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2 | www.travelweekly-asia.com Published by NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD SINGAPORE 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 • TEL: +65-6801-0450 FAX: +65-6801-0469 BEIJING Room 024, Building 8, Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No.9 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 100600, China • TEL: +8610-8532 3611 | FAX: +8610-8532 5293 SHANGHAI Room 2553, The Headquarters Building, No.168 Central XiZhang Road, Shanghai 200001, China • TEL: +8621-5179 8360 | FAX: +8621-5179 8360 Travel Weekly Asia is published on a monthly basis by Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd. Located at 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652. All rights reserved. Volume 8 Issue 6 Please address all subscription mail to the above address, Fax +852 3020 5794, or email travelweeklyasia@asia-ad.net. 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Kemp CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Lisa Cohen PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA Thomas Cintorino EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER David Blansfield SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lori Cioffi SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arnie Weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine L. Bavoso SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, INFORMATION PRODUCTS GROUP Sheila Rice VICE PRESIDENT, IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Rich Mastropietro VICE PRESIDENT, DATABASE PRODUCTS Elizabeth Koesser TRAVEL WEEKLY EVENTS PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS, TRAVEL GROUP Alicia Evanko-Lewis TALKING POINT Letter from Karuizawa Siew Hoon is a traveller who loves to write and a writer who loves to travel. She's combined her two loves into a career in travel journalism that has seen her launch several travel industry titles and conferences, including WIT. She loves the change and discovery that comes with travel and the business. For Yeoh Siew Hoon's takeaways from WIT Japan & North Asia 2017, check out http://www.webintravel.com Karuizawa is an hour's train ride from Tokyo. The hill resort is a popular summer retreat for Tokyo folks looking to escape the heat and stress of city life. At WIT Japan & North Asia, there was a lot of talk about the need to disperse tourism beyond the main centres of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto as inbound visitors soar to reach its 40 million target by 2020. Karuizawa is the perfect spot for foreigners looking for experiences beyond Tokyo. It is accessible by train – Japan Railways' tickets are now in English –, one more proof point of how Japan is changing to accommodate foreign travellers. It is also a delight to explore and discover the place on foot or on bicycles. The air is distinctly fresher and cooler, the greenery lush and soul- enriching – even the birds sound chirpier here. As I explored Karuizawa over the weekend – enjoying the local soba, dairy produce, jams and "domestic sausages" and visiting local shrines and lakes – I was struck by the blend between Japanese and foreign culture in this historic town, which seems to have found "chowa" (harmony) in the ongoing dance between local and global. In days gone by, this was the playground for Canadian missionaries working in Tokyo and there are old photos of locals dressed up in frocks and carrying parasols just like the foreign women. Churches stand alongside shrines tucked away in the forests. Western influences are infused into the local cuisine and produce – French patisseries, German chocolates, Italian pasta. At the hotel I was staying in, Kyu Karuizawa, chef Soshi Ueno, trained under Alain Ducasse, produces the best crumbly, fluffy croissants and his scrambled eggs, infused with truffle, leaves you longing for more. On my last evening, I chanced upon the Sajito Forest Café, located next to a church and a shrine. It's run by a Nepali owner, who came to Japan as a student, married a Japanese woman and settled in Karuizawa. It serves the best samosas, momos, curries and naan I've tasted in a long time – Nepali/Indian cuisine using local ingredients. I like how just as the houses blend with the nature in Karuizawa; foreigners who've made a life for themselves here have also assimilated themselves into the local fabric of life. And it seems to me that the best success stories in travel happen when there's diversity of ideas and talent, and blending of local and foreign practices – a belief that was reinforced at the sixth edition of WIT Japan & North Asia 2017. Photo Credit: iStockphoto Shiraito waterfall in autumn

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