Japan Incentive Group

As we are based in Japan we have the unique and privileged position of being brought into some very interesting projects. One of them is working with local DMOs (Destination Management Organizations) which are government funded agencies to promote local areas for culture and tourism.

We have been working with Shikoku Tourism for a number of years and one of our biggest projects has been that as a media consultant. Shikoku is a large island region in south-west Japan and is often skipped over by travelers going from Tokyo to Kyoto to Hiroshima. Some people will go to Naoshima Art Island, but the main bulk of Shikoku is completely “passed over”.

While there is so much culture, and nature, and food experiences to be had in Shikoku there was virtually no one coming this way to do much promotion. I got into motion and started pestering National Geographic and the Lonely Planet. I was able to befriend staff in both organizations and invited them to explore more of what the Shikoku region has to offer.

Shikoku has an incredible hertiage of pilgrimage, and modern art, and sake brewing, and hiking and kayaking, and fish markets, and yuzu fruit orchards, pearl harvests, incredible fishing and surfing and cave spelunking and tea fields… We just knew that if people could come and see and experienced the part of Japan that ancient Buddhists often referred to as “The Pure Land” we would light a fire that would open the region up to the world.

And we did. After writing a good number of articles and hounding the poor staff at the Lonely Planet, they did indeed come and see and experience this region for themselves and then in 2022, the incredible happened.

Ranking at number 6 for BEST IN TRAVEL: Region, there is was – SHIKOKU.

I’m quite proud of the work that my little company did, and I felt like I was a “dog with a bone” and I just would not give up. The award came and out of 10,000 regions in the world, Shikoku made the top 10. That was quite cool and I am glad to have played some part in creating a media buzz where over one billion people came to have the word “Shikoku” come across their lives and maybe… just maybe… spark something that was waiting to adventure to Japan within.