Eighteen local governments and the Japan Center for Regional Development have put together an English brochure on their "antenna shops," the outlets in Tokyo selling their local specialties, to encourage foreign tourists who visit them to travel to their regions.
Accompanied by photos of traditional foods offered at the shops, the brochure includes maps of Tokyo's posh Ginza district and other areas where they are located, as well as information about Wi-Fi connections.
More detailed information about the shops in English, Chinese and Korean can be accessed online by scanning QR codes in the brochure on smartphones.
The initial 10,000 copies of the free brochure have proved popular, and the organizers are planning to issue an updated version with information on more shops during fiscal 2015 ending next March, officials involved said.
An official of Toyama's shop said the prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast hopes the brochure will help lure many foreign tourists now that access from Tokyo has been improved by the launch of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line.
