TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 | Page 53

N E W S / I N T E R NAT I O NA L
JAPAN TRAVEL
SEMINAR 2019
IN NEW DELHI
THE SHINKANSEN- MAKE YOUR
WAY THROUGH JAPAN WITH A
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN.
T
he land of the rising Sun,
Japan is a sovereign island
country in East Asia. Located
in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the
eastern coast of the Asian mainland
and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk
in the north to the East China Sea and
China in the southwest, with dense
cities, imperial palaces, mountainous
national parks and thousands of
shrines and temples.
International High speed Rail
Association (IHRA) and Embassy of
Japan in India in collaboration with
Japan National Tourism Organization
(JNTO), conducted a Japan Travel
Seminar 2019 recently. The
Shinkansen- Make your way through
Japan with a high- speed Train at The
Lalit, New Delhi was with an objective
to promote Japan tourism in India and
help Indian travellers to know about
the rich cultural heritage of the country
and for travellers to explore it through
the high-speed train.
The opening ceremony was kicked
off by welcome greetings by Mr.
Masafumi Shukuri, Chairman, IHRA;
Mr. Kenko Sone, Minister, Embassy
of Japan and Mr. Suman Billa, Joint
Secretary, Minister of Tourism,
Government of India and was followed
by a brief presentation by Mr. Mamoru
Kobori, Executive Vice- President,
JNTO and Mr. Akihiko Tamura, Former
Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner.
“The Shinkansen, commonly known
as high-speed train, is the safest and
the most reliable mode of transport
within Japan. The aim of the high-
speed train is to shorten the time
people spend on traveling from one
destination to another. The high-speed
train may change the way tourists
travel, leaving more time for them
to enjoy the destination. It plays a
very prominent role in the country’s
economy and lifestyle. Even India has
decided to have its own high-speed
rail between Mumbai and Ahmedabad,
which will help us build a better
relationship between the countries,”
said Mr. Masafumi Shukuri, Chairman,
IHRA.
Mr. Kenko Sone, Minister, Embassy
of Japan said, “India is a key market
for Japan. Recently the 3rd Meeting of
India-Japan Tourism Council summit
was held in India in early January 2019
to improve our relationship with India.
We have decided to promote Japan
in South India and are planning to
start direct flights from Chennai and
Bangalore as well to Japan, very soon.”
Mr. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary,
Minister of Tourism, Government
of India thanked the gathering and
commented that he was looking
forward to the inauguration of the high
speed rail in India. He also expressed
his sincere wish that the relationship
between India and Japan should
continue to flourish and grow.
Mr. Mamoru Kobori, Executive Vice-
President, JNTO made an extensive
presentation on the JNTO website, its
TO PROMOTE JAPAN
TOURISM IN INDIA AND
HELP INDIAN TRAVELLERS
TO KNOW ABOUT THE RICH
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF
THE COUNTRY AND FOR
TRAVELLERS TO EXPLORE IT
THROUGH THE HIGH-SPEED
TRAIN.
navigation and features. He also spoke
about The Japan Specialist Program,
key visuals of Japan and requested the
attendees to enrol in the same.
The final presentation was by, Mr.
Akihiko Tamura, Former Japan Tourism
Agency Commissioner who said, “The
Shinkansen is the most effective mode
of transport within Japan as it cuts
down the travel time immensely. The
high speed train between Mumbai and
Ahmedabad will play a major role in
Indian economy and lifestyle as well.”
Several senior officials attended
the seminar from the Tourism and
Urban Planning and Transportation
department of India and Japan.
Tokyo, Japan is 3 hours and 30
minutes ahead of India and to visit
Japan, Indians have to apply for a
tourist visa or short term visa or
Temporary visitor visa for sightseeing
without guarantor. A short term visa
allows a stay period of up to 90 days
for tourism purposes. There are several
flights that connect Japan to India
either directly or with a stopover.
March 2019 Tourism India
53