TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Visit Japan Year 2010 – The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) and Japan National Tourism Organization has announced they are making 2010 “Visit Japan Year (VJY)”, and they will make every effort to achieve the goal of having 10 million visitors to Japan by the end of 2010.

Visit Japan Year 2010 will be held jointly with airlines, hoteliers, ground handlers, self-governing bodies and related ministries and government agencies. In the executive committee, there are travel related organizations such as the JTA, Japan Association of Travel Agencies (JATA), Tourism Industry Association of Japan (TIJ), airlines and railway companies etc. Government and public organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXI), Nippon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Japan Department Stores Association (JDSA), credit card companies and banks will also be supporting Visit Japan Year 2010.

Visit Japan Year 2010 is plannng to:

• Launch a series of special campaigns to target foreign tourists for Japan;

• Make a tactical approach to the foreign residents in Japan encouraging to have their family and friends visit them in Japan;

• Develop and distribute special contents through the year.

The Visit Japan Year 2010 website will go live in October 2009 to keep potential visitors up-to-date with what is happening in Japan. It will contain important travel news, exclusive reports on top events and festivals and new attractions. Visitors to the site will be able to register to receive e-newsletters with Visit Japan Year 2010 news.

Visit Japan Year 2010 will be a global campaign driver twice a year on the web within the framework of shopping, culture and food. The two key campaigns will takes place in winter (January – March 2010) and autumn (September – November 2010).

Have a press release and would like us to publish it? TokyoTomo welcomes your submissions. If you would like to submit your new product, service or other industrial news for review by our editors, please write to pr@tokyotomo.com TokyoTomo does not necessarily guarantee coverage of every new product or release however as long as it is relevant to travel in Japan, we will try to include them.

Japan Airlines (JAL) extends its condolence to those affected by Typhoon Ketsana that hit the Philippines. It will provide from Japan, free transport of relief goods and aid personnel bound for Manila at the request of any non-profit public organizations based in Japan, such as the Japanese Red Cross, and other Japanese aid organizations that the airline has worked with in the past.

Transport of relief goods

JAL will transport free of charge, relief goods and materials to Manila, starting from October 1 to October 21, 2009. Transport will be provided on the route from Tokyo (Narita) to Manila on JAL Group operated flights, where supplies will be carried as air freight and under the conditions specified below:

• The shipper and consignee are government approved organizations

• Contact numbers of the shipper and consignee are clear.

• Arrangements for customs clearance and surface transport at the departure point and arrival point must be completed by the shipper beforehand.

• Shipments must not contain dangerous goods, live animals, or other restricted items.

Transport of relief aid personnel

JAL will also provide free air transport for staff of the above-mentioned organizations who are going to Manila to aid in the current emergency.

This is applicable on the JAL Group operated Tokyo (Narita) – Manila flights, from October 1 to October 21, 2009, based on the date of travel.

Have a press release and would like us to publish it? TokyoTomo welcomes your submissions. If you would like to submit your new product, service or other industrial news for review by our editors, please write to pr@tokyotomo.com TokyoTomo does not necessarily guarantee coverage of every new product or release however as long as it is relevant to travel in Japan, we will try to include them.

Establishment of new domestic route between Narita and OkinawaThe JAL Group announced today, revisions to the route and flight frequency plan for its domestic passenger operations for the second half of FY2009. From January 5, 2010, the JAL Group will establish a new domestic route between Tokyo (Narita) and Okinawa.

From Narita International Airport – Japan’s main international gateway in Tokyo, JAL currently operates feeder flights to key cities, namely Osaka (Kansai and Itami), Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

For more convenient connections of international flights to and from such vital domestic points in Japan via Narita, JAL will launch the new Narita – Okinawa route. In addition, flight frequency of the feeder services that link Narita with Nagoya (Chubu), and Fukuoka will be increased from November 1, 2009, when the number of flights a day on each route will increase from 2 to 3.

JAL will continue reviewing its passenger and cargo network, and expects to make further amendments to its routes, fleet and flight frequencies. Changes will be announced when they have been confirmed.

Have a press release and would like us to publish it? TokyoTomo welcomes your submissions. If you would like to submit your new product, service or other industrial news for review by our editors, please write to pr@tokyotomo.com TokyoTomo does not necessarily guarantee coverage of every new product or release however as long as it is relevant to travel in Japan, we will try to include them.