Taipei, Sep. 5 (CNA) The Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi organized a promotional seminar Tuesday in Taipei, hoping to attract more Taiwanese visitors.
An estimated 10,000 Taiwanese tourists visit Yamaguchi Prefecture every year, said Aimoto Takayuki, Tourism Division chief of staff of the Yamaguchi prefecture government. With the Japanese government declaring visa exemption for Taiwanese tourists in September 2005, the number is expected to increase.
The prefecture, which has been described as the gateway of Honshu and Kyushu, has various places and events for Taiwanese tourists to enjoy, he said, such as cherry blossoms and the Akiyoshido cave -- the largest limetone plateau in Japan.
The port city of Shimonoseki also has a special meaning for Taiwan, Takayuki said. The city was where the Treaty of Shimonoseki between the Qing Dynasty and Japan was signed in 1895 to hand over Taiwan to Japan.
Yamaguchi became the latest of many Japanese prefectures to promote tourism in Taiwan, an official of the Japanese National Tourism Organization said.