Taking on the challenge of solving secondary transportation issues in Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture! New service for foreign visitors to Japan "Hoppin' KINOKAWA" service for foreign visitors to Japan launched in collaboration with cab companies

KINOKAWA Fruits Tourism Bureau (Location: Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture; Representative Director: Hiroyuki Nakayama; hereinafter "Kinokawa Fruits Tourism Bureau"), a regional DMO*1 of Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture, will launch "Hoppin' KINOKAWA ( The service will be provided by "Hoppin' KINOKAWA," a service that provides guided tours of the city with interpreters and guides for foreign visitors to Japan on a trial basis. This service is the first of its kind in Japan*2 and was realized with the cooperation of local cab companies.

The service will be provided by foreign residents of Kinokawa City, as well as by local citizens who are fluent in foreign languages, and will offer guided tours from their unique perspectives.

The first tour will be conducted on Saturday, October 21, 2023, for Thai people who are available for interviews and tours of the city.

The issue of transportation beyond the train station (secondary transportation) is always a problem for tourism in rural areas. KINOKAWA City will begin a new challenge to solve this problem.

1 DMO stands for Destination Management/Marketing Organization. A DMO is an organization that creates a mechanism to bring out the earning power of a region by refining and disseminating its attractions and increasing the number of visitors.

2 According to our research

Image of the implementation scheme

Feature 1: Cooperation with Business Operators Utilization of Private Paid Passenger Transport

"Private paid passenger transportation" is a system that allows private vehicles to be registered under the Road Transport Law to provide transportation services when it is difficult for existing bus and cab operators to provide transportation services, after consultation with relevant local parties.

The "operator cooperation type" was established in November 2020 as a result of the amendment of the Road Transport Law, and refers to a type of service in which existing bus and cab operators cooperate in the management of operations and maintenance of vehicles.

This service will utilize the "private paid passenger transportation with cooperation of operators" and provide a service to guide customers in private vehicles by establishing a cooperative system with a local cab company, ARIKOU KIHOKU Co.

This year, while actually accepting customers, we will conduct several monitoring tours to improve the service.

If the service can be launched in earnest, we believe that it will help solve issues in the transportation industry, such as secondary transportation issues in regional sightseeing areas and the 2024 problem.

Vehicle image

Feature 2: Interpretation guides are local residents!

In this service, an interpreter guide will always be on board.

From interviews with related parties and visitors, we have learned that both foreign visitors to Japan and cab drivers are anxious about riding in cabs due to the language barrier. By eliminating this uneasiness through the use of taxi guides, we will promote a more enjoyable tour of the city.

The guides will be made up of foreign residents of Kinokawa City and Japanese who are fluent in foreign languages. Visitors will enjoy guiding in an at-home atmosphere from the residents' perspective. (As of October 2023, foreigners: Thai and Taiwanese, Japanese: English)

After the service starts, we plan to recruit guides.

Guide image 1

Guided tour image 2

Guide image 3

Thai monitor tour will be held on October 21, 2023 (Saturday)!

As a kick-off to this project, we will hold a monitoring tour for Thai people.

Students of a Japanese language school in Wakayama City will be invited as monitors to tour around Kiinokawa City. The tour guide will be a Thai woman living in Kinokawa City. The tour course is a fruit and local course planned by the KINOKAWA Fruit Tourist Bureau.

The planned tour course is as follows

Kishi Station→Persimmon picking experience→Visit Kogawa Temple→Lunch→Sato of Aosu→Rest at fruit dessert→Uchita Station

*This is currently under final adjustment and is subject to change.

About the KINORIKAWA Fruits Tourism Bureau

With the concept of "easy, healthy mind and body, luxurious and rich smile, year-round fruit experience," this organization aims to economically revitalize the Kino River basin by utilizing the diverse power of tourism and exchange, promoting agriculture centered on fruits, and adding value to it.

Through these fruit tourism activities, the entire community will work together to take advantage of the strengths of a town where fruit can be enjoyed year-round, thereby further enhancing the attractiveness of the town and creating a town where local residents can feel the richness of "living with fruit".

Outline of the corporation

Company name: General Incorporated Association KINOKAWA Fruits Tourism Bureau

Head Office: 802-1 Kobe, Kishikawa-cho, Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture

Representative Director ： Hiroyuki Nakayama

Establishment : October 29, 2018

Business description: Development, planning, and sales of fruit-themed travel products

　　　　　　 Publicity and support for restaurants and products that allow visitors to enjoy fruits

　　　　　　 Tourist information at tourist exchange centers

HP ： https://www.kinokawa-dmo.com/

We are available for interviews and inspection tours, so if you are interested, please contact Kubo in charge of public relations at the following general incorporated association, KINOKAWA FRUIT TOURIST BUREAU. Please contact Mr. Kubo, Public Relations Officer of the KINORIKAWA Fruits Tourism Bureau, for further information.

<Contact information

KINOKAWA FRUITS TOURISM BUREAU

Public Relations: Kubo, Nakatani

TEL : 090-8984-0622

MAIL: kubo@kinokawa-dmo.com

Kinokawa City

Attn: NAKAJIMA, Tourism Promotion Division, Agriculture, Forestry, Commerce and Industry Department

TEL : 0736-77-0843

MAIL： nakajima-002@city.kinokawa.lg.jp