The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo is asking Twitter users to suggest places in Japan for new U.S. Ambassador William Hagerty and his family to visit.
Hagerty, who arrived in Tokyo last week, has expressed his admiration for Japan's people and culture on several occasions. He has mentioned his personal connection to the country, having spent three years in Japan back in the late 80s and early 90s while working for the Boston Consulting Group.
It's been a busy week for Hagerty, highlighted by a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and lunch with Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Still, he and his family found time between official engagements to explore the capital during their first weekend here.
"Tokyo is as dynamic & fascinating a city as ever," the U.S. Embassy tweeted, showing pictures of Hagerty and his wife and children visiting the Suntory Museum of Art.
On Wednesday, the embassy posted another tweet asking to "Help #AmbHagerty #rediscoverJapan!" The tweet, which called for recommendations on places Hagerty and his family should see, has so far received dozens of suggestions ranging from popular destinations like Mount Fuji and Kyoto to theme parks like Tokyo Disneyland and the Toshimaen amusement park, home to one of the world's oldest carousels.
Hagerty, a private equity investor, succeeded Caroline Kennedy, who served as ambassador from 2013 to January this year. Kennedy's first trip in Japan as ambassador was to the Tohoku region that suffered heavily from a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Hagerty will be visiting the Imperial Palace to present his credentials to Emperor Akihito on an undisclosed date. The ceremony traditionally takes place soon after the arrival of an ambassador. Thousands of spectators flocked to see Kennedy's procession through the streets of Tokyo when she visited the Imperial Palace back in 2013.
