Hokuriku Shinkansen opens to traffic; domestic visitors to Kanazawa triple

▲ Geisha from Kanazawa perform in Taiwan, singing the piece “Black Hair,” which expresses a woman’s jealousy.

Reported and photographed by You Ru / Taipei
 
To promote tourism, Kanazawa Mayor Yukiharu Yamano visited Taiwan today (6th) to share Kanazawa’s tourism development plans following the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Yamano said that since the new bullet train line began operations, the number of domestic visitors to Kanazawa has tripled, and he expressed hope to introduce Kanazawa to even more Taiwanese travelers in the future.


▲ Kanazawa Mayor Yukiharu Yamano (third from right), and Tokuko Shingyo President Tokumitsu Nobumasa (first from left).

Since the Hokuriku Shinkansen, connecting Tokyo with Toyama and Kanazawa, opened on March 14, 2015, transportation from the capital region to the Hokuriku area has become much more convenient — it now takes just 2.5 hours to reach Kanazawa from Tokyo. Mayor Yukiharu Yamano stated that since the opening of the Shinkansen, domestic visitors have increased by 30%, and hotel bookings in central Kanazawa are almost fully booked on holidays. “We hope to attract more overseas visitors in the future.”

Yamano said that Kanazawa is a city where traditional culture blends with new design concepts. Because of the importance placed on the Taiwanese market, he chose to come to Taiwan to promote tourism after the opening of the Shinkansen, and specially brought geisha performers to the press conference to present five pieces that convey traditional culture. Regarding future promotional efforts targeting Taiwan, Yamano mentioned that starting tomorrow (7th), a Kanazawa & Kaga Crafts Exhibition will be held at New Taipei City’s Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, hoping to let people in Taiwan’s ancient capital also learn about the culture of Kanazawa, known as the “Little Kyoto.”