‘Hana Yori Dango.’
It’s an old Japanese proverb that translates into: "Dumplings rather than flowers." In English, it suggests ‘practicality and a preference for substance over superficial beauty’.
That’s what Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will be serving up in her rice bowl this week as she heads up a trade mission to Japan and South Korea.
According to a statement from the premier’s office, the trip's purpose is to “grow Alberta’s energy, agriculture, and other markets in Asia.”
Over the next several days Smith will meet with government officials, importers and energy and agricultural sector leaders in a bid to diversify Alberta’s export markets in the face of US tariffs.
Japan is already Alberta’s third-largest export market, to the tune of $2.7 billion per year. Few know it’s one of the largest customers for malting barley used to make beers like Sapporo and Kirin — Japan isn’t exactly a major grain grower.
But it is Asia’s most valuable and wealthiest economy — if not the largest in per capita metrics — and is also looking to buy Alberta’s natural gas, via the newly finished LNG Canada terminal on British Columbia’s west coast.
Last month, Smith inked a major supply deal at the CERAWeek oil and gas conference in Houston to help the country meet surging electricity demand and reduce its own emissions.
Smith has also touted Japan as a possible export destination for hydrogen in the form of liquid ammonia.
To that end, Smith has dispatched Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean to Edmonton this week, where delegates will be gathering at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention, Canada’s largest gathering of companies and government officials building what could eventually become Alberta’s next trillion-dollar industry.
Alberta is poised to become a leader in so-called ‘blue’ hydrogen, derived from natural gas that can be exported as either LNG or ammonia which is easier to process and handle through existing infrastructure, including rail.
After visiting Japan, Smith will head to Gangwon State, South Korea, which is Alberta’s sister state and also a likely destination for LNG exports. Earlier this month US officials were in Korea using trade tariffs to cudgel it into Signing multi-billion contracts to build a pipeline and LNG exports terminal in Alaska.
Smith, a noted ‘gunzel’ — Australian for ‘railfan’ or ‘trainspotter’ — is also enjoying riding the high-speed rails and is sure to be looking at how to bring practical technical and engineering concepts back to Alberta.
On Monday, she was already posting to Twitter (“X”) about her experiences and enthusiasm for the Japanese train system.
The Alberta government is already working on a passenger rail master plan that could eventually link up major centres like Edmonton and Calgary, along with the mountain parks.
“If Alberta had one we could get between Calgary and Edmonton in less than an hour!”