Date & time: Thursday, September 21, 2017, from 6:30pm
Venue: East Hall 8, Tokyo Big Sight
On Thursday, September 21, 2017, the first day of Tourism EXPO Japan 2017, WELCOME RECEPTION JAPAN, an event targeting the domestic and inbound tourism business, was held from 6:30pm in East Hall 8 at Tokyo Big Sight to welcome and entertain tourism industry staff and members of the press, and provide participants with a place to interact with each other.
After being welcomed at the venue entrance by popular local mascot characters from across Japan, participants listened to welcoming speeches by: Mr. Ryoichi Matsuyama, President of the Japan National Tourism Organization, on behalf of the event organizers; Mr. Keiichi Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, on behalf of event guests; and Mr. Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary.
Then, after the opening ceremony, which consisted of toasts by the representatives of the countries in attendance, participants socialized and enjoyed dinner while being introduced to the culture and leading-edge technology of Japan, and culture and anime tourism—including COOL JAPAN content and automatic translating tools—accompanied by beautiful visuals. Participants were then captivated by the main entertainment performance, a spectacular show by DRUM TAO, world famous Japanese drum artists whose acts reflect Japanese traditions.
The excitement continued throughout the evening, as participants enjoyed sushi, soba (buckwheat noodles) and other uniquely Japanese dishes as they mingled with one another in between a dance performance by the JAL JETS, a cheerleading group made up of current JAL cabin attendants, greetings by lovable local mascots from around the country, and an illusion show by WiZ.
Overview of Tourism EXPO Japan 2017 WELCOME RECEPTION JAPAN
?Date & time: Thursday, September 21, 2017, 6:30pm-9:00pm
?Venue: East Hall 8, Tokyo Big Sight
?Organizers: Japan Travel and Tourism Association, Japan Association of Travel Agents, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
?Event content: Greetings by organizer representatives (Ryoichi Matsuyama, JNTO)/Guest greetings (Keiichi Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)/Opening ceremony/Toast/Screening of videos introducing Japan/DRUM TAO Japanese drum performance/JAL JETS cheerleading dance performance/Greetings by local mascot characters/WiZ illusion show