Culture Crossroads S2020E05 - Host Town Tales: Saga Prefecture Meets Thailand

Saga Prefecture was registered as the host "town," or community, for Thailand in 2018. That came after a Thai TV drama was filmed in the prefecture. There was a huge increase in the number of people from Thailand visiting Saga. They wanted to see the locations where the drama was shot. Saga's Yutoku Inari Shrine has become a must-see place for fans of the drama. A priest at the shrine has been studying the Thai language so he can welcome visitors. The shrine also offers fortune-telling slips written in Thai. A nonprofit organization called "Sawadee Saga" was launched in 2018 to offer support services to Thai tourists. It provides pamphlets in Thai and arranges for volunteer interpreters to help tourists. The prefecture has started a new project together with organizations like "Sawadee Saga." They help Thai students find jobs with the aim of supporting those who want to live in Saga.