Japanese lessons
How do you create a new destination in a competitive global tourism market? Answer – gather your closest neighbours, your best-known and most unusual attractions and create a new brand. April Hutchinson explores the potential of Japan’s Setouchi region
W
Great Torii Gate, Miyajima
hen the world’s eyes turn to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, they might
see Kobe Misaki Stadium, one of 12 locations hosting the tournament across the country between September 20 and November 2 next year. Kobe is perhaps already known for its namesake beef, considered globally to be one of the highest quality meats on the planet and renowned for its incredible marbled texture. Kobe beef requires a pure lineage from the Tajima-gyu breed of cattle and when sold in a store in Japan, it even has to carry a 10-digit identification number, so customers know exactly which animal it came from. Technically, Kobe can only originate from within the Hyogo, one of 47 prefectures in Japan. Hyogo is also one of seven prefectures that surround the Seto Inland Sea, a vast area west of Kyoto that includes a coastline spanning 280 miles. The other six prefectures that fringe this “Mediterranean of Asia” are Okayama, Hiroshima,
The Guntu floating hotel sails out of Onomichi
Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa and Ehime. In 2013 the seven
SETOUCHI
prefectures came together to launch the Setouchi Tourism Authority as a joint effort to develop business and tourism in the region. This was ramped up in 2016 with the formation of Setouchi DMO, the country’s first combined DMO that would oversee multiple prefectures. Between them, the seven already had several of Japan’s most iconic sites and attractions to shout about. These include Miyajima, the island home of the Itsukushima shrine, marked by the giant orange Great Torii Gate that
48 wtm insights summer 2018
becomes partially submerged at high tide. It is just one of the region’s Unesco World Heritage Sites, with others including Himeji, a huge white castle; and the Atomic Bomb Memorial, which stands as a reminder of the tragedy of Hiroshima. The Kagawa prefecture is also known for its udon noodles, while the whole Setouchi region is home to 275 sake breweries.
Setouchi also includes Naoshima, now famous as Japan’s “art island” and next year marks the arrival of the 2019 Setouchi Triennial (July 18-September 4/ October 8-November 6). It takes place every three years and sees a fresh crop of works installed across 12 “art islands”. It is this creativity focus that has been helping Setouchi make an early name for itself as a brand – in particular, the work of Yayoi Kusama, internationally known as the queen of Pop Art or the “princess of polka dots”, draws the crowds, with Naoshima home to two of her famous pumpkin sculptures.
Art and architecture Naoshima is home to architect Tadao
Ando’s Ando Museum, sitting in the Honmura district where many old houses retain their traditional Japanese exterior style but inside have been transformed into concrete works of art – an Ando trademark. The architect has also designed the
island’s Chichu Art Museum, completely embedded in a hill to preserve the beauty of the landscape. Once inside its stark concrete walls, the museum provides a permanent home to work by three key artists: in one enormous gallery there are five of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies; Walter De Maria’s art
wtm.com
Tetsuya Ito
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
