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Japanese officials plug tourism ties

A delegation from Shikoku arrived in Taipei yesterday to push for closer business and trade links between Taiwan and the southern Japanese island, particularly direct aviation ties.

The task of the delegation, led by Fumio Kawakita, deputy magistrate of Kagawa Prefecture, and Shinji Hirai, deputy magistrate of Tottori Prefecture, is to promote tourism in the two Shikoku prefectures and to allow Taiwanese to know more about that part of Japan.

Key members of the 22-member delegation met with EVA Airways authorities for talks yesterday on the feasibility of opening direct air links between Taiwan and Shikoku's capital city of Takamatsu. Such links would not only make it easier for Taiwanese tourists to travel to Shikoku but would also help bring more Japanese tourists from Shikoku to Taiwan, said Takashi Tsumura, a two-term member of the Kagawa Prefecture Council who is part of the delegation.

At present, travelers from Shikoku and Taiwan have to make the trip via the western Japanese hub of Osaka.

The delegation is also sponsoring a Japanese produce fair at the Takashimaya Department Store in the Taipei suburb of Tianmu.

Kawakita and Hirai are expected to preside over a ceremony to be held at the department store today to mark the opening of the fair, which will feature the area's famous laquerware, as well as key agricultural products including udon and pears.

During the week-long fair, the organizers will also provide slideshows and information to promote the two prefectures' tourist attractions, including the famous Ritsurin Park in Takashimaya, the Tottori desert and cruises in the nearby Seto inland sea.
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