Photo= Foreign language guide maps that publicize the attractions around Horikawa Shopping Street; produced by students in Prof. Niikawa's seminar (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto)

Students at Doshisha University have made tourist maps introducing sightseeing spots and stores around Horikawa Shopping Street in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, in English, Chinese and Korean to publicize its attractions to foreign tourists. They have also included recommended restaurants, variety stores and others in the maps with the aim of revitalizing the local economy.

Twelve senior students enrolled in Professor Niikawa's seminar in the Faculty of Policy Studies created it. They had been considering local challenges through interviews of international students and stores in Horikawa Shopping Street since last May, when they realized that many foreign tourists visited, but only passed through, the shopping street between Nijo Castle in Nakagyo Ward and Seimei-jinja Shrine in Kamigyo Ward.

Wanting tourists to enjoy the shopping street, they decided to make guide maps that introduce shops around the shopping street in foreign languages. Establishing the three themes of food, souvenirs, and culture, the students visited stores to gather information. They introduce 17 stores, such as cafes, ramen restaurants, variety shops and others, with pictures.

The guide has 15 pages all together. A total of 1,300 copies, with 700 in English, 400 in Chinese and 200 in Korean, have been printed and placed at introduced stores and nearby guesthouses which foreign tourists visit. Arisa Yoshida, a student in the seminar, said with a smile, "We are able to publicize local attractions that charmed us while visiting them. We hope many people will come."