Cherry blossoms fever in Manila. A crowded scene at the Japan Pavillion entrance.
On February 15, 16 and 17, the 20 th PTAA Travel Tour Expo opened its doors to over 80,000 visitors. The expo's sprawling exhibit area included halls 1 to 4 and Function Room 5 of the SMX Convention Center making it the biggest PTAA Travel Tour Expo to date.
During the event, the Japan Pavillion introduced its “Springtime in Japan” concept. Aiming to bring more Filipino travelers to Japan, the Japan Pavillion hosted various exciting and fun activities to promote Japan and was awarded the grand prize for Best in Marketing.
The guest of honor in this year's Japan Pavillion is a high profile celebrity known as Hello Kitty, who flew all the way from Japan to bring her unique brand of “kawaii” (cute) and meet her Filipino fans both young and the young-at-heart. She also entertained her adoring fans with a lively song and dance number.
Aside from Hello Kitty, visitors were able to experience a wide variety of traditional Japanese culture through the shodo (Japanese calligraphy), origami and karate activities, as well as lively Yosakoi and koto performances.
Calligraphy time with the Japanese Ambassador.
Lucky visitors got the chance to have their names written in Japanese by
Ambassador Toshinao Urabe and Japan Foundation Nihongo Teachers.
Hats off! Delighted visitors show off their Kabuto (Samurai Hat) origami.
Let's get Physical! Karate instructors from Kyokushinkaikan demonstrate
to a volunteer how to break a one-inch thick woodblock.
Sounds of Japan. Talented koto (Traditional Japanese zither) players from UP Tugma
serenaded Japan Pavilion visitors with Japanese folk songs while energetic Yosakoi dancers from UP Tomokai cheered the visitors with their upbeat dance.
Visitors were also able to sample delicious Japanese food through the Taiyaki (Fish-shaped custard filled pancakes) exhibit, Maki Roll Food Demonstration and Sake (Japanese wine) tasting.
Japanese-style merienda. Visitors were treated to a popular Japanese snack called Taiyaki (fish shaped pancakes) and California Maki rolls prepared especially on site.
Rice and shine! One serving of Sake (Japanese rice wine) and rice crackers is sure to awaken the senses on a long tiring day even for hardworking samurai.
Other fun activities include dressing up as a Cabin Crew for a Day, How to Park an Airplane, Chopstick Game, Face Painting and Karaoke.
All Aboard. A young girl in cabin crew hams it up for the camera. JNTO Bangkok Director Ayumi Takahashi and Mr. Masataka Hashimoto of Attic Tours help demonstrate parking of airplanes.
Play time. A young girl tries her hands on the chopsticks game while another tries to
put her best face forward with face painting. Two Arashi fans gamely sing karaoke in Japanese.
Tips from the experts. Travel experts on Japan were also present in the pavilion to give recommendations and answer inquiries from visitors. Model and host Chris Tiu was also present in the event to share fashion tips on what to wear during a trip to Japan courtesy of UNIQLO.
See you in Japan. All in a day's work for the hardworking Japan Pavillion Team.
The Japan Pavillion was organized by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), with the cooperation of the Embassy of Japan, Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR), All Nippon Airways, Attic Tours, Japan Airlines and Universal Holidays, Inc.
Thank you for visiting the Japan Pavillion. We look forward to the start of your endless discoveries in Japan !
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