Japan In Focus

Japan’s Tohoku Region Aim to Attract Foreign Tourists with ‘Adventure Travel’ Featuring Natural Environment, Local Culture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:35 JST, October 15, 2025

Efforts are underway to promote the Tohoku region’s nature and culture as destinations for “adventure travel” experiences to attract foreign tourists.

Recently, the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization invited officials from overseas travel agencies to conduct an inspection tour of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region. The participants walked the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, enjoying the changing coastal scenery and local food culture.

Adventure travel — a travel style where visitors enjoy the destination’s nature and culture through hands-on experiences — has gained popularity especially among affluent travelers from Europe, the United States and Australia. Compared to standard tourism, adventure travel involves longer stays and higher spending, delivering significant economic benefits to destinations.

On Sept. 20 in Hachinohe, 17 participants from overseas travel agencies and media outlets walked an approximately 8-kilometer course on the Michinoku Coastal Trail, leisurely enjoying diverse landscapes including rocky shores, sandy beaches and expansive grasslands stretching to the sky and sea.

The U.S.-based organization Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), which promotes adventure tours worldwide, invited the participants. Janie Welsh, a tour coordinator for the organization who joined from the United States, gave her stamp of approval, saying each prefecture of the Tohoku region has its own distinct culture and traditions, and is geared toward adventure travel.

The inspection tour was held from Sept. 15-22. Participants enjoyed a shrine visit on Mt. Yudono in Yamagata Prefecture, experienced excursions with traditional matagi hunters in Akita Prefecture and kayaked in Iwate Prefecture. On the final day, business meetings were held between Japanese and overseas travel companies.

The Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization is pursuing three goals: developing wider tour packages covering all of Tohoku, strengthening local travel agencies and organizations handling adventure travel programs, and training guides for the programs.

“Tohoku’s appeal is still largely unknown in the European, American and Australian markets,” said Atsushi Watanabe, head of the Tohoku organization’s promotion department. “We aim to increase inbound tourism, contribute to the regional economy, and promote sustainable tourism and community development.”