Press Release
Free Castle Stay Ambassador Promotional Event
Open to the Public in the Summer of 2020
Hyakusenrenma, Inc. Group, Atelier Tekuto, Co. Ltd., and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as JAL) entered into an agreement to develop Japan’s first ever Castle Stay event at Hirado Castle located in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The companies will promote the Castle Stay event, which aims to target foreign travelers seeking a unique and exclusive travelling experience, starting from the summer of 2020.
About Hirado City
Hirado City is a castle town that became the base of Japan's oldest Nanban trading port, located in the northernmost tip of Nagasaki. It is now registered as a World Heritage Cultural site, currently preserving hidden Christian heritage sites in Nagasaki’s Amakusa region. Hirado Castle ranked #20 out of the Top 100 Castles in Japan with its rich cultural surroundings and is considered a key symbol in Nagasaki Prefecture. With Hirado Castle facing the city and overlooking the ocean, it is believed to be situated in a perfect location for any type of traveler to stay a night and experience life as it were before. With renovations already set to transform Hirado Castle‘s Kaiju Yagura turret into a lodging facility, travelers can start planning a stay for the summer of 2020. A one-off promotional event held in 2017 at Hirado Castle received an astounding 7,500 applicants, which included requests from Japanese natives and foreign nationals. Due to such positive results, collaboration efforts have been made to create a historical Castle Stay experience in the summer of 2020. The major goal of the event is to help increase the number of foreign travelers to visit Japan.
Role of each company
The companies mentioned above will work in unison and use their strengths to demonstrate what it was like to live in a castle.
- Hyakusenrenma group will be in charge of project management and oversee all operations at Hirado Castle. Hyakusenrenma also operates Japan's unique lodging reservation website "STAY JAPAN" (https://en.stayjapan.com/), which will also have Hirado Castle Stay available for reservation.
- Design and construction management will be conducted by Atelier Tekuto. Atelier Tekuto is an architectural firm with a wide range of experience which includes not only architectural design but also the operation of accommodation facilities on the theme of traditional cultural architecture related to the Amami Islands.
- Promotion and customer relations will be managed by JAL and will utilize its network and worldwide channels to promote the “Castle Stay” experience.
Hirado City Castle - Kaijyu Yagura Turret Renovation
Currently, the Kaiju Yagura turret is being used as a storage facility. It will go under proper renovations to open in the summer of 2020.
STAY JAPAN Ambassador Promotional Event
Before the opening of the 2020 Hirado Castle Stay event, we are looking to find active STAY JAPAN Ambassadors who can promote STAY JAPAN’s unique site and the Castle Stay event to the general public via social media. Up to 5 groups (10 People) who participate in the STAY JAPAN Ambassadors promotional event will have a chance to stay for free at Hirado Castle. The remaining participants will be awarded a 5% coupon that can be used on any stays offered on STAY JAPAN’s website. We hope to see many applicants join this event and promote Hirado City`s Castle Stay event.
Click on the link for more information about STAY JAPAN Ambassador!
http://mag.stayjapan.com/ja/lp/ambassador/
Inquiries concerning this collaboration
Hyakusenrenma, Inc. Tel：+81-3-6206-9176 eMail：pr@hyakuren.org
Atelier Tekuto, Co.Ltd. Tel：+81-3-6439-5540 eMail：media@tekuto.com
Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. Tel： +81-3-5460-3105 eMail：mediarelations.hdq@jal.com
