Joetsu, southwestern Niigata Prefecture, is snow country. This was the place where, in 1911, Theodor Edler von Lerch, a major in the Austro-Hungarian military, first introduced skiing to Japan. It’s still a popular winter attraction on nearby Mount Myoko. The number of international tourists, around half of which are Australians who come to ski at nearby resorts, are “still low,” according to Takashi Yamada from Joetsu’s Industry and Tourism Exchange division — only once in the past decade have they surpassed 70,000. The town is trying to develop walking tours of the city center to highlight its history, and shops that are comfortable conducting customer service in English paste “welcome, please come in” stickers on their doors. Only time will tell if these interventions are successful or not. 📸: Claire Williamson (@accidentaltokyoite)
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