A TELEVISION makeover show has been given a taste of the Land of the Rising Sun, thanks to a York business.

Jez Willard, who runs The Japanese Shop, in York's Coppergate Walk, with his Japanese wife, Hiromi, has come to the rescue of the ITV show, 60 Minute Makeover.

The lunchtime programme, presented by Claire Sweeney, wanted to give a 13-year-old's bedroom a Japanese theme, so Jez stepped in with stock from his shop.

He handed over four table lamps, a kokeshi doll, a lucky cat wall hanging and a kimono, to turn the schoolgirl's room into an eastern paradise.

Granada Television discovered The Japanese Shop on the internet, and the programme's designer Richard Randall liked what he saw, so he decided he wanted the shop's goods for his makeover. The producer then emailed Jez with his request.

He said: "I was amazed that our website was seen and acted on in such high places.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to promote the Japanese culture, which so impresses me and others. It's satisfying to know that our wares and the way of life we represent will be seen by millions of viewers - and that along the way we have made one teenager very happy."

The show, which transforms homes in just 60 minutes, is aired daily at 1pm on ITV and pulls in about two million viewers an episode.

In return for donating the goods, the shop will receive television coverage and there will be a link from the Granada television website to the shop's internet site.

It is not yet known when the show will be aired.

The unusual shop was a finalist in last year's Evening Press Business of the Year. There is also a branch of The Japanese Shop in Harrogate's Parliament Street.

The business began in Harrogate with the title Doko Toko when Jez and Hiromi returned to England from Osaka, where they had been living for a year. But as trade increased the couple decided to give the shop a simpler title, and so The Japanese Shop was born.

Updated: 09:59 Monday, May 24, 2004