Get up close with AKB48 at the Japan Tourism Expo — early bird tickets go on sale March 17

▲ The Japan Tourism & Culture Expo opens at Taipei Expo Park on April 17, featuring special guests from AKB48, from left to right: Minami Takahashi, Mion Mukaichi, and Sayaya Kawamoto. (Photo / Provided by Japan General Incorporated Association Tourism Revitalization Conference & Touch The Japan Executive Committee)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Japan Tourism & Culture Expo ～ Discover New Perspectives, Rediscover Japan ～ will be held from April 17 to 20 at Taipei Expo Park. Early bird presale tickets are priced at NT$150 and will be exclusively available at ibon ticketing systems in 7-Eleven stores across Taiwan starting March 17. Ticket holders will also have a chance to win a NT$888 Japanese travel package.

According to statistics from the Japan Tourism Agency, Taiwan had over 2.8 million visitors to Japan in 2014, surpassing South Korea to become a key market for Japan’s tourism development. The Japan Tourism & Culture Expo ～ Discover New Perspectives, Rediscover Japan ～ will gather more than 90 exhibitors and 200 booths across an exhibition area of tens of thousands of square meters, offering diverse perspectives on Japan and a wide variety of specialty products. The event is expected to attract 80,000 visitors over four days.

The organizers also announced on March 10 that on the opening day, April 17, popular members of the Japanese idol group AKB48 — Minami Takahashi, Sayaya Kawamoto, and Mion Mukaichi — will perform on the main stage at Taipei Expo Park, meeting fans up close.

In recognition of the long-standing friendship between Taiwan and Japan, and as a gesture of gratitude for Taiwan’s warm support following the 311 disaster, the event has brought together Taiwanese and Japanese travel agencies and airlines to offer special discounted packages and curated itineraries. For just NT$888, visitors can explore Japan, with opportunities to bid on low-cost travel packages, win round-trip flights to Japan every day, and more giveaways. The venue will also feature authentic Japanese cuisine such as “Nihonbashi Pan-Fried Gyoza & Ramen,” “Zenkan Japanese Fried Chicken,” and “Inaniwa Udon from Inakage Yasuke.”

Ando Shunsuke, Executive Producer and Chair of the Executive Committee of the General Incorporated Association Tourism Revitalization Conference Touch The Japan, stated that to present the most authentic Japanese culture, ultra-high-definition 8K visuals from Japan will make their stunning debut in Taiwan, showcasing beautiful Japanese landscapes, lively traditional festivals, snow monkeys bathing in hot springs, spectacular bullfighting parades, and a gathering of beloved anime characters — giving attendees an immersive audiovisual experience of Japan.