Nara Prefecture's latest tourist facility, the Nara Visitor Center & Inn opened its doors on July 23rd. Aiming to introduce Japanese culture to the world and increase interaction between foreign tourists and Japanese locals, the Visitor Center (also known as "Nara-ken Sarusawa Inn") features an "Interaction Salon" where Nara tourists can participate in cultural activities such as calligraphy, ikebana (flower arrangement), and the tea ceremony every day. Furthermore, accommodation is scheduled to be offered there starting in the summer of 2016.
A Tourism PR Ambassador to Nara will be stationed at the Visitor Center, introducing Nara's charms to the world through articles and videos posted on websites such as JapanTravel and Facebook. Serving this important role is none other than JapanTravel's own Nara Regional Partner, Bryan Baier.
After accepting Nara Prefecture's request for an ambassador, JapanTravel appointed Bryan, after years of tremendous contributions to the team, to fill that role and promote Japan to the world. Since July 1st, he has flourished as Nara's Tourism PR Ambassador, answering numerous media interviews with a smile and tackling the mission of "introducing Nara's charms to the world" from a foreigner's point of view. It will be exciting to see how Nara, one of the country's most visited prefectures, and Japanese culture will be projected and promoted through Bryan's eyes.