A showroom-type store that sells popular foods and other items from Japan's Tohoku northeastern region and introduces its attractions is set to open in Singapore on July 19.
The shop, Access Tohoku, was established by Hiroko Ono, 52, from Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, one of the six prefectures in Tohoku.
Ono says she hopes that the shop will be used by companies from Tohoku as a base for expanding their operations overseas. She has been living in Southeast Asia for more than 18 years because of her husband's work.
Ono was in Malaysia when the Tohoku region was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Her wish to do something for Tohoku's postdisaster reconstruction led to the opening of Access Tohoku.
The store will sell a selection of Tohoku specialties, including lacquered products and akabeko (a traditional red cow-shaped toy) from Fukushima Prefecture, garlics from Aomori Prefecture, iburigakko pickled vegetables from Akita Prefecture and silk products from Yamagata Prefecture.
The shop also has a kitchen so that dishes can be cooked in front of visitors and served quickly.
Many companies in Tohoku face a shortage of successors of their businesses.
Ono says it is important to make businesses attractive for both those who pass them down and those who take them over, and the expat Tohoku native supports young people who inherited businesses and helps them expand their businesses to overseas markets.
While such support activities are often carried out in a short period of time using subsidies from local governments, Ono plans to offer such assistance over a longer period, utilizing her experience of engaging in tourism promotion activities for Tohoku and personal connections she has developed.