Everyone visits Nara. Almost no one stays. Let’s change that…
Rural Nara Prefecture is #6 in Japan by number of foreign visitors – after the usual giants Tokyo, Osaka (KIX Int’l airport!), Chiba (Narita Int’l airport!), Kyoto and Fukuoka (Int’l airport!).
Yet Nara ranks dead last (47th/47) when it comes to spending per foreign visitor – under EUR 70 on average, according to recent Sankei Shimbun data.
What happens in practice?
* Most visitors rush in on a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka
* They tick the “deer in Nara Park” box between 9:00 and 16:00
* The area is crowded, local communities see little benefit, and the experience isn’t really satisfying or sustainable
We can do better for the birthplace of so much of the Japanese civilisation we love today – and the prefecture with the highest number of World Heritage sites.
So we worked with Nara Prefecture to secure a modest budget focused on a very specific audience: the French-speaking community in Tokyo (November 2025).
They may be “micro-influencers”, but they:
* Work at DMCs (Destination Management Companies)
* Publish content on social media
* Advise many friends, family and colleagues coming to visit
Step One was an introduction event about the Yamato region.
We welcomed a wonderfully cheerful Shingon monk from Hasedera Temple (founded in 686 AD) to introduce Yamato… and then I followed with a sake tasting.
My theme that evening: the “Yamato Sake Mandala.”
In Shingon Buddhism, the Ryōkai Mandalas are visual tools to express core teachings and guide daily practice.
In a similar way, mapping sake breweries and their environment becomes a way to read the Yamato landscape:
* understanding where water, rice and people meet
* seeing how brewers shape and support aging, depopulating rural communities
* showing how sake can revitalise a place, not just accompany a meal
And then came the practice: tasting.
Nara sake is delicious, diverse and full of surprises.
If you’re curious about going beyond the deer and the day trip – to explore Yamato through temples, countryside walks and sake breweries – reach out.
I’d be happy to design a tailor-made itinerary in the land of Yamato.