The Japan Travel Awards 2024 for destinations promoting DEI, sustainability, and inbound tourism

On March 7, the Japan Travel Awards ceremony was held at the American Club in Tokyo. Shiitake Creative, a bilingual creative and branding startup agency in Japan, hosted the awards, dedicated to discovering, acknowledging, and celebrating remarkable travel destinations in Japan that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainable experiences in the tourism industry.

163 regions and companies entered the competition this year, the largest number since the awards began three years ago. The Grand Prix, Category Prize, and Special Prize were announced following on-site examinations by the judges.

2024 GRAND PRIX: ZEROGRAVITY (Amami Oshima, Kagoshima)

Zerogravity is a facility where anyone can enjoy diving and other marine sports without worry. All accommodations, boats, and pools are designed to be barrier-free. The project received the Grand Prix for its innovative efforts to ensure everyone, regardless of disability, can have the same experience.

Junichi Torihata, representative director, expressed his joy, “Since about 35 years ago, I have been dreaming of creating a facility that would allow people in wheelchairs, who normally can only move forward and backward or left and right, to move freely in the water. I saved up funds and found land on Amami Oshima in 2014, and opened the facility the following year. Despite initial challenges, thanks to my hard-working staff, we received this wonderful award.” He plans to open another accessible facility near cities in the future.

BEST ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL: NANIWA ISSUI (Matsue, Shimane)

NANIWA ISSUI is a longstanding ryokan, founded in 1918 in Matsue, an old castle town rich in myths and legends. They have been making the hotel barrier-free since 2006, now offering 10 universally designed guest rooms. Guests in wheelchairs can access some Japanese-style rooms with open-air hot spring baths. As part of their dietary barrier-free initiative, they cater to allergies, religious dietary restrictions, vegans, vegetarians, and those requiring nursing care as much as possible. This commitment to continuous improvement was highly praised.

Josh Grisdale, a judge and wheelchair user, said, “Hot spring culture is something that anyone can enjoy, not just non-disabled people. I’ve learned the true meaning of hospitality here. I really appreciate the winner.”

Yuji Katsutani, CEO of Naniwa Issui, stated, “Barrier-free is not just about eliminating steps. We’ve been addressing barriers in communication, systems, minds, and dietary. When it comes to dietary, offering vegan or halal options isn’t enough. What we aim is to provide authentic kaiseki cuisine in a barrier-free manner.”

BEST LGBTQ+ TRAVEL: HOTEL PALM ROYAL NAHA (Naha, Okinawa)

HOTEL PALM ROYAL NAHA, located on Kokusai Street in the heart of Naha, Okinawa, is a large hotel with 170 rooms. The hotel’s interior, reminiscent of an art museum, was the first in the Kyushu/Okinawa region to declare itself LGBTQ-friendly in 2014 and the first in Japan to display a rainbow flag both inside and outside. In 2016, they installed gender-neutral restrooms. The company’s continued support for the local LGBTQ+ community through event hosting and sponsorship was recognized as a role model for tourism businesses.

Naohisa Takakura, representative director and general manager, said, “Our support began when we sponsored the first LGBTQ event in Okinawa. We were shocked to hear LGBTQ people were unable to live as themselves. We hope all guests have a comfortable stay with us. As a company transforming society, we aim to realize our management philosophy of Diversity Island Okinawa and promote diversity throughout Japan.”

BEST SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL: OKINAWA DIVING SERVICE LAGOON (Onna, Okinawa)

OKINAWA DIVING SERVICE LAGOON offers environmentally friendly and ethical diving tours. Programs include learning about corals and participating in coral seedling planting. The facility was praised as an exemplary model of responsible tourism, allowing guests to enjoy sustainable activities and contribute to environmental protection.

Saori Oshima, diving instructor, said, “I’ve learned the importance of circularity from corals supporting many lives while alive and even after death. Instead of worrying about the future, we focus on doing what we can, little by little.”

BEST INBOUND TRAVEL: TEMPLE STAY KAKURINBO (Minobu, Yamanashi)

Kakurinbo, located on Mt. Minobu, is one of many shukubo (temple inns) near Kuonji Temple, the head temple of the Nichiren sect, with a history of 550 years. Although traditionally for monks and worshippers, Kakurinbo now welcomes general visitors from Japan and abroad. They offer unique temple experiences such as sutra copying and reading, Shojin Ryori, and many activities like kimono wearing, kintsugi, Buddhist statue making, and Japanese paper making. The project was recognized for offering foreign travelers an authentic Japanese experience.

Junko Higuchi, the proprietress, shared, “Initially, I was unsure if foreign guests would appreciate our traditional Japanese-style building. However, since around 2018, we’ve had foreign guests, which has encouraged us to welcome more people from around the world. Mt. Minobu, one of Japan’s three major sacred mountains, is relatively unknown even within Japan. With a direct bus from Shinjuku, we hope to attract visitors from everywhere.”

The ceremony also recognized six regions and companies with Special Prize, highlighting their contributions to family travel, transformative travel, destination development, accommodation, and cultural travel.

• BEST FAMILY TRAVEL: MORI NO KUNI VALLEY (Matsuno, Ehime)
• BEST TRANSFORMATIVE TRAVEL: TAUTASYA (Miyama, Kyoto) and INOW (Kamikatsu, Tokushima)
• BEST DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT: TOGAKUSHI UNIVERSAL TOURISM DESK (Togakushi, Nagano)
• BEST ACCOMMODATION: NANIWA ISSUI (Matsue, Shimane)
• BEST CULTURAL TRAVEL: AMA HUT SATOUMIAN (Shima, Mie)

At the ceremony, Kentaro Tada, the sixth master of Wakura Onsen Tadaya on the Noto Peninsula and last year’s special award recipient, appeared as a special guest. Wakura Onsen Tadaya suffered serious damage from the earthquake that occurred on January 1 and has been closed since then. He emphasized the need to turn the disaster into an opportunity, saying, “Once our ryokan reopens, we hope to welcome many guests. I believe that attracting many visitors to come and rediscover the charm of Noto will contribute to its recovery.”

A panel discussion followed, featuring Yuji Katsutani of Naniwa Issui, Kumiko Ito of the Togakushi Tourism Association, Yuta Kawamoto of Zerogravity, and Ally Hongo, chairperson of the Japan Travel Awards Judging Committee, with Seiya Hongo moderating. The discussion covered challenges in diversity and inclusion efforts, the positive impact of initiatives on business, and the importance of continuing these efforts for sustainable travel in Japan.

Editor’s Note

The awards ceremony was conducted in a highly positive atmosphere, with the audience clearly motivated by the desire to leverage travel as a means to enhance society. Travel possesses the significant capacity to effect positive societal change. My hope is that sustainable and social-good travel in Japan gains further traction, contributing to making society better.