Japan Travel Fair 2018

It is just early January, and the Japan Travel Fair 2018 is the first travel fair in Malaysia to take place this year. Held from 11-14 January and at The Starling Mall in Petaling Jaya, this mini fair is all out to promote the various destinations in Japan.

The objective of the Japan travel fair is to increase awareness among consumers, namely those living in the suburban areas of Petaling Jaya and its surroundings. This time around, JNTO or the Japan National Tourism Organization, has selected the venue at one of the new shopping malls in Damansara Utama.

 

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Travel agents at the Japan Travel Fair in Starling Mall.

You can find everything about Japan at the fair, including all sorts of information about destinations around Japan. There are 20 booths with various Japanese vendors from all over Japan and some of the local Malaysian tour companies.

For first-timers visiting here, you should know that commercial places in Japan are not being promoted here at the fair. Information booths for destinations like Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, and Hokkaido are unavailable.Instead, you will see more unique destinations not too far from the usual popular places. Train travel is one of the main highlights of Japan as it is the best method to travel from city to city.

The JNTO Booth at the Starling Mall in Damansara Utama.

You can get travel brochures for these interesting places from the main JNTO booth at the travel fair. The primary mission is to introduce other regions from around Japan to Malaysians.

If you should already know, most Malaysians have been to Japan and the main commercial cities.

At this year’s Japan Travel Fair, the main stage area is next to the JNTO main information booth. This is where contests and performances are conducted. A beautiful photo booth is also located next to the JNTO booth.

Japanese Yukata photo sessions at the travel fair.

This photo booth is where you can wear the Japanese Yukata to take photos against the famous Japanese bamboo wall, which is quite nice. In another section, about 10 booths were held by Japanese and Malaysian travel agents specialising in Japan tours. This is where you can get information on the many packages offered.

Some of the Japanese travel agents.

Travel Agents at Japan Travel Fair 2018

Also invited to participate are selected Japanese prefectures, hotels & resorts and train operators from all over Japan. These vendors are where you can get first-hand information about the destinations regarding logistics, accommodations, food and places of interest.You would also be in for a surprise as there are not one, not two, but three different train companies from Japan participating at the Japan Travel Fair. There are also some tourism prefectures taking part, and they are;

• Okinawa Tourism
• Tokyo Disney Resort
• Chi Hotel & Resort
• Ishikawa Prefecture
• Shizuoka Prefecture
• JR East Hotels
• JR West
• Tokyo Metro
• Asakusa-Ueno
• Visiondata

Visitors on the first day of the Japan Travel Fair 2018.

Fun activities at the fair.

The event itinerary for Japan Travel Fair 2018

Visitors to the travel fair can get valuable information from the above companies. If you still need more information, visit the main JNTO booth or any travel agents there.

Numerous brochures are available in various parts of Japan to take home and read. They have destinations, food, adventure, Muslim travel and more, and if you have questions, you can always ask the JNTO Malaysia staff.

A section of the travel fair at The Starling Mall in PJ

The Tokyo Metro booth seems to be one of the popular vendors, as there is a lot of information for anyone planning to visit Tokyo. Namely, travelling around this metropolis where the daily train passes are the most important items one needs.

And if you fill out their questionnaire, you can get a special gift from them, which is quite interesting. I even filled out a form for that unique souvenir from Tokyo Metro.

For fun and games, visitors can meet a real, live Pokemon at the Japan Travel Fair 2018. However, this is only available during selected hours. But there is a cute Pokemon game that anyone can play to win some cute sticker sheets.

You can also learn about the previous Japan travel fair in Malaysia, where I visited the event to see what was being promoted. The last event was held at One Utama Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya.

Overall, the Japan Travel Fair is catered to the people of Petaling Jaya and from around the other parts of the Klang Valley. If you are not doing anything this weekend, bring your family, friends or loved ones here, as there is much to discover about the other interesting places in Japan.