“Xosh gelminshsiniz!” That’s Azerbaijani for “Welcome!”
Foreign visitors from all over the world love the Kumano Kodo! And locals love to hear about their cultures.
Take Minara Shukurova for example, an Azerbaijani-Canadian who is the coordinator for international relations (CIR) for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program in Tanabe City.
Minara, who also assists the TANABE Tourist Information Center one day per week, enjoyed some onsite training on the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi route recently and said she loved it!
Minara Shukurova
“I have lived all my life in big cities, and I guess I missed nature … I like hiking, however, I’m just a beginner.”
Minara also writes a monthly column for the city newsletter in Japanese about her rural life in Tanabe, Japan. In Azerbaijan, she was an instructor of Japanese at a state university in Baku, the capital.
Minara stopped by the Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau office recently as part of her cross-cultural duties to share the intricacies of Azerbaijani culture, bringing samples of traditional dress, food and tea.
Much like the people she has met in the Tanabe, she described the hospitable and peaceful heart of the Azerbaijani people.
Minara stopped by the Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau office recently as part of her cross-cultural duties to share the intricacies of Azerbaijani culture, bringing samples of traditional dress, food, and tea.
Kumano continues to welcome people from all over the world! And Minara hopes to share the Kumano Kodo with her husband who is arriving soon.
Thank you for visiting, Minara!
