The Japanese government has used a major travel event in the US to announce that the Tohoku region, which was devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, is now ready to welcome tourists.

During the International Pow Wow (IPW), one the biggest travel trade events in the US, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and the Embassy of Japan hosted a “Japan-US Tourism Seminar” at the ambassador’s residence in Washington DC.

Hosting the event was Kelley Ferro, the travel journalist and filmmaker who visited Tohoku as part of the JNTO’s Visit Japan Campaign in 2016.

The goal of the event, according to the JNTO, was to “announce that Tohuku… is now ready to actively receive tourists again”.

Local cuisine and saké from the region was also showcased during the event, as was the new luxury train, Shiki-Shima, which launched in Tohuku in May.