LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i will likely never be overrun with Japanese visitors. But that doesn’t mean promotional efforts designed to bring more Japanese visitors to the island shouldn’t continue, according to leaders with the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau. Island residents recently welcomed
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i will likely never be overrun with Japanese visitors.
But that doesn’t mean promotional efforts designed to bring more Japanese visitors to the island shouldn’t continue, according to leaders with the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau.
Island residents recently welcomed an editor and photographer of a Japanese magazine devoted solely to Kaua‘i.
The exposure the magazine will provide to the island is invaluable, said Art Umezu, Kaua‘i film commissioner, who played tour guide with the visitors while they went from one end of the island to the other, taking in coffee fields, restaurants, visitor destinations, parks, and other visitor amenities.
Umezu was doubly excited when he took the editor and photographer to the Second Annual Ono Chili Cookoff in the Lihu‘e Civic Center Pi‘ikoi Building breezeway.
Umezu, who in addition to captaining the “Sweet 200” booth hosted by members in the county’s Office of Economic Development where his office is, was also anxiously awaiting the arrival of the editorial team from Resort Kaua‘a Japanese travel guide.
“The editor and photographer have been on the island for the past two weeks, to update their Kaua‘i travel guide,” Umezu explained.
Published by leaders with the Globetrotter Travel Guide Book, Umezu said it is the largest travel publication in Japan geared to the FIT (free and independent traveler) market.
“This is not for the travel groups,” he said. “But, every one (from Japan) who comes here has one. It’s the Bible of the Japanese traveler.”
Kazuhisa Takahashi and Takeshi Saito have been roaming around the island for the past two weeks in an attempt to update information in the popular travel guide.
Umezu said they visited hotels, eating places, golf courses, and a lot of destinations that are popular with Japanese travelers.
Touting an annual circulation of about 60,000 copies, Umezu said the travel guide is updated every three years, and the chilicookoff event just happened to coincide with their visit to update the publication.
When the editorial pair did make their appearance, the first to catch their eyes were the beauty queens, Cindy Jackson, Miss Garden Isle 2005, and Veronica Pablo, recently crowned Miss Kaua‘i Filipina 2005, who were gracing the “Sweet 200” booth.
Jackson additionally did several numbers as part of the entertainment for the afternoon, and Pablo assisted emcee Tim Mira and chili-contest judges John Ferguson, Mark Oyama and Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste in presenting the various awards.
In the interim, both queens had an opportunity to be photographed, Umezu hopeful that some of those pictures will make it into the final publication.
As the crowd swallowed up the editorial pair, Umezu noted, “They’re both single, and available.”
- Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
