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~Nov. / Dec. 2012~
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Skyfall at Nagasaki's Hashima Island |
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New Tourist Information Center Program Implemented in Japan |
Hiroshima Rest House Now offering free Wifi |
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Shop with Visa at BIC CAMERA |
2020 Tokyo Olympic Candidate City Page |
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New airport locations for purchasing the Tokyo Metro One day pass |
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Hankyu & Limo Bus Package |
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Kyoto Regular Tour Bus New Audio Guide Service |
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New/Renewed Japan Tourism Webpages |
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New Electronic Brochures & Newsletters |
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Great Resources List |
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It's time for the holidays, We hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. This newsletter we are highlighting the Hokuriku region of Japan which is a great destination all year round even during the snow covered winter months. Discover Hokuriku.
Hokuriku region comprises the opposing coast from Tokyo on Japan's largest island Honshu. Home to four of Japan's prefectures Ishikawa Fukui, Niigata and Toyama. Hokuriku is a place where tradition and culture join with great cuisine and great sake to offer every traveler an experience of a lifetime. Whether it be the autumn leaves of Kenroku-en Garden, the snow topped houses of Gokayama, the white sandy beaches of Wakasa Wada or the pink cherry blossoms of Takada Castle Hokuriku has a natural beauty that lasts year round. Ishikawa
Ishikawa is a cultural hub of traditional arts offering travelers a chance to see Noh plays, try your hand at the local handicrafts of Awazu Onsen like, Yuzen silk-dyeing, gold leaf application, and lots more. Kanazawa Ishikawa`s biggest city is defiantly not to be missed it is famous for its lacquer ware and ceramic ware as well as the beautiful Kenroku-en Garden. Fukui
In Fukui besides the beaches of Wakasa, Tojinbo in northern Fukui is the only place in Japan where you can see unique hexagon rock formations shaped from years of erosion by the waves. Fukui city's 600 year old Eihei-ji Temple is another site not to be missed and do not forget to try some of the local Echizen Crab that is famous in this region. Niigata
Niigata is blessed with an abundance of mountain ranges, rivers, plains and a beautiful ocean coast making it great for anyone who has an appreciation for nature. In the spring and summer you can hike and in the winter you can ski the famous Echigo-Yuzawa/Uonuma Area. Yahiko Park, known as the maple valley, is a great place to see the leaves change color in the fall. Toyama
It is hard not to love the old world charm of Toyama where old thatched roof tops and traditional crafts are still a part of daily life. Of all the things there are to see and do in Toyama be sure not to miss the UNESCO World Heritage site Gokayama Village where you can see how the areas inhabitants lived 300 years ago. Another thing not to miss is the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (a picturesque route through the mountains) and the Kurobe Valley ( a beautiful scenic location reached via a trolley). Toyama is great for anyone who wants to see a different side of Japan other than the typical big cities. |
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Upcoming Festivals and Holidays More Information on these events can be found here. |
| December 31st | Oga Namahage Festival | Oga City, Akita Prefecture - On New Year's Eve, a group of 2 or 3 village youths disguised as a rather grotesque deity called Namahage, wearing large masks, straw raincoats and waist-bands, holding wooden knives and pails, go around visiting the houses at night, dancing along as they give out strange cries. They shout out menacing cries such as: "Any children crying?" "Any children disobeying their parents?" or "Any lazy daughters-in-law neglecting their work?" |
| December 31st | Okera-Mairi Festival | Yasaka-jinja Shrine, Gion Machi, Kyoto Prefecture - Okera-Mairi is the name for the visits made to the Okera Matsuri festival from late at night on New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. This ritual is held at Yasaka-jinja Shrine, which is designated as an important cultural property of Kyoto. |
