Presenting Central Japan's "Shokubunka"
Updated: 4 days ago
Today marks the release of our new trade manual for central Japan, an area covering the 9 prefectures running from coast to coast through the heart of Japan: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Mie, Nagano, Shiga, Shizuoka and Toyama.
In line with our ikigai (reason for being) to make it as easy as possible for the trade to promote & sell responsible travel experiences and lesser known destinations, the manual includes the following features:
Real (and awesome) human words
With the growing amount of AI word salad populating travel materials, we wanted to provide a more substantial, nutritious serving of storytelling. Rebecca Hallett, who wrote the profiles for each prefecture in this guide, is a UK-based travel writer and Japan specialist. Rebecca is the sole author of DK's Ultimate Japan and Rough Guides' Travelling with ADHD, and has contributed to a diverse range of other titles including The Little Book of Matcha, Michelin Green Guide Japan, and the Rough Guide to Japan. Rebecca also writes articles for publications including the Times, the Telegraph, Wanderlust, and National Geographic Traveller.
Shokubunka (Shoku = food, Bunka = Culture) stories
We want to support the trade as destination experts and provide something that is both educational and practical in meeting the needs of product developers and itinerary curators. On the education side Rebecca has provided wonderful stories of the unique foodie culture of each prefecture. We have included the elevator pitch version and something more in depth that could be used as part of sales talk, follow up material or marketing content. Here's a wee sampler of Rebecca's oh so oishii wording:
"As the capital of Ishikawa, Kanazawa has an air of refinement that encapsulates what’s so unique about the prefecture’s shokubunka. During a stay here, you’ll get the sense that you’re experiencing the highest expression of hospitality, a kind of luxury that only comes from minute attention to detail.
In Kaga Onsen, you can follow the intricate hand-painted patterns of Kutani tiles as you soak in natural hot-spring waters. Sit down for a kaiseki meal in Kanazawa, and the exquisite dishes might be served on rich black or vermilion Wajima lacquerware, inlaid with gold, silver or mother-of-pearl maki-e designs. Attend a tea ceremony, and you may be drinking from warm, amber- glazed Ōhi-yaki tea bowls. Each of these local crafts has been honed over generations, a living history you can personally interact with in Ishikawa."
Shokubunka & Culinary Kogei experiences
On the product side, we have included experiences relating the the food culture as well as foodie-adjacent crafts (kogei), that are linked via QR code to our responsible travel showcasing platform, Japan Travel Enlightened. This site is trade only and requires going through a simple registration process, where your application will be reviewed by a real life human before granting access.
Japan Travel Enlightened Platform Features
We like to think this has pretty much all the info and assets needed by DMCs, Tour Operators and agents to be able to incorporate the product into portfolios, websites and itineraries. We have destination descriptions, maps, detailed product information, supplier contacts and imagery.
Support & Training
We also offer the chance for those using the platform to arrange a call with one of our Japan specialist team members, who can help make use of the content and support with itinerary planning. Contact us directly on contact@japan-san.net if this is something you'd like to learn more about.
Itadakimasu!
We hope this has suitably wetted your appetite. Download here and tuck in! We'd love to hear any questions or feedback you have. Thank you.
This document was produced by Japan-san in collaboration with Go Central DMO.
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