems, winning dance contests or embracing Rastafari.

The Fukais plan to visit Jamaica this year to promote their latest creations.

—Howard Campbell