JAL, which has bases throughout Japan, has been continuously implementing regional revitalization initiatives (currently the “JAL Furusato Project”). In August 2020, flight attendants selected through an internal application process moved to the area and launched the “JAL Furusato Ambassadors” to promote regional initiatives, and in In December of the same year, JAL appointed “JAL hometown supporters,” who are involved in regional revitalization while serving on board. 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. Chisaki Phillips, a JAL Furusato Ambassador who is involved in sake brewery experience tours in Hiroshima Prefecture.
–What can you tell us about your initiatives?
Hiroshima Prefecture is strengthening the Hiroshima brand under the concept of “ENERGY OF PEACE,” which is “energetic, delicious, and easy to live with.
The abundance of fresh seafood from the sea and the mountains, the peaceful climate, the desire for peace, and the energy that has achieved reconstruction are the driving force behind the city of Hiroshima as it heads toward tomorrow. I have been fascinated by the resilient and energetic city of Hiroshima for 12 years now, having moved here from the Kanto region.
This time, we proposed a project to experience sake brewing culture rooted in the local community in Saijo, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, known as one of the three most famous sake brewing areas in Japan.
–How are you involved in this effort?
As one of the Japan Tourism Agency’s signature product creation projects for fiscal 2022, we are involved in the planning and production of a “Sake Brewery Experience Tour” in cooperation with Kamotsuru Sake Brewery and Discover Higashi-Hiroshima (DMO). The tour is designed to provide visitors with the opportunity to learn about the essence of sake brewing by talking with, learning from, and experiencing the sake rice, polishing, and brewing processes, all of which are important in sake brewing.
We aimed to develop a tourism product that protects the cultural and historical resources of the Higashi-Hiroshima area in order to raise awareness of the area. We ventured to go one step further from “sake culture is wonderful,” and focused on creating a structure that would allow visitors to directly experience the “heart” that is the most important aspect of sake brewing.
–What are your future plans and prospects?
The process of sake brewing, one of Japan’s traditional cultures, is very dynamic and delicate. Focusing on the three elements that determine the taste of sake (water, rice, and craftsmanship), we will offer tours of two days and one night for each season, for a total of six days, starting in FY2023.
The Spring Experience Tour “Water” is scheduled to go on sale from Jalpak in early April. For the time being, the tour will be limited to 8 participants, but we hope to expand the scale of the tour in the future so that more people will visit Hiroshima Saijo. In addition, with an eye on overseas visitors, we will also train multilingual hospitality guides by utilizing the knowledge I have cultivated as a flight attendant.
An overview of the tour is introduced in “OnTripJAL”, a sightseeing guide proposed by JAL. Please take a look.
–What is your message to travelers?
This tour is not just for sake lovers. First of all, we would be happy if you could learn about the process of sake production and become interested in it. Then, it would be great if you could become a fan of Saijo, saying “I’m curious about Saijo’s sake”, which would give you a reason to visit again and make you itch to go back to Saijo during the new sake season. We hope that this will be a long-lasting premium tour that will bring happiness to everyone involved: visitors to Saijo, the sake breweries, and the people of Saijo.
We invite you to experience the charm of sake, which can only be understood by experiencing it in this sacred place for sake.
© Source travel watch
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