Kushiro, on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan, produced a television program for Taiwan to promote the attractions of winter in the coastal city.
The program features a Hokkaido celebrity and Taiwanese social media influencer visiting sights in Kushiro, including Kushiro Swamp and Akanko Onsen Hot Spring.
In addition to canoeing in Kushiro Swamp and woodcarving at Akanko Onsen, Sapporo-based celebrity Sana Ito and Lin Lin Tsai-hsia, who lives in Obihiro, sample the city’s culinary delights.
Ballpoint pen artist and former bus guide Kanae Harada and other experienced guides introduce Ito and Lin to “zangi”, a classic Hokkaido fried chicken dish, “robatayaki” style barbecue and noodles Kushiro ramen.
Kanae Harada (L) tells Lin Tsai-hsia (C) and Sana Ito about the culinary delights of Kushiro City.
Ito, who enjoyed seafood at the robatayaki restaurant, said, “The harasu (belly) salmon was the best I’ve ever tasted. I hope I can convey Kushiro’s winter charm, like being able to canoe even in winter.”
In fiscal 2019, before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Taiwanese made up 36 percent of the total number of foreign tourists visiting Kushiro, the highest number.
Lin posts information about everyday life in Hokkaido for a Taiwanese audience on Facebook and has around 47,000 followers.
“Many Taiwanese visit eastern Hokkaido for the fresh seafood and snow,” she said.
The program, which was jointly recorded by Kushiro and Sapporo Television Broadcasting (STV), can be viewed on YouTube.
Program production is part of the activities of the Ministry of Interior and Communications, in which local governments and local broadcasting stations collaborate to broadcast local news abroad.
The city’s tourism promotion office said, “After the coronavirus pandemic is over, we would like to continue to convey the Kushiro attraction so that many tourists from Taiwan will visit it again.”
The Hokkaido Shimbun Press
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