By Eman Al-Awadhi (with photos)
KUWAIT, Nov 21 (KUNA) -- Counter to the perception that good things come at a high price, the beautiful scenery, national treasures and world heritage sites of Japan can now be enjoyed at a reasonable cost.
According to Japanese Ambassador Masatoshi Muto, you can actually go to Japan without spending a lot of money, given the diversity of travel and accommodation options that were now available.
"Last year we issued 400 tourist visas, and this number is not enough," the ambassador said, speaking to reporters Thursday evening on the sidelines of the "Ya Hala in Japan" festival.
The embassy has launched a new website for the promotion of tourism in Japan, dubbed "How to Walk in Japan," he said, explaining that the aim of this website was to "tailor to special needs of the people of Kuwait and the Gulf."
The number of tourists visiting Japan was five million in 2003, and went up to eight million by 2007. The aim is to bring the number of visitors to 10 million by 2010, and 20 million by 2020.
Many tourists come to Japan from neighboring Asian countries, but there are many things in Japan that would be of interest to Kuwaitis, Muto said, noting that Tokyo was designated the "Food Capital of the World" with 150 star restaurants; only 65 Parisian restaurants were awarded stars last year.
Brand-name products can be purchased at discount rates, and Japanese "pop culture" such as animated films and computer games are a great attraction to the younger generation, he added.
Meanwhile, he described Kuwait as a "great partner" of Japan in terms of oil imports, while noting that his country exported USD 1.3 billion worth of cars and machinery to the Gulf state.
"We also share a lot of common interests, such as promoting peace and security in this region ... You (Kuwait) helped our air force mission to transport goods to Baghdad," he added.
At the economic front, the ambassador said the two countries were working on signing a tax exemption treaty, and "we want to promote an FTA (Free Trade Agreement) as much as possible, though we are not going too far in that area."
He also noted that on the sidelines of the visit of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to Japan, the two sides agreed on the establishment of a joint government-to-government committee for promoting relations "and we hope that these (agreements) would lead to further cooperation between the two countries."
On education, Muto hoped that more opportunities for student exchanges would arise in the future, as many universities that lecture in English were opening in his country, thereby removing the obstacle of language.
The "Ya Hala in Japan" festival was held on the sidelines of the Japanese Embassy's reception celebrating the Emperor's birthday.
The festival included an exhibition on Japan's tourism and culture, followed by demonstrations in Ikebana (Japanese art of flower arrangement), calligraphy and cooking.
Copyright Kuwait News Agency 2008.
