There are places in central Tokyo where you can taste various foods from regions around Japan and buy rare souvenirs without ever having to leave the capital, but they remain largely unknown to foreign tourists.

Prefectures across Japan have been struggling to attract more and more foreigners to their specialty "satellite shops," which are aimed at promoting their respective regions to people in the Tokyo metropolitan area and encouraging them to visit.

The shops, which are typically owned by prefectural governments but managed by private companies or other entities, sell such items as confectionery, vegetables and handicrafts. Many also have restaurants serving regional cuisine.