DISCOVER FUKUI

Tsuruga Hospitality Team: Yutaro Ikeda

What are your main activities?

　 We assist tourists with commemorative photos and provide sightseeing guidance at Kibijingu Shrine. Our parent organization is NPO THAP (Tap), a community development group. On activity days, we clean around Kibitsu Shrine and various shopping districts starting at 9:00 AM. From around 10:30 AM, we take photos in front of the shrine's large torii gate. Due to the impact of COVID-19, cleaning activities are currently the main focus. This year, continuing from last year, we are reaching out to high school students in the city, as well as university students, companies, and organizations to participate in the cleaning activities.

Number of participants: Approximately 10-20 people

Activity Location: Kibijingu Shrine, shopping arcades, etc.

Activity Period: Second and fourth Sundays of each month (starting July 2021)

・Participants wear pink T-shirts or vests and work hard across a wide range of ages!

・We are also planning cleanup activities at famous sites and historic spots within the city.

What do you keep in mind during activities?

　When sharing Tsuruga's charm, we add little trivia or insider information only locals know. And of course, we always greet people with a smile.

What inspired you to start this activity?

　Looking ahead to the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen in Tsuruga, we formed the "Tsuruga Hospitality Team" to continuously implement and expand simple hospitality. We first began volunteering as photographers at the station and competition venues during the 2018 Fukui National Sports Festival and National Para Games. Helping with commemorative photos is a simple activity that tourists appreciate, so we really hope Tsuruga citizens will join us too.

What gives you a sense of fulfillment?

　Definitely when tourists say "thank you." Taking two or three photos from different angles really makes them happy.

What are your aspirations for the Shinkansen opening?

　 We absolutely want to succeed in boosting Tsuruga's image during this golden opportunity of the Shinkansen opening. We want more people to join our activities and make the Tsuruga Hospitality Team a key attraction for tourism in Tsuruga.

A message for tourists visiting Fukui Prefecture!

　 Tsuruga is a warm town, also known as a port of humanity. Please stop by and interact with the citizens of Tsuruga. We'll be waiting for you in front of the great torii gate at Kibitsu Shrine, one of Japan's three great wooden torii gates.