Overseas Exhibition Field Report: Tokoname, Aichi Takes on ITF Taipei International Travel Fair 2025 — A Maneki-Neko & Pottery City Next to Centrair Finds Real Traction in Taiwan

Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, located just beside Chubu Centrair International Airport, has long faced the challenge of being bypassed by overseas visitors. To address this, and to communicate the appeal of its signature “maneki-neko” culture and ceramic craftsmanship directly, Tokoname made its first appearance at Taiwan’s largest travel fair, the Taipei International Travel Fair 2025 (ITF). Unlike typical fairs in Japan, ITF is characterized by on-site tour sales. From the steady crowds at the Tokoname booth, we saw clear outcomes—and identified key issues that will shape the next phase of our destination strategy. This report is contributed by the Tokoname Tourism Association, offering on-the-ground insights into exhibiting at overseas trade shows and a practical look at what ITF represents within Asia’s travel and tourism landscape.

Reasons and strategy for exhibiting at ITF, Taiwan’s largest travel fair

Overcoming challenges as a city adjacent to Chubu Centrair International Airport

Although Tokoname City is the municipality where Chubu Centrair International Airport is located, many overseas visitors head straight to well-known destinations such as Hida-Takayama, Tateyama Kurobe, and Kamikochi, resulting in few stopovers in Tokoname. To leverage our geographical advantage from Centrair and create stopover opportunities, we considered exhibiting overseas.

ITF is Taiwan’s largest travel fair, and—unlike similar fairs in Japan—many travel agencies sell tours on the spot. As a result, visitors come with a concrete mindset of “choosing their next destination.” We determined that this made ITF an optimal venue to promote Tokoname’s attractions directly, and decided to exhibit for the first time. We also judged that Tokoname’s signature tourism assets—maneki-neko and pottery—would resonate well with visitors from Taiwan.

Booth design and experiences centered on maneki-neko

As this was our first overseas exhibition, we took on the challenge with a single 3m × 3m booth. To avoid cramming in “a bit of everything” and obscuring what Tokoname offers, we narrowed our PR focus to two points: that Tokoname is “a city of maneki-neko,” and that its tourist sights are located very close to Chubu Centrair International Airport.

To encourage visitors to stop by, we offered two engagement incentives: an “original tote bag giveaway” for completing a survey, and a “lottery draw” for following us on social media (Instagram or Facebook). The tote featured a maneki-neko design; lottery winners received a Tokoname-yaki maneki-neko, while non-winners received candies printed with maneki-neko—reinforcing, at every touchpoint, the message that “Tokoname is synonymous with maneki-neko.”

Tangible outcomes and interactions on site at ITF

Packed crowds and strong visitor interest

The ITF venue was crowded every day, reflecting high expectations. Especially on the first weekend day (Day 2), which targeted 100,000 visitors per day, long queues formed from the morning, and the aisle in front of our booth became so congested it was difficult to pass. The Tokoname booth saw a constant stream of visitors—truly a “happy problem.” During the giveaway time slots, a large line formed in front of the booth.

Survey responses showed that the majority had used Chubu Centrair International Airport but had never actually toured Tokoname. At the same time, we met many people who “already had tickets to Centrair,” had “seen Tokonyan,” or had “enjoyed Tokoname Milk,” confirming that with just a bit more awareness, we can attract significantly more visitors. Satisfaction among those who had visited before was very high, and even those without prior experience—when introduced to attractions such as the Pottery Footpath—told us, “I want to go next time I use Centrair.” It reaffirmed how well Tokoname resonates with people in Taiwan.

Mayor Ito’s hands-on top sales drew attention and were covered by local media

For this exhibition, Mayor Tatsuya Ito accompanied the delegation for the entire four-day schedule from the day before opening. Wearing a traditional happi coat, he stood at the front of the booth, personally handing out brochures and souvenirs and engaging visitors with friendly hospitality. At the welcome reception on the day before opening, the mayor himself promoted Tokoname.

His proactive PR activities also drew attention from Taiwanese media. An article on Sanli News Network ran under the headline, “旅展現場驚見『日本市長打工中』親推招財貓之城 贈品狂送超親民” (At the travel fair, “a Japanese mayor moonlighting” personally promotes the city of maneki-neko; handing out giveaways with exceptional friendliness). The sight of a mayor directly promoting his city to visitors reportedly became one of the most distinctive scenes at the Japan Pavilion.

Mayor Ito emphasized Tokoname’s convenience for transfer and short-stay travelers: from Centrair, the Pottery Footpath is about 10 minutes away by train plus walking, with a free shuttle bus also available.

Solid business talks with travel agencies toward tour product development

At the official business meeting held the day before ITF, we met with more than 20 Taiwanese travel agencies. Many showed strong interest in Tokoname, and we are currently advancing proposal discussions via email with several companies.

Because many agencies handle tours that use Chubu Centrair International Airport as a gateway to Japan, incorporating Tokoname—located “right next to” Centrair—was viewed as a realistic option. We have already begun to see concrete outcomes: one agency operating in both Taiwan and Japan informed us that it plans to include Tokoname in an Aichi tour scheduled for around next July. The meetings also revealed high demand for educational trips that incorporate exchanges and hands-on experiences with Japanese students.

Next challenges for Tokoname tourism revealed at ITF

Rapidly strengthening the visitor reception environment

From on-site visitors, we received concrete feedback such as “lockers are needed” and “are restaurants friendly to accept visitors?” These are issues Tokoname must address one by one in order to grow as an international destination. The city is currently creating a “foreigner-friendly shops map” to promote restaurants and other businesses that welcome overseas travelers, thereby supporting a step-by-step improvement of the reception environment. Our aim is to build a system in which both local tourism stakeholders and visitors can benefit.

Toward inclusion in Chubu-area circuit tours

A key takeaway from ITF was a renewed recognition that, amid the many tour products being sold, getting Tokoname included in those itineraries is the top promotional goal. However, we also identified challenges: there are still few travel agencies handling Chubu-area tours, and even within Chubu itineraries most routes focus on destinations like Shirakawa-go and the Tateyama Kurobe area. Going forward, we will continue to promote the fact that the Chubu region has many other compelling destinations, with the goal of having Tokoname incorporated into tours sold at ITF. As the mayor hopes, we will work to give more people clear reasons to stop by Tokoname before heading to Takayama, Shirakawa-go, or Nagoya.

Future Outlook for Tokoname’s Tourism Promotion

Our first-time participation in ITF provided a valuable opportunity to present Tokoname’s appeal directly to people in Taiwan, yielding both strong traction and concrete areas for improvement. As a “ceramics town” that visitors can access immediately after arriving at Chubu Centrair International Airport, we will deepen collaboration with local travel agencies and strengthen our reception environment so that Tokoname becomes an essential stop for travelers using Centrair from Taiwan. We will leverage this experience as a new step forward in Tokoname’s tourism promotion.

Contributor

Tokoname Tourism Association – Kazumasa Takeuchi
Joined Tokoname City Hall in April 2017. After assignments in the Planning Division, Urban Planning Division, and Tourism Strategy Division, seconded to the Tokoname Tourism Association in April 2025.

Tokoname Tourism Association / Tokoname City official tourism site “Tokoname Kankō Navi”
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