Over 70 Pct Do Not Know “Nohaku” Tourism: Govt Survey

November 2, 2018

Tokyo- A Japanese Cabinet Office survey showed Friday that more than 70 pct of respondents do not know about the government-led "nohaku" tourism program, in which people experience traditional life in local farming, forestry and fishing communities while staying at homes of those working in these industries.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has been promoting nohaku to help revitalize the industries and local areas.

The result in the poll by the government agency, conducted for some 1,700 people through interviews in August and September, suggested that increasing people's awareness of the program is a challenge.

In the poll, 55.2 pct said that they do not know the meaning of nohaku and have never heard of the term, and 15.8 pct said that they have heard of it but do not know what it means.

Only 25.5 pct said they know its meaning.

Asked whether they want to go on trips to stay in local farming, forestry and fishing communities, 47.1 pct answered "yes." The proportions of those who answered positively to this question were higher among people in their 20s to 50s than among older respondents.

Nohaku is a term created by the government in 2016.

The government has been allocating funds for nohaku promotion under its budget since fiscal 2017, providing areas designated for the program with support, such as dispatching experts and helping to prepare and improve houses and others as accommodations for guests.

There are 352 designated nohaku promotion areas at present. The government aims to increase the number to 500 by 2020. Jiji Press