JAL, which has bases throughout Japan, has been continuously implementing regional revitalization initiatives (currently the “JAL Furusato Project”), and in August 2020 launched the “JAL Furusato Ambassadors,” cabin crew members selected through an in-house recruitment process who move to the area to promote initiatives in their respective regions. In December of the same year, JAL appointed “JAL Hometown Cheering Troops” who are involved in regional revitalization while serving as flight attendants. The aim is to develop products and solve regional issues for hometowns and other regions with which they have connections, utilizing the knowledge they have accumulated as flight attendants.
We spoke with Ms. Masuzu Yoshimura, a JAL Furusato Ambassador who is involved in a collaborative project with Ore no French in Kagoshima.
–What can you tell us about your initiatives?
As part of the “JAL Hometown Project,” Japan Airlines has been working to attract customers to the region through “food,” and has been holding events on an ongoing basis in partnership with Ore no Kabushiki Kaisha, Ltd. This time, with the cooperation of the Kagoshima Prefectural Hokusatsu Regional Promotion Bureau, we held an event called “Kagoshima Prefecture, Hokusatsuma’s Delicious Food Festival: A Treasure Trove of Unknown Nature and Delicacies” to promote the delicious foods of the Hokusatsuma region (Akune City, Izumi City, Satsumasendai City, Satsuma Town, and Nagashima Town) in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The “Traveling Makers’ Dinner”, a collaborative event with Ore no K.K., which we have held in the past, was a one-night-only event. However, for this seventh event, based on our strong desire to let more people know about the charms of Kitasatsuma, we held a month-long restaurant fair at all nine “Ore no French” restaurants, a fair for selling Kitasatsuma’s specialties at “Ore no French/Italian Ginza Kabuki-za-mae”, and a specialties and A special products and sightseeing fair was also held at Haneda Airport.
–How are you involved in this effort?
I accompanied the chefs and managers of “Ore no Kabushiki Kaisha” on their field trip to Hokusatsuma and listened to the thoughts of the producers. I also served as MC for the “Traveling Makers’ Dinner in Kitasatsuma” and promoted the attractiveness of “food ingredients,” “sightseeing spots,” and “specialty products” of the five regions. It was such a warm space where I could listen closely to the reactions and expressions of the participating guests and feel the whole experience.
In addition, during the site visit, all the producers were passionate about quality over quantity, and they all put in a lot of time and effort to “deliver good quality products! They are all passionate about quality over quantity and put in a lot of time and effort to deliver the best products. This is why the chefs must have had more trouble than usual in creating menus using the abundant ingredients of Kitasatsuma.
However, at the opening event, “Traveling Makers Dinner in Kitasatsuma,” Manager Hasegawa not only paired wines to match the dishes, but also conceived of dishes to be enjoyed with shochu produced in Kitasatsuma. Chef Kamiki’s masterful dishes, which were completed with the passion of each of them, attracted the guests and the event was a great success. We will be back for the next event! The smiles on the faces of the guests who said, “I will be back for the next event!
–What are your future plans and prospects?
For a month from January 25 to February 24, nine “Ore no French” restaurants, including those in Osaka and Fukuoka, are holding a restaurant fair offering special menus using ingredients from Kitasatsuma! The chefs at each restaurant have devised their own unique menus, resulting in a total of 29 (!) dishes! The chefs of each restaurant have come up with their own unique menu, resulting in a total of 29 different menus! You will want to visit all of them! Please visit your nearest “Ore no French” and try the delicious menus using ingredients from North Satsuma.
© Source travel watch
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