My name is Ryoichi Matsuyama, newly appointed as the president of JNTO on the 1st of October 2011. First of all, on behalf of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the support for Japan from all over the world after the 3.11 Earthquake this year.

Since March, strong efforts have been put into recovering from the damage caused by the earthquake. The number of visitors to Japan has been picking up over the past few months and those who have come have found Japan is safe and still a fabulous place to visit. I appreciate those who understand and support Japan.

Japan’s tourist attractions are open and functioning well, just as they were before the earthquake. During the last seven months, we have heard many comments from people who visited Japan saying Japan stands unchanged and full of incredible things to see and do. JNTO will work hard to spread those words to the world.

Autumn is coming, temples and shrines, Japanese gardens, and castles will be full of beautiful coloured leaves all over Japan. We are ready to greet travellers from all over the world with unparalleled hospitality to all parts of Japan - from the popular destinations of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto to the lesser-known Tohoku area, with hits stunning natural onsen spas and beautiful autumn foliage.

I, as the president of JNTO, would like to take the lead and to do my best to present Japan as a country of endless discoveries with my deepest appreciation to all the people who supported Japan after the earthquake. Please do visit Japan and do not miss out on our beautiful autumn season in Japan.

City.Mobi

Also in Japan today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Tokyo.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Tokyo.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.