Do you plan to go on a trip ?
Have you decided the destination ?
With this virtual tour, on ZOOM, you'll discover a confidential and picturesque Japanese countryside, Takashima. From your home, you'll enjoy this place off the beaten track, surrounded by nature and near the largest lake of Japan, the Lake Biwa.
Local guides of ABLE TAKASHIMA makes you discover their town, hoping that it will be part of your travel destinations after this virtual visit.
On the program :
- presentation of some of the places to visit in Takashima and its
local products,
- history, culture, Japanese music,
- useful information,
with photos, videos and demonstrations, in a friendly
atmosphere.
Our virtual tour is open to everyone, whether or not you are planning to come to Japan. Takashima is a city off the beaten track but easily accessible from Kyoto, Osaka and Kansai International Airport. Countryside, mountains, lake, rivers, you can enjoy a lot of outdoor activities.
Cycling in the Alley of dawn redwood (metasekoia) or around the lake, hiking in the mountains, visiting the terraced rice-fields, discovering local gastronomy and crafts (fans, candles, chijimi fabrics, calligraphy brushes) and so on. Takashima is full of new experiences.
Discover its charms with our virtual guided tour!
Virtual tour of Takashima
■Price: 1,393 yen including commission and exchange fees (up to 2 people)
+ 560 yen / per. from the 3rd person including commission and exchange fees
(Payment is made by PayPal.)
■Language: English or French
(For a tour in French, click here.)
■Tour time: 55 minutes (45 to 50 minutes of virtual visit + 5 to 10 minutes of free discussion)
■Tour available hours: from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tokyo time
(The last visit starts at 6 p.m.
Tour in French is available from 3 to 8 p.m., Tokyo time)
■Contact: tadashiinterprete@gmail.com
Inform us of your requesting date and time at least 3 days before.
■We will reply to you regarding our availability by email and inform you of our PayPal address to which we ask you to kindly send your fee before the day of the virtual visit.
■Please pay the commission and currency exchange fees at your expenses so that the amount collected is 1,300 yen for us.
■You may be grouped with other people. If you prefer a private visit (for your family, a group of friends ...), please contact us in advance for a quote.
Notes and advice
■Please install the latest version of ZOOM on your computer.
■Please make sure your name on the screen is the same as the one on your application form.
■Please be on mute during the virtual tour to avoid interference.
(Unmute when needed; ask questions or answer quizzes.)
■You can take screenshots during the virtual tour to post and talk about it on your social account (facebook, twitter, Instagram ...). Thank you for sharing around you broadly. Video and partial or total downloading of our visit is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.
We would be glad to see you soon in our virtual tour.
Tadashi, Ayako and Hatsumi
Please write your comment and opinion about our online tour here. Your feedback is important for us to improve our guiding service and tourism in Takashima. We appreciate your cooperation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a wonderful virtual tour of all areas of Takashima City. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I lived in the Omi-Imazu area for one year back in 1999, and there were many places covered that I did not know about. Most importantly, all three guides involved in the tour were so enthusiastic, spoke English so well, and obviously put a lot of work into putting the videos and discussion together. Very, very impressive. I definitely want to recommend this tour to my friends.
ReplyDeleteHi and thanks for the interesting Zoom on Takashima. I am Chris - Bridge partner of Kei (Miyakita). I found the presentation entertaining and fun - even the 'extra' dance at the end - Ayako's 5 minutes of fame !
ReplyDeleteI wondered the purpose of the presentation - was it to try to encourage people to visit Takashima or to take a guided bike tour visiting the various sites on route or maybe both ?
I should say that I have never been to Japan and have no immediate plans to do so - although your presentation has sown a seed.
Looking at online sites - such as Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet - I notice that Kyoto seems to be the most recommended city to visit due to its rich heritage and a 4 day visit there seems to be about right. Given the proximity of Takashima the latter could, I would have thought, easily be sold as a day trip for anyone staying in Kyoto although I could not see Takashima listed on places to visit from Kyoto ! This seems surprising given its unique location on Lake Biwa.
Also maybe Kyoto and Takashima could be sold as a 'twin centre' destination offering an ideal combination of city heritage and typical country town set in natural surroundings - trees/lake/mountains. Maybe 4 days in Kyoto and 2 or 3 in Takashima would appeal.
To emphasise the difference it would probably be best to refer to Takashima as a country 'town' rather than a 'city' - after all it was a town, I understand, until 2005. Tourists tend to perceive a 'city' as a conurbation and do not associate that with natural surroundings. Indeed the population of less than 50,000 is much smaller than many towns in the UK.
As well as the day long cycle ride around Takashima that you guys covered I noticed that many people also take 3 days to cycle around Lake Biwa. According to https://shiga-ken.com/blog/2019/04/cycling-around-lake-biwa-and-shiga-prefecture 100,000+ people do this each year. There may be an opportunity to promote such trips for your agency wherein you could arrange stays in various hotels along the route possibly using better quality bikes since need to be more comfortable for longer distances. Tourists from abroad may want to use a reputable local agency to handle arrangements for them in advance. There may be specialist overseas biking travel companies who would be able to work with you on sales/marketing. In the UK there is a large movement towards cycling both to get to work and for leisure. I know my 24 year old son and girlfriend would be interested in such a holiday incorporating cycling, nature and tourist sites. Maybe there would be others.
Hope you find this feedback useful.