Adobe Express: Empowering Small Businesses in Japan’s Inbound Era

In today’s Japan, where inbound tourism and multicultural communities are rapidly growing, local businesses are under increasing pressure to communicate effectively beyond language and cultural barriers. For many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs), the challenge lies not only in limited resources but also in the complexity of creating multilingual marketing materials that truly resonate with diverse audiences. Adobe is stepping up to bridge this gap through its all-in-one creative platform, Adobe Express.

Creativity for All: Adobe’s Mission

Adobe’s philosophy, Creativity for All, is built on the belief that everyone should have the power to create and share their own stories. This mission is embodied in Adobe Express, a tool designed to make professional-quality design accessible to anyone, regardless of their skill level. From posters and menus to social media content, Adobe Express enables SMBs to create, customize, and publish visually compelling materials without requiring advanced design expertise.

The “Machi no Kousaku-shitsu” Workshop in Waseda

On August 28, 2025, Adobe hosted its ninth community design workshop, Machi no Kousaku-shitsu in Waseda. Partnering with Waseda University Store Association and Takadanobaba Connection, the event focused on multicultural coexistence through design.

The Waseda–Takadanobaba area, home to a large population of international students and residents, reflects Japan’s evolving multicultural landscape. Surveys show that foreign residents often wish for more community engagement—such as being invited to local events—but shopkeepers struggle with language barriers and the effort required to produce multilingual promotional materials.

Through this workshop, participants—including local shop owners and university students—were introduced to Adobe Express as a practical solution for inclusive marketing and communication.

Breaking Down Barriers with Adobe Express

The highlight of the workshop was a hands-on session led by illustrator and Adobe Community Evangelist Naoki Kitazawa. Participants learned how to:

• Create original flyers, posters, and social media visuals using customizable templates.

• Incorporate store logos and product photos into professional designs.

• Use the built-in multilingual translation feature to instantly convert Japanese text into English, Chinese, and other languages.

For many shopkeepers, this was a breakthrough moment. As one participant noted, the ability to design and translate in a single workflow significantly lowered the barrier to creating multilingual promotional materials.

By integrating quick actions like background removal, resizing, and QR code generation, Adobe Express also allowed users to streamline their creative process—making professional content creation both faster and more affordable.

Inbound Business Benefits

For inbound-focused businesses—restaurants, shops, and local services—Adobe Express offers tangible advantages:

• Multilingual Reach: Engage international tourists and residents by providing information in their own language.

• Cost Efficiency: Eliminate the need for outsourcing design and translation.

• Consistency Across Platforms: Easily adapt the same design into print flyers, menus, and social media posts.

• Community Empowerment: Encourage local shopkeepers and student volunteers to take an active role in ongoing communication efforts.

Ultimately, Adobe Express is not just a design tool but a catalyst for community-driven inbound strategies, allowing businesses to transform cultural differences into opportunities for connection and growth.

Looking Ahead

Adobe plans to continue expanding the Machi no Kousaku-shitsu project nationwide, working with local organizations to empower communities through creative tools. By lowering the barriers to design and multilingual communication, Adobe Express is helping Japanese SMBs embrace inclusivity, attract inbound visitors, and thrive in an increasingly global market.

Written by

Shinyu Zhou

Hi, I'm delighted to get to meet you through my sharing. I am a freelance writer who loves traveling, reading, and food. I'm also the mother of a two-year-old child. Living in Japan for eight years has been both long and short—long enough for me to know Tokyo, where I reside, like the back of my hand, and short because there are still so many aspects waiting for me to explore. Here, I will share the fantastic culture and my thoughts about this beautiful country, hoping you will fall in love with Japan just as I have.