T

he Japanese prefecture of Yamanashi is trying to attract more Indonesian tourists this year by catering to the needs of Muslim travelers, while also promoting local produce and destinations other than the famous Mount Fuji.

Yamanshi Governor Hitoshi Goto said the goal for the number of Indonesian tourists visiting his prefecture in 2018 is 40,000.

“When I was elected governor three years and five months ago, [the number of] tourists from Indonesia visiting Yamanashi was around 12,000 people. Currently there are some 33,000 Indonesians who have visited Yamanashi,” the official said through a translator during an event in Jakarta on Monday.

The event was held to promote his prefecture at the official residence of Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Masafumi Ishii.

Yamanashi prefecture is located 90 minutes west of Tokyo by train, Goto said.

As more Muslim travelers visit Japan, the Fuji Tourism Development Agency has started to cater to the group by providing halal food and prayer rooms in the area.

“Prayer rooms are now currently available in five places in the Fujisan resort, Fujisan World Heritage Center, Fujizakura Inn, Yurari onsen [hot spring] and SYLVANS restaurant,” said the agency’s director and general manager, Kaneko Chihiro.

The number of Indonesian tourists visiting Japan reached some 352,200 in 2017, a 30 percent increase from 2016, news portal tribunnews.com reported in January.

The increase in Indonesian tourists is facilitated by a visa waiver scheme for holders of Indonesian e-passports.

There are plenty of activities to do in Yamanashi other than visiting Mt. Fuji, said Fadly Agustimahir, coordinator of international relations, global tourism and exchange at the Yamanashi prefectural administration office.

The region, he said, is also known for being a top producer of some of Japan’s juiciest delicacies, which include grapes, plums and peaches.

“Shine Muscat is the most popular grape variety in Japan because of its thin skin and sweet taste,” he said.

“Tourists can visit fruit farms in Yamanashi and pick fruit. It depends on each farm whether or not to charge the tourists fees.

“Yamanashi is also a producer of [bottled] mineral water due to its mountainous location,” Fadli said. “Yamanashi produces 44 percent of Japanese mineral water.”

The clear water found there also allows for the high quality production of various other products such as rice, sake and koshu beef — which comes from black Japanese cattle — as well as kai salmon red, wine, craft beer and many other items.

Other than its culinary riches, Fadli said Yamanashi also had plenty of cultural attractions, such as the Shingen-ko festival, the largest samurai festival in the world, which reenacts the marching of the samurai from the Sengoku period in Japan’s history.

The festival is held every year in early April around Kofu Station and Maizurujo Park to commemorate the role of a local ruler, Takeda Shingen, in the prefecture’s history.

Another reenactment from the Sengoku period, the Battle of Kawanakajima, is held in late April at Fuefuki City Hall. Participants are divided into two factions and battle each other, Fadli said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Ishii said he expected the promotional event would help increase the number of Indonesian tourists visiting the prefecture.

“Visiting and knowing each others’ cultures is important to strengthen bilateral relations,” he said.

— The writer is an Intern at The Jakarta Post