Archive for 'Toyama' Category

Common IC tickets for 10 ski resorts in Nagano

A brand ski resort group “Hakuba Valley” consisting of  ten ski resorts in Nagano prefecture started a new service of  issuing a common ticket for all of its member resorts(http://www.hakubavalley.jp/english/).  The president of the   group’s promotion board, Hikari Takanashi announced at the press conference in Tokyo on Nov.24.

This new ticket is called “Hakuba Valley Tickets” can be used at the members resorts by implementing  just one purchase procedure of  such a common ticket, namely,  Jiigatake,Kashimayari,Sanosaka, Goryu,  Hakuba47, Happoone,Iwatake,Tsugaikekogen, Hakubanorikura, and Cortina.

The primary purpose of this new service is to increase the number of  foreign visitors to those resorts. The number was 85,000 in 2005, but increased  up to 225,000 in 2015 which raised by 163.5%, which account for 15% of the total number of the visitors there.  The group has an intent to increase such international visitors’ number up to 300,000 which will account for 40% of the total number within 3~4 years. Currently, Australians are 60%, Asians are 30%, and westeners and others are 10%. The group especially would like to increase the number of Asians.  As for the prices of Hakuba Valley Tickets, the one-day ticket is ¥5,700(3,200 for a child), the two-day ticket is ¥10,000(5600 for a child), and the three-day  is ¥14,900(8300 for a child). The tickest are available at the tickt booths in the each resort and travel agents appointed by the Hakuba Valley.

 

 

 

The “big” Silver Week for the first time in 6 years

The “Silver week”(continous public holidays of a couple of days in  September) of this year 2015 was of  5 straight public holydays , which was the longest one in over  past  six years. The new law of public holidays can make fluctuation  continuous or continual  holidays depending on situations each year and 2008 was the first longest silver week of 5 days since the legal changes. And after the one this year, the next longest week will come in 11 years from now in 2026 according to the calendar.

2009年、2015年
9月
日	月	火	水	木	金	土
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26

This year, the days of 19 th (Sat) -23rd (Wed.)  were all holidays ! And a lot of people enjoyed the “big” Silver Week. For example, the number of tourists to Kanazawa, where  the new Hokuriku Shinkansen (Bullte Trains)services started this March, and Ishikawa Pref. as a whole, and its  neighbouring prefectures of Toyama and Fukui, all of which are part of Hokuriku or  the North Central region, increased by 4 times compared to the number  of the same time last year.

Hokuriku Shinkansen finally launched operation on Mar.14th

Hokuriku Shinkansen (The North-central Bullet Trains ) grand opened its full service (Tokyo-Kanazawa)on this Mar.14th. (http://hokuriku-w7.com/about/)

Hokuriku Bullet Trains started  its operation partially just between  Takasaki and Nagano in 1997 and  Tokyo-Takasaki (Tohoku Shinkansen) and Takasaki-Nagano(Nagano Shinkansen) became  a part of Hokuriku so that the line Toky0-Nagano began as “Nagano Shinkansen”, which is a part of the planned total line of  Hokuriku line.  However, this time Takasaki-Joetsumyoukou-Kanazawa line opened on the 14th and the “full line”(Takasaki-Kanazawa 117 km plus  the existant Tokyo-Takasaki line). Another bullet train line between Kanazawa and Atsuga is also planned to be opened in 2023 to be a part of the Hokuriku line.

Now due to the launch of the new line, it has come to take only 2 hours and half  ,while it used to take  about 4 hours including  transferrings.  Since this new convenience of  shortening time,  Kanazawa, which is the capital of Ishikawa Pref, and is a traditional city of  traditional cultures and history, now is even more popular among tourists.  To tell the truth, I used this new Hokuriku Bullet Train line from Tokyo to Kanazawa just  one week  after its grand opening. The new Shinkansen “Kagayaki”(/ a Shine)  was quite comfortable and other passengers seemed so happy and enjoying the trip as well.   Though I had been to Kanazawa many times, this time visiting the city by Hokuriku Shinkansen was a fresh and exciting experience.  Kanazawa is full of attractions with historical sites and tangible and intangible cultural things, such as Kenrokuen garden, The 21 Century Museum, gold leaves, Wajima-nuri, Kutani-yaki porceline ,and others and  seemed quite lively and full of energy with the new attentions by the sightseers or visitors. I hope  the attractions there will be recognized even more and more popular.

 

Visit Japan Travel Mart and JATA Toursim EXPO Japan 2014

Two huge international travel marts were held at Tokyo Bigsight in Tokyo. One was “Visit Japan Travel Mart 2014″(Sep.24-26)(http://www.vjtm.jp/) and the other was “JATA Toursim EXPO Japan2014″(Sep.25-28)(http://t-expo.jp/en/index.html).  

More than 310 foriegn buyers and about 390 Japanese sellers joined VJTM2014 and had passionate exchanges of information and ideas and hosted busines seccions.  Buyers from Asian countries were especially a lot and about the half of the Japanese sellers were municipalities or relating associations of such local governments.

On the other hand,  a lot of domestic and foreign sellers and buysers joined  JATA Tourism EXPO Japan 2014. Such participants were embassies, tourism bureaus, travel agents, food companies, municipalities, railroads, airlines, hotels. universities, guide associations and so forth.  The main targets were end users of travel services and a lot of  lay Japanese people visited there and the total number was 157,589.  Upon the opening of the event, an ward ceremony  of  good  services and efforts of related promotions was hosted and the Best Tourism Award was given to The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Embassy awards were for  Thailand and Mexico, the best transporatation award was for Japan Railways East, the domestic inbound award was for  the tourism department of Tokyo Metropolis, the publicity award was for a TV show of CXTV, and the chairperson special award was for Okinawa Convention Bureau. (http://t-expo.jp/en/program/cms.html)   I personally visited the two big events and collected a lot of interesting information and exchanged ideas with the participants, some of whom were my friends or those I sometimes work with. I enjoyed the delicious food provided by tourism- related restaurants and local specialities and impressed by the greatly enthusiastic atmosphere of energies of the expos as well.

Owara Kaze-no Bon festival

“Owara Kaze-no Bon”(/おわら風の盆),one of the traditional and popular festivals of Japan was held  in Yatsuo-cho in Toyama City Toyama Pref.  Sep.1-3.

The festival is held on the same dates every year in that area, in which  a lot of  people there dance in traditional attires. This year more than 100,000 tourists visited and spectated this energetic dance event. http://www.yatsuo.net/kankou/

  

“Hoshi no Furu Machi” Movie

Hidenori Hara(原秀則)’s manga “Hoshi no Furu Machi (ほしのふるまち）” is being turned into a live-action film. 　Hara(born June 14, 1961)is a Japanese manga artist.

The project was revealed in an announcement that open auditions are being held for various parts, targeting men and women between the ages of 10 and 24.
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Burberry Blue Label Toyama Daiwa

Burberry Blue Label Toyama Daiwa
バーバリーブルーレーベル大和富山店
At Daiwa Toyama store, 3-8-6, Sogawa, Toyama-shi, Toyama
076-407-6721 　
Ladies
MAP:Burberry Blue Label Toyama Daiwa Read the rest of this entry »