Quarterly Journal from Chiba, Japan

Night view of the factory lights from Kisarazu Port

Welcome to Autumn 2023 edition of Chiba Update!
The heat of the summer has finally subsided, bringing a cool breeze of air that turns the greenery leaves
into colorful reds. Yes, it’s Autumn time!
Autumn is one of the favorite times of year here in Japan because of the ‘just right’ temperature, adding
to delicious food both from the ocean and the land. Among seasonal favorites are kuri (castana), sweet
potato, persimmon, burdock root, potato, pacific saury, and eel are among others.
There are many outdoor activities that can be enjoy during the season such as trekking, Autumn leaves
viewing, and more. In Chiba, there are various tourist attractions available from this time of year such as
one of the largest winter illuminations in Japan, at Tokyo German Village, seasonal vegetable and fruit
picking, camping, and more.
Once again, it is our pleasure to bring you latest happenings inChiba. Through this edition, we hope you will learn more about
the advantages of Chiba as MICE destination, and will lookforward to our next issues for more updates.

● The International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) back in Chiba after 20 years● The 9th International Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems (9IDMRCS)● JNTO Incentive Travel Business Meetings
An opportunity to reconnect and accelerate● Promoting ‘Chiba’ in international market
Full-scale travel and incentive promotion in Taiwan and Thailand● The La Festa Mille Miglia 2023 Grand Goal Ceremony held in Makuhari Bay Town in Chiba City
● New Members
Hibino Media Technical Co., Ltd● Chiba Convention Bureau to participate in the IBTM WorldThe International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) back in Chiba
after 20 years
The International Mathematics Olympiad, attended by 618 high school students representing 112 countries andregions around the world, was held from Sunday, July 2, 2023, to Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Makuhari Messein Chiba.
The International Mathematics Olympiad, which began in Romania in 1959, had seven participating countries atthe time, while Japan's first participation was in China in 1990. The number of participating countries has steadily
increased throughout the years. This time, the Japanese team accomplished an outstanding result, with all six
members receiving medals and placing sixth in the national ranking.
The Mathematics Olympiad Foundation, Chiba Prefecture, Chiba City, and Nippon Travel Agency, as well as thevenues Hotel Nikko Narita, APA Hotel & Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari, and Makuhari Messe, were involved ininviting and sponsoring the tournament.
This year's event came six years after the Chiba Convention Bureau began its effort to bring the Olympiad toChiba in 2017.

Post-Olympiad Activities
The International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is held every year, with different
countries taking turns hosting. It has been over 20 years since Japan hosted the last in2003; therefore, it was requested that Japan compete at the 2017 IMO in Brazil. Thefollowing year, in July 2018, the IMO Romania Convention officially announced that the64th International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO2023) would be held in Japan.
As part of the services offered by the Chiba Convention Bureau (CCB), meeting rooms for
management discussions and mediation between organizers and hotels hosting thetournament were provided. During the tournament, 47 volunteers were organized tosupport each participant from various countries and regions. Various activities evolving
local groups and universities were incorporated into the program, in addition to various
culture-related programs such as tea ceremonies, mosaic puzzles, origami, etc.
The first day of the 2-day excursion program brought participating students to Tokyo
Disneyland, followed by technical visits on the second day. Being able to tour Japan's
leading companies and research institutes seems to have stimulated the intellectual
curiosity of the athletes from each country. Through the Chiba Convention Bureau’sassistance, various support and subsidies were also granted to the Olympiad.

The IMO Japan Convention
Preparation Committee wasformed in April 2017. After
multiple deliberations ondeciding the venue, Chiba wasdeemed to have the mostconvenient access forinternational participants, withTokyo, Narita International
Airport, and Haneda
International Airports justnearby. Makuhari Messe inChiba City was then selected asthe competition venue.

The 9th International Discussion Meeting on Relaxations inComplex Systems (9IDMRCS)
The most prestigious international conference on various physical properties of physics, the 9th International
Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems (9IDMRCS), was held for the first time in Japan from
August 12th to 18th at Makuhari Messe, the first ever meeting that was held outside of Europe. It was attended
by over 600 people from 39 countries worldwide.
Through the Chiba Convention Bureau's (CCB) assistance, the meeting has successfully granted special support
from the Japan Tourism Agency, allowing full subsidy support for holding a banquet party at exclusive venues
in Chiba, in this case, Mihama-en Japanese Garden, and a monitored tour program to the Chiba City Museumof Art. The banquet party held at Mihama-en is the first attempt to utilize the facility space as a party venue.
The place was decorated to have a ''summer festival'' ambiance; food, drinks, and game booths and live
entertainment awaited guests. The food was produced locally, while alcoholic drinks came from local
breweries. In addition to utilizing local products and implementing various measures during the meeting, theCCB and the organizers have been mindful of various sustainable initiatives throughout.
The meeting also showcased post-convention tours to three different locations, namely, the Tokyo Tour, theMt. Nokogiri Tour, and the Sawara Tour. Each tour features amazing sightseeing destinations, dining, shopping
experiences, and more.
It has been a great experience for the Chiba Convention Bureau to be part of these prestigious events, and weare optimistic about the positive result of the experience and how it will carry forward to improve futureservices in hosting international events.