| January 1st-3rd | First Prayer of the New Years / New Years Holiday | Like Christmas Holidays in the US, the New Year Holiday in Japan is a long holiday designated as a time to go home and visit families. Also like Christmas this holiday has evolved into much more. Traditionally families spend New Years together and all go visit their family shrine for the first prayer of the New Year. Anyone who has been in Japan at this time know about the huge crowds that are at temples. During the 3 days the largest shrines can receive over 3 million visitors! Also there is plenty of discount shopping going on too (similar to our Black Fridays/Boxing Day Sales.) But travelers beware, many government facilities, banks, post offices and other businesses will be closed over the holiday. |
| January 6th | Dezome-shiki / Fireman's Parade | Organized by the Tokyo Fire Department, this is an event held to pray for a safe year. Although similar events are held throughout Japan, the spectacular New Year's Parade of Firemen has over 100 fire engines and helicopters participating, along with as large-scale fire-fighting and emergency drills. The main attraction is the ladder stunts. Men dressed as firemen of the Edo Period (17th-19th Centuries) perform circus-like acrobatic stunts on top of bamboo which tower over the heads of the men supporting them. These demonstrations have been held since then to warn people of the dangers of fire. |
It's winter time! Send your clients to Japan for a great winter vacation, maybe even get in some skiing at the fabulous ski resorts!|
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Grand Park Otaru |
HOSHINOYA Kyoto |
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JapanQuest Journeys' Luxury Hotel and Ryokan Collection |
The Peninsula Tokyo |
Prince Hotels & Resorts |
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All Nippon Airlines
ANA to Launch San Jose=Narita Service with Boeing 787 Japan Airlines Book now! New JAL SAN DIEGO-TOKYO (Narita) Nonstop Service!
Malaysia Airlines is proud to continue it's non-stop service from Los Angeles to Narita. Planes depart four times weekly (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat) at 5:15pm. For travel before December 9th prices start at only $821 USD including fuel surcharge and taxes. For travel between December 10th to 24th prices start at $1,068. Please visit the Malaysia Airlines website for more information! |
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Upcoming Events in the US! |
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2012/2013 JAPAN SHOWCASE DATES ANNOUNCED |
| New York, NY | January 23, 2013 (WED) | Hilton New York |
| San Francisco, CA | February 5, 2013 (TUE) | Hotel Nikko San Francisco |
| Seattle, WA | February 7, 2013 (THUR) | Hilton Seattle |
| San Diego, CA | February 27, 2013 (WED) | Marina Village Conference Center |
| Anaheim, CA | February 28, 2013 (THUR) | Hilton Anaheim |
| Honolulu, HI | March 4, 2013 (MON) | Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki |
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If you are interested in attending please contact JNTO at info@jnto-lax.org OR by calling 213-623-1952. |
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Other upcoming local events |
| January 12-13 | LA Travel & Adventure Show | JNTO will be in Long Beach again for the 8th LA Travel & Adventure Show. Join us for travel information, seminars and cultural performances. Two Day Admission is only $14 so purchase your ticket online today! | January 13th (SUN) | New Year's 'Ohana Festival | Join the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in lovely Honolulu for the annual Ohana Festival. Many events will happen throughout the day at the festival. JNTO will also be exhibiting with a booth at the even so stop by and say hi! |
| February 8-10 | Seattle Golf & Travel Show | We'll but up in Seattle for the Japan Showcase and the Seattle Golf in Travel Show. Come visit our booth for great information on traveling Japan! Also if you are a golfer or outdoors person there are a ton of great activities to do at the show! Hop down to the Century Field Event Center and join us! |
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Will your customers be able to
find you when they click on that link from
our website? If you have registered as a Japan Travel
Specialist, the answer is yes. Just watch a few
educational videos and take three short quizzes to become part of
our JTS Program. See the website for
details. |
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JNTO is here to help! We can provide you with updated information, advice, brochures, and more to make yours a trip to remember. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office between 9AM and 5PM Pacific Standard Time. We look forward to assisting you! JNTO Hotline: (213) 623-1952 |
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THE FINE PRINT/LEGAL STUFF
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