Japan Tourism Agency Content Production

Improving visitor satisfaction through goal-oriented copywriting
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Client

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. / All About, Inc.

Year

2019

The challenge

Having positive and meaningful experiences in a country makes a visitor more likely to return or recommend the country to others. How a visitor enjoys Japan’s cultural and historical sites, national parks, and other attractions plays a large role in this. However, research conducted shows many visitors to Japan are unsatisfied with the availability and quality of multilingual resources at such attractions. Common complaints are that texts lack context for an international audience, contain inconsistencies in phrasing, and can be difficult to understand — usually because they draw on a Japanese source text targeted to a domestic audience.

Making experiences more meaningful through relevant copy

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Setting new standards

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) led a massive initiative to improve the English-language resources of key destinations throughout the country in order to enhance international visitor enjoyment, encourage a shift away from direct translations, and set a new standard for multilingual content. The project (called “Promoting Multilingual Support for Sightseeing Destinations around Japan”) involved consulting with the destinations’ management teams to propose and create needs-based signage, pamphlet copy, and online content in English, from an international perspective.

Supporting some of Japan’s most culturally important sites

We handled 15 projects under the JTA initiative. We worked with the management teams of some of the country’s most prestigious locations (including World Heritage Sites, National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, and national parks) to help them identify issues with their existing English-language resources and propose solutions. Our Japanese-speaking, native-English writers and content strategists worked together to produce engaging, meaningful content that will help drive visitor satisfaction. We prioritized clear, plain language to cater to both native and non-native English speakers.

On-site research and traveler-minded analysis

We conducted extensive on-site research at each venue both to see the location from a visitor perspective and gain a deeper understanding of its significance. We analyzed visitors’ journeys through the area and local tourism data to recommend media types and signage placement that would best enhance the visitor experience. Our goal was not only to inform visitors of key information but to encourage further exploration of the site and its surroundings for a more personal and rewarding visit.

Leveraging our extensive knowledge of Japan

Our versatile content production team used their broad Japan expertise to write accurately on a range of specialist areas from the Meiji Restoration and Buddhist artworks to endemic wildflowers, enlisting specialist advisors for additional quality assurance. We structured the copy specifically for international travelers, prioritizing the most appealing information and providing ample contextual details. We adopted a story-telling style to make the text engaging and add to the overall visitor experience.

We drew on extensive research and on-site visits to create accurate, engaging copy.
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