Taipei City Government

Japanese travel site KAYAK held an online poll this year to select the cities that Japanese people want to revisit, and Taipei City was ranked no.1 ahead of destinations such as Bali and Rome. Additionally, according to the Japan Association of Travel Agents’ Popular Destination Ranking survey, Taiwan has remained on top as the most popular year-start and year-end travel destination for 4 consecutive years!

In an effort to vigorously develop the Japanese market, Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT) announced the appointment of renowned Japanese celebrity Hiroomi Tosaka as Taipei City’s Tourism Ambassador on August 29, hoping to attract more Japanese travelers to visit Taiwan and explore the diversity of the quintessential Asian tourist destination.

As a fan of Taipei City, this is Tosaka’s 4th visit to Taipei. He said that Taipei citizens were very friendly and welcomed him with the utmost hospitality when he came to Taiwan to perform. The fact that he has performed in Taipei has made him love the city even more. From now on, he hopes to do what he can to promote the wonderful city of Taipei to the Japanese people and vice versa using music as the medium. Thanks to the arrangement of Taipei City Government, Tosaka will be visiting numerous new scenic attractions, and he is looking forward to embarking on some adventures in Taipei with the opportunity he has been given. He aims to explore the city by visiting the tourist destinations, tasting great food, and experiencing exciting activities. In the future, he will do his bit as the city’s Tourism Ambassador to share Taipei’s charisma with the world from the perspective of a Japanese traveler, thereby introducing them to Undiscovered Taipei.

Taiwan has not only snatched the no. 1 position as the premier travel destination during Japan’s Golden Week for 6 straight years, but nearly 90% of the Japanese tourists also choose to visit Taipei every year. Additionally, more than 1.96 million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan last year, showing an increase of 3.7% compared to 2017. As of June this year, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Taiwan has surpassed 970,000, equivalent to an increase of 9.12% compared to the same period last year.

According to Commissioner of TPEDOIT Liu Yi-ting, in addition to myriads of classic scenic destinations, Taipei City also has plenty of urban features that travelers should experience in greater detail. One of the highlights of this year’s campaign is appointing Tosaka as the city’s tourism ambassador. It is hoped that his popularity will enable more Japanese travelers to get to know Taipei and travel to the city.

The TPEDOIT, EVA Air, Japan Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan, and KNT Japan have collaborated to launch travel packages and discount flights for Japanese tourists during September and December. Participants will be able to receive exclusive Taipei-inspired gifts and a chance to win great prizes at the lottery. The TPEDOIT will be attending the Taiwan Plus event held by the General Association of Chinese Culture at Ueno Park on September 28, and a product unveiling event will be staged on September 29 in Japan. Moreover, educational traveling to Taipei will be promoted among young Japanese students by arranging in-depth experiences of Taipei City’s lifestyle, culture, and unique travel itineraries.

Tosaka is the lead singer of J SOUL BROTHERS from EXILE TRIBE in Japan. With 2.66 million and 1.87 million followers on Twitter and IG respectively, he currently ranks 4th among male celebrities in Japan. In addition to music, he is also active in the television and film industry, garnering high popularity and abundant experience, and receiving numerous awards during group performances. In 2017, he held 37 public performances during his Dome tour, setting a new annual record with 1.803 million listeners. In 2019, the theme song of the latest Case Closed film was also performed by Tosaka. Currently, he is engaging in solo performances. As a huge fan of Taipei, Tosaka staged solo concerts at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center over 2 days in late July, hoping more people will recognize him and like his work in the future. Taipei City wishes to tap upon Tosaka’s popularity to let more Japanese people know about Taipei and come to the city.