Firm planning Japan-Scotland Day

Gray's School of Art students have already come up with designs

An Edinburgh-based company has begun making plans for a Japan-Scotland Day to help strengthen links between the two countries.

Sakura Scotland has approached the Japanese Consulate General in Edinburgh about the event.

Planned for the autumn, the company hopes to invite fashion students to come up with and then display clothing designs on a Japanese theme.

The company has already worked with fashion students in Aberdeen.

Scottish Samurai

Second year students at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen were set the project as part of a celebration of the man dubbed the "Scottish Samurai".

They were asked to designed garments featuring a cherry blossom tartan created for the Japanese market.

Fraserburgh-born merchant Thomas Glover was a key figure in 19th Century Japan.

The new cherry tartan, called Sakura, was created by tartans designer David McGill, from Edinburgh, and Shizue Melvin, from Japan.

In 2008, the company helped to arrange for a mock-up of the Loch Ness Monster to appear in a parade of floats during a Chinese tourism fare.

Highland businesses hoped Nessie's appearance would attract thousands of new visitors to Scotland.