The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is encouraging Canadian visitors to look beyond the destination’s most familiar cities and sights with a new, must-visit list of lesser-known locales. The list – initially published in Japanese by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) – captures and reflects the broad beauty of the Japanese landscape and its diverse tourism offering with a selection of eleven ‘model tourism’ destinations.
“For many travellers, the ‘Golden Route’ has become a familiar and iconic way to experience Japan, but it is far from the only way,” said Mr. Ken Toyoda , Executive Director of JNTO Toronto. “So many of Japan’s most incredible destinations are not yet on the average traveller’s radar, and so we saw an opportunity to introduce Canadians to the parts of Japan that are quieter, but no less compelling.” The ‘Golden Route’ refers to the popular itinerary selected by many first-time visitors to Japan. Traditionally beginning in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, most variants of the tour follow a path west through Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima before looping back to the capital. The JNTO’s release of this new list reflects the increasing importance the organization is placing on encouraging greater traffic to non-metropolitan and lesser-visited areas in service of effecting economic revitalization.
To learn more about travelling to Japan and the JNTO, please visit https://www.japan.travel/en/ca/.
