< Vol. 8 >


Sightseeing by the Internet



The source of the Internet is people
From the E-mail to the people

 Even a space travel
 Sightseeing and the Internet are suited for each other.
The Internet is the multimedia. As even the beginner easily use the
photos or the pictures, they want to taste the exoticism of the foreign
country where they can't go easily. To be short we can enjoy even a
space travel from the NASA's Web page of the Internet. 
But, needless to say there are other using way of the Internet. The other 
day, the Internet was very useful for me when I hastened to look for 
a hotel in New York. The reference