Yamagata Promotion in Los Angeles
Last month, in collaboration with Yamagata City, The Hidden Japan organized a series of events across Southern California to promote tourism and strengthen connections with Yamagata and the West Coast of America.
In addition to our work as a tourism company, The Hidden Japan works with various Japanese government organizations to promote and develop tourism throughout Japan, with a particular focus on the Tohoku Region and, especially, our home of Yamagata
The events included a tourism promotion dinner event at Japan House in Hollywood, where we welcomed more than 50 travel agents, travel writers, government officials, and members of the travel media. We also participated in what was the first-ever Japan tourism promotion at the Orange County Buddhist Church Obon Festival, giving many attendees their first opportunity to learn about Yamagata City.
As a company with all of our employees based here in the Tohoku Region, we strongly believe that the region has an important role to play in the future of Japanese tourism. As overtourism continues to create challenges in destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, we believe more travelers will increasingly look beyond Japan’s most famous destinations and discover the natural beauty, culture, and hospitality of regions such as Tohoku.
The goal of these events was to introduce Yamagata as an ideal destination for travelers looking to move beyond Japan’s crowded tourist routes and experience the rich nature, delicious cuisine, and authentic culture that this northern city has to offer.
Our co-founder, Derek Yamashita, is originally from Huntington Beach, California, and was especially grateful to the mayor and city council for arranging a special tour of the city for the visiting Yamagata officials. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from Huntington Beach, which has developed one of the most successful and sustainable tourism industries in the United States.
Tourists to Huntington Beach contribute more than $585 million to the local economy each year, while the destination marketing organization Visit Huntington Beach is funded entirely through tourism-generated revenue rather than taxpayer funding. Importantly, tourism initiatives and investments in Huntington Beach are designed to benefit local residents as well as visitors.
Huntington Beach offers an inspiring example of how a destination can balance the economic benefits of tourism with the needs and wishes of its local community — an issue that Japan is increasingly working to address amid an unprecedented surge in international tourism.
We hope to continue building on these efforts — not only by creating tours that bring more guests to the Tohoku Region, but also by raising awareness of Yamagata among travelers in Western markets and helping more people discover everything this remarkable region has to offer.
