The Future Stars of Tourism

Tourism is an important industry for Snow Country and there are plenty of efforts to encourage it. One of the most interesting is the Yuzawa Middle School Tourism Volunteers. These are students who volunteer their time and efforts to promote the region in which they live.

Last winter they were offering a guiding service on the weekends of the Snow Country Museum, Yukigunikan. This was offered in both Japanese and English. The students offering the service in English were pretty nervous but put in loads of practice and did a great job.

At the moment the volunteers are giving an introduction to the area in Echigo Yuzawa Station on weekends. They divide the presentation up into sections with each student talking about a specific subject. There are also little quizzes with prizes, and a chance to taste the top three omiyage sold in the station. [For those of you wondering, #3 Sweet bean dumplings, #2 Rice Crackers, #1 Sasadango - sweet bean rice sweets wrapped in bamboo leaves]

The volunteers have also produced a pamphlet with a map of the area and their top three recommendations for places to visit for each season.

It is great that the students are taking an interested in tourism and receiving the encouragement to do so.