AOKI Yoshihide
(President, Setouchi Vocational College of Tourism)
Me, Kagawa Prefecture and the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers' Meeting
My first visit to Takamatsu was in 2017, when discussions on the opening of Japan’s first vocational college of tourism were being held at the head office of the Anabuki College Group in front of Takamatsu Station. The discussions took place in a conference room on the 8th floor of the building, and from there, the stunning beauty of the Seto Inland Sea held me spellbound. Since that quick day trip, I had gone to Takamatsu City every month, which had turned into every week, and every time I go, I realized what a great place the Setouchi region was to visit. People brought me to different udon noodle restaurants for lunch while I was there, and I remember all of them being delicious.
The Setouchi Vocational College of Tourism offers practical training opportunities three times over a period of three years, for a total of 15 weeks. This practicum includes learning about promoting tourism in Kagawa Prefecture, while also gaining actual hands-on experience in the field. We visited a number of different tourism-related companies and organizations in Kagawa Prefecture in order to find groups that would offer internship opportunities for the practical training, where we explained the founding principles of our college. That meant that I also had to make my way around Kagawa Prefecture: Tosan (eastern region), Chusan (central region), Seisan (western region), and the islands. My first glimpse of the sea left a big impression on me, so I thought that the appeal of Kagawa Prefecture and Takamatsu City lay in the Seto Inland Sea and the islands there. But after visiting different places in the prefecture, I realized that the region’s appeal could also be found in the mountains. I came away convinced that this region was bursting with tourism resources, suitable as a tourism-oriented prefecture, and would be an ideal setting in which to set up a vocational college for tourism to train professionals on promoting tourism.
In 2022, the first Setouchi Triennale was hosted since the opening of the vocational college. Students, faculty and staff from the college also participated in activities of “Koebi-tai” (Setouchi Triennale volunteer group). I myself visited the islands where the art festival was being held as a tourist. All members of the Koebi-tai gave very detailed tours of the islands and explained about the pieces there. I heard that the volunteers were not only from Kagawa Prefecture, but from other areas around the country. Their hospitality reminded me of the “osettai culture,” the tradition of offering food or drink to pilgrims on the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
The boundless appeal of Kagawa Prefecture and Takamatsu City, and the hospitality that I have experienced myself, such as the osettai culture, are things that I really want to communicate to the global community and tell people around the world about. Over the years, I have traveled to more than 50 countries, each with its own wonderful culture, of which the people were proud. We can learn about the unique cultures of different countries through the power of tourism. I believe that the appeal of Kagawa Prefecture and Takamatsu City should be promoted to an international audience, and the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers' Meeting to be held in Takamatsu would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Together with all of our students, faculty and staff, the Setouchi Vocational College of Tourism looks forward to lending our support to its success.
