05 Jul 2013
Following on from the successful 2011 Travel Volunteer project, travel writer and photographer duo Jamie Lafferty and Katy Morrison have returned to Japan as part of a new project entitled Smiles of Shikoku. The British couple are currently on a month-long tour of the island of Shikoku, sharing their historic, cultural and culinary findings through social media in a bid to increase international exposure to the little-visited island.
Selected ahead of over 2,000 other applicants from around the world for the Travel Volunteer Project, the pair travelled to all of Japan's 47 prefectures in 100 days, producing daily blog posts showcasing the reality of travelling and life in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The project generated international news coverage as well as revealing some of Japan's least explored regions to foreign audiences.
"Back in 2011, we've immensely enjoyed being in Japan and were proud to help revitalise tourism by sharing our experience on social media" said Katy. "We now have the chance to revisit Shikoku, one of our favourite parts of the country and look forward to increasing international interest to this undiscovered gem of an island."
Comprising of four prefectures - Tokushima, Kochi, Ehime and Kagawa - Shikoku is the smallest of Japan's four main islands. It is home to stunning landscapes, centuries-old traditions of handicraft but also the up-and-coming Setouchi international art festival and the Shikoku pilgrimage, a 1,400km religious journey to 88 temples that will celebrate its 1,200 year anniversary in 2014.
The Smiles of Shikoku project is sponsored by Tourism Shikoku and operated by The Real Japan, the luxury travel agency, which organized the Travel Volunteer project.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/smilesofshikoku
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SmilesOfShikoku
Press enquiries:
Ms. Aya KIHARA - Executive Director
The Real Japan - Magellan Resorts & Trust Inc.
4F, NEWS Building 3-1-10, Ekinishishinmachi,
Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-0027, Japan
+81 (0) 76 224 6870
