YAMAGATA -- The Yamagata prefectural government has released a video for foreign tourists on the video-sharing website YouTube to promote tourism within the prefecture for the spring and summer season.
The promotional video "Stay Yamagata" features a two-day and one-night trip in the prefecture, featuring foreigners who travel to scenic spots based on actual itineraries.
The autumn-winter version of the video released in fiscal 2016 has been favorably received, with the total number of views exceeding 8 million, which prompted the prefectural government to make the spring-summer version.
The spring chapter features a female foreign tourist and her daughter traveling in the Okitama-Murayama region, with the two admiring cherry blossoms at night at Eboshiyama Park in the city of Nanyo. The mother and daughter also taste wine at the Takahata Winery in the town of Takahata.
In the summer chapter, a group of three male friends tour the Mogami-Shonai region, enjoying rafting on Mogamigawa river in the village of Tozawa and watching traditional Japanese dance by maiko, or apprentice geisha, at the Somaro teahouse in Sakata city.
The two videos each comprise the first and second day of an itinerary, and both run for about three minutes. A special website (https://www.stayyamagata.com/) has been launched, which has links to websites of travel agencies that sell tourist products related to the content shown in the video.
"We packed into the short video the appeal of various tourist spots in the prefecture," said an official of the prefectural government department that promotes tourism. "We hope many people view the video."
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