UP-Japan Meet: From Braj Welcome to Taj, Japanese Delegation Begins UP Tourism Journey in Agra

YUGVARTA देश राज्य विश्व मुख्यमंत्री सूचना केंद्र सरकार प्रमुख समाचार मनोरंजन खेल ज्योतिष/धर्म/वास्तु लाइफस्टाइल स्वास्थ्य Type & Hit Enter.. Home राज्य उत्तर प्रदेश UP-Japan Meet: From Braj Welcome to Taj, Japanese Delegation Begins UP Tourism Journey in Agra Yamanashi Governor, Vice Governor Experience Taj; Lucknow Tourism Roundtable Next on Aug 21 *Peacock Dance, Bam Rasiya Add Braj Flavour to Japanese Delegation’s Agra Welcome *UP Wants Japanese Visitors to See the State as ‘One Connected Journey’: Jaiveer Singh 20 Aug, 2026 08:10 PM FacebookXWhatsAppLinkedInEmail UP-Japan Meet: From Braj Welcome to Taj, Japanese Delegation Begins UP Tourism Journey in Agra Agra, August 20, 2026: A traditional Braj welcome followed by a visit to the Taj Mahal marked the beginning of the Uttar Pradesh tourism journey of a high level Japanese delegation from Yamanashi Prefecture on Thursday. Led by Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, and Junichi Ishidera, Vice Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, the delegation reached Agra after an engagement at Galgotias University earlier in the day. UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh and Director General, UP Tourism, Dr Vedpati Mishra interacted with the visitors over lunch at Jaypee Palace before the group proceeded to the Taj Mahal. Before the visit, the delegation received a traditional Braj themed welcome, with artists presenting Peacock Dance and Bam Rasiya, introducing the Japanese visitors to the region’s folk traditions. After seeing the Taj Mahal, Kotaro Nagasaki said, “I had seen the Taj Mahal many times in photographs, but being here allows you to notice the craftsmanship and proportion in a completely different way. From a distance it appears grand, but when you come closer, it is the detail that stays with you.” Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said Agra was the first chapter of a wider journey through Uttar Pradesh. “The Taj Mahal gives our guests a familiar point of entry into Uttar Pradesh, but the journey ahead will introduce them to very different experiences. Lucknow will bring them closer to our hospitality, cuisine and tourism ecosystem, while eastern Uttar Pradesh will open up the Buddhist and spiritual connect that India and Japan have shared for centuries. We want the delegation to experience these places as parts of one larger journey,” Singh said. Praising the Braj welcome, Junichi Ishidera said, “The Peacock Dance, Bam Rasiya and the traditional welcome gave us a meaningful introduction to the culture of the region. It makes a visitor curious about the place even before the sightseeing begins.” Kazuhiko Nakamura, President of Yamanashi University, appreciated the arrangements made for the delegation. “The best arrangements are often the ones a visitor does not have to think about. We have been able to move comfortably and on time, which allows us to focus on the people and places we are here to understand,” he said. Following the Agra visit, the delegation will proceed to Lucknow on Thursday evening. On Friday, it will participate in a tourism engagement at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, including a roundtable with over 50 tour operators, hoteliers and entrepreneurs, a tourism exhibition and discussions on future cooperation. The Lucknow engagement will focus on tourism and hospitality cooperation, including Buddhist tourism, wellness, cultural exchange and new visitor experiences. The delegation will later travel towards Varanasi as part of its Uttar Pradesh programme. Singh said the visit could help deepen tourism ties between Uttar Pradesh and Japan. “Tourism gives the India Japan relationship a very human dimension because people experience each other’s culture directly. If this journey encourages more Japanese travellers to discover Uttar Pradesh and leads to stronger exchanges between our tourism institutions, it will create value well beyond this visit,” he added.