JNTO Incentive Travel Business Meetings
An opportunity to reconnect and accelerateWith the aim of providing Japanese sellers with a common ground for reconnecting with international clients, theJapan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) holds various seminars abroad.
After years of stagnation due to the pandemic, the Chiba Convention Bureau (CCB) anticipates participating invarious seminars and business talks to reconnect with former partners, meet new clients, and gather informationthat will lead to the development of hosting incentive groups in Chiba. This kind of gathering also serves as aplatform to promote Chiba as a MICE destination through face-to-face consultations and presentations.
On August 31 and October 5, 2023, the CCB participated in the seminar and tradeshow organized by the JNTO in
Singapore and Malaysia, respectively. A combined number of nineteen face-to-face business talks and fourteencompany visits have been successfully made during these two occasions, along with some corporate visits andlocal site inspection tours. Indeed, it was a great opportunity to actually meet new people and those whom we
had communicated with over the internet during the years of the pandemic.
It is said that people have different characteristics, and so does the market. So, knowing the client’s needs makes
a big difference in achieving a successful outcome. This kind of seminar or tradeshow provides an opportunity forour organization to gain actual knowledge about the market through actual dialogue and by experiencing themarket firsthand. These claims serve as a foundation for formulating appropriate responses and developing
capability in hosting respective groups.

The Chiba Convention Bureau will continue to work hand-in-hand with our local governments, public andprivate organizations, academic institutions, and local enterprises to further improve services that will caterto international clients, as well as promote Chiba as a MICE destination for our international clients.

Promoting ‘Chiba’ in international market
Full-scale travel and incentive promotion in Taiwan and Thailand
The Chiba Prefecture, together with the Chiba Prefectural Tourism and Local Products Association, the Chiba
Convention Bureau, local government, and private enterprises, visited Taiwan and Thailand on July 9 andOctober 9, 2023, respectively. The visit aimed to promote Chiba as a travel and MICE destination. A total of 35
travel companies have been visited, and an additional 5 business exchanges have been made during the tours.
In addition to travel companies, the group also visited publications, global companies, and media outlets toconduct market research and exchange opinions.
Since the ease of the Japan border restriction in 2022, the number of Taiwanese and Thai visitors to Japan has
rapidly increased. Approximately 70% of the Taiwanese population travels overseas every year, and over 30%of them visit Japan, in addition to the extremely high rate of repetitive visitors to the country. On the other
hand, Thailand is experiencing significant economic growth and is expected to see a further increase in thenumber of tourists visiting Japan, making Japan the fourth most visited destination after Laos, Malaysia, andMyanmar.

During business meetings, each representative from Chiba introduced the latest information relevant to theclients, such as information on tourism, new facilities, and special services, among others. For repeaters, oneof the most sought-after areas are those unexplored places that are introduced on social media, as well ashands-on experiences and cultural interaction.
Undoubtedly, the number of visitors to Japan is on the rise, and the number of customers sent to Japan issteadily increasing. To cater to the needs of these clients, seek out new travel contents and supports offeredby the local destinations. The market competition is intensifying, and it’s the CCB’s will to continue to carryout proactive promotional activities in collaboration with businesses in the prefecture and by leveraging theconnections and networks built with key people locally.

La Festa Mille Miglia 2023 Grand Goal Ceremony held in
Makuhari Bay Town in Chiba City
This year’s marked the 26th year. La Festa Mille Miglia 2023 was held four days from October 6 to October
9, 2023, where the grand goal ceremony was held in Chiba City’s Makuhari Bay Town.
Started in 1997, La Festa Mille Miglia is a classic car event where over 100 cars produced between 1919and 1967 run the approximately 1,300km route from Tokyo and across eight prefectures of Japan.
Various tourist attractions and MICE facilities in Chiba have participated in the stamp rally, such as Kazusa
Academia Park, Makuhari Messe, Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, Tokyo Disney Sea Hotel Mira Costa, thesurfing competition venue for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Tsurigasaki Coast, amongothers. The goal ceremony was held at Makuhari Bay Town. As part of Chiba's unique hospitality,participants were welcomed by a performance of the Chiba Prefecture Chiba Girls High School, and thecheckered flag was waved by the Chiba Vice Mayor, Mr. Ohki. Indeed, this year’s event marked anothermilestone in the hearts of each participant, with the promise of returning again next year.
La Festa Mille Miglia 2024 is scheduled to be held from September 27 to September 31. The Chiba
Convention Bureau continued to actively work on attracting and supporting as many MICE events as
possible within the prefecture and contributing to regional revitalization.
For more details, visit the La Festa Mille Miglia's homepage.

New MemberHibino Media Technical Co., LtdA member of the Hibino Group, Hibino Media Technical Co., Ltd. supports
the development of communication that connects people and knowledge,
academic conferences, exhibitions, international conferences, and otherbusiness events by providing various services such as audiovisualequipment rental operations, event production, human resource dispatch
and recruitment, and more.
As a top runner in the MICE field, Hibino Media Technical utilizes theadvanced knowledge that has been accumulated over the years throughactual experiences. The company aims to provide services and solutions
that create events that move people and provide high-quality services tomany clients.
For more details, visit the Hibino Media Technical Co., Ltd’s homepage(Japanese only).

Chiba Convention Bureau to participate in theIBTM WorldThe Chiba Convention Bureau is glad to announce its participation in theIBTM World to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 28 to 30, 2023.
CCB is very excited to meet once again to reconnect with partners in theglobal market for fruitful business exchanges as well as meet new clients,
hoping that this occasion serves as a great opportunity to promote Chiba’s
strength as a MICE destination.

Booth J50

For more details, please visit IBTM World’s homepage.
IBTM World is the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, conferences andevents industry, taking place annually in Barcelona, Spain.

Chiba Convention Bureau and International Center
14F Makuhari Techno Garden Building D
1-3 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture 261-8501 Japan
Tel: +81-43-297-2752 Fax: +81-43-297-2753
Homepage: http://www.ccb.or.jp/mice/e/ Email: chibainfo@ccb.or.jp

Oyama Senmaida