Premium agriculture products promoted as souvenirs
AT THE Sun Fruits shop in Nihonbashi Mitsu-koshi department store in Chuo ward, Tokyo, many premium fruits such as muskmelons and shine muscat, a kind of specialty grape, are stocked on the shelves. According to the fruit shop, recently, there has been a change in the type of customers who have been visiting the shop.
“Foreign tourists are buying high-grade fruits. In particular, more Southeast Asian visitors are buying them as souvenirs,” a deputy manager of the store said. One tourist after another buys fruits that cost thousands of yen and takes them back home, according to the store.
Takeda Castle Ruins, a national historical site known as the “castle in the sky” in Asago, Hyogo prefecture, has become a sightseeing spot for many foreign tourists. Tajima no Mahoroba, a roadside rest area near the ruins, set up a duty-free counter in October 2015. Since then, local specialty strawberries have flown off the shelves.
The facility introduced a humanoid robot that provides tourist information in English, Chinese, Korean and French to enhance services for foreign tourists. Now, about 150 foreign tourists, mainly from Hong Kong and Singapore, visit the facility every month.
Foreign tourists also send agricultural products they purchase to the airport before departure. In cases where plant quarantine is required, delivery companies carry out the necessary procedures on their behalf.
The project was commissioned by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, and has been joined by 16 facilities across the nation, including Michi no Eki roadside rest areas and farms open to tourists.
“We want more people from around the world to learn about the Tajima region through our food products,” said Yasumasa Fukumaru, a 45-year-old staff in charge at Tajima no Mahoroba. “Would you like some fresh Japanese fruits?”
A souvenir shop at Narita Airport Terminal 2 in Chiba prefecture sold Japanese fruits on a trial basis this summer. A tourist from Hong Kong bought a melon in a box priced at 3,500 yen ($30.70).
“If I buy it at a department store in Hong Kong, it will cost at least 8,000 yen. I was able to buy a good souvenir for my family,” he said as he headed for boarding.
The government has set a goal to increase exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products to 1 trillion yen by 2019. According to a ministry estimate, the amount of food such as agricultural products, confectionary and beverages purchased by foreign tourists for souvenirs and other purposes amounted to 289.7 billion yen in 2016.
Agricultural product souvenirs need to undergo plant quarantine at airports in order to contain any diseases or pests. But some quarantine offices are located at the end of airport buildings, which has caused inconveniences.
To remedy this, the ministry set up permanent quarantine counters in departure lobbies. It has so far opened counters at five airports, including Narita Airport and New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido.
“Taking advantage of the boom, we would like to increase the number of people who are enthusiastic about Japanese agricultural products and have it lead to more exports of those products,” a ministry official said.