Japanese girl group AKB48 promotes Taipei tourism
2013/09/12 19:33:03
Mango ice is one of the many favorite treats of tourists to Taiwan.
Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 12 (CNA) Five members of the popular Japanese girl group AKB48 appeared at a Taiwan tourism promotion event in Tokyo on Thursday, touting the food and other attractions of Taiwan's capital city of Taipei.
In a pitch aimed specifically at Japanese women, the celebrities spoke about Taipei's night markets, gourmet dishes, street snacks and major tourist sites.
The five group members -- Maria Abe, Minami Takahashi, Mayu Watanabe, Yui Yokoyama and Mariya Nagao -- demonstrated how to make Taiwan's popular mango shaved ice, at a press conference that was hosted by Taipei tourism officials who are in Tokyo for an international travel fair.
Abe, Takahashi and Watanabe also related some of the highlights of their visit to Taipei in July for the shooting of a TV tourism promotion film that was screened at the press conference.
Takahashi said she enjoyed Taipei's night markets and Taiwan's pineapple cakes, green bean cakes and tea.
Watanabe, meanwhile, said she hopes that the entire AKB48 group of over 80 young women could travel to Taipei next time.
Yu Shu-hui, an official with Taipei City's Department of Information and Tourism, said her department is hoping that the popularity of AKB48 will spur more Japanese tourists, particularly women, to visit Taipei.
"Joshi-kai," or women's gatherings, have become a trend in Japan in recent years, Yu noted, adding that she hopes Japanese women will see Taipei as a prime destination because of it range of activities such as massages, tea-drinking and temple tours.
"Joshi-kai" refers to small parties among female friends, at which the women share their work and life experiences over food and drinks, often at trendy restaurants and hotels.
(By Yang Ming-chu and Christie Chen)
