Travel Summit In Sendai, Japan

Above, Sendai Station.  The station was featured in two kaiju movies.

Travel industry professionals have gathered in Sendai, Japan for a travel industry summit. 

According to BreakingTravelNews.com:

The joint World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Sendai Recovery & Asia Outlook Forum has opened in Sendai, Japan, with almost 500 industry professionals and government leaders from around the world present.  

As part of the WTTC Global Summit taking place in Tokyo and Sendai, April 16th-17th, the overall theme of this year’s Global Summit is, ‘Leading a Dynamic Industry Through Turbulent Times’. 

Sendai was hit hard by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  I visited Sendai in 2006.

Sendai was demolished by the giant flower pod in Gamera 2: Advent of Legion and some damage was caused by Rodan in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.  Sendai is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To read the full article, go here.

Visit Rodan's Sendai Station

Above, Sendai Station during my visit in April 2006.

Up in northeast Japan is the city of Sendai. It lies in the Tohoku region of Japan that was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. Clean-up and repairs are currently undergoing in the area.

One prominent landmark featured in kaiju movies was the JR Sendai Station. I visited Sendai in 2006. The station was featured in two giant monster movies: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and Gamera 2: Advent of Legion. Sendai Station suffered no major damage during the earthquake.



In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), the area near Sendai Station suffered major damage due to the shockwaves from a fly-by of Rodan (photo above). Just prior to Rodan's fly-by of Sendai Station, a fly-by along the coast near Matsushima Bay was shown. Matsushima Bay is noted for its 200 small islands and is often compared to Carmel, California in scenic beauty.

The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan showcases Sendai and its role in the two kaiju movies along with information on where to stay and other attractions to see.

Last November, I posted a spotlight article on Sendai Station. To view it, go here.

Matsushima Tourism Haunted By Atomic Fears

Above, Godaido temple with Matsushima Bay businesses in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The latest article on the state of tourism in the Tohoku region of Japan has been posted by Mysinchew.com.

The article starts with:

Seagulls flock around passengers on the deck of a cruise boat, hoping for scraps; hotels and inns show no-vacancy signs and fresh oysters are served in seaside restaurants.

But despite an appearance of normality, business is far from booming in Matsushima, where serene pine-covered islands have attacted generations of tourists to an area classed as one of Japan's three most beautiful spots.

The guesthouses and hotels -- in a district the Michelin Blue guide gives its maximum three stars -- owe most of their business to workers helping to rebuild coastal communities shattered by the March 11 tsunami.

Matsushima escaped the worst of the disaster, its island-dotted bay breaking up the ferocity of the giant waves that devastated hundreds of kilometres (miles) of picturesque Pacific coast.

But the tourists on whom Matsushima's economy depends are few and far between.

The article blames the state of Matsushima's tourism on the ongoing problems of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. The article goes on to state:

Fears about the effect of leaking radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant 110 kilometres (70 miles) south have all but stopped the influx of visitors from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

Matsushima is one of the most picturesque towns in Japan to visit. It is often compared to Carmel, California in beauty.

As the Fukushima nuclear power plant is 70 miles from Matsushima, it is silly to by-pass Matsushima when visiting Japan. People should visit Matsushima as well as nearby Sendai. I had a great time visiting both in 2006. Sendai Station was featured in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II in 1993 and in Gamera 2: Advent of Legion in 1996. [See The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan for details.]

To read the full article, go here.