Oct 28 (NHK) - Beauty pageant contestants from across the world have visited Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, which is still reeling from the impact of a major quake last month.
Women representing 14 countries and regions in this year's Miss International Beauty Pageant visited Hokkaido on Saturday, at the invitation of Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO.
The tour is designed to help attract overseas visitors to the northern island, which saw a drop in inbound tourism after the quake.
In the city of Chitose, the women tried their hand at making Japanese traditional sweets in a confectionery.
The contestants posted photos of the sweets they made on social media with comments.
They went on to visit a landmark red-brick building in Sapporo City, which used to house the prefectural government office.
Miss Guam Diliana Tuncap said she hopes that their activities will help local efforts to recover from the disaster.
The Miss International contest will be held on November 9th in Tokyo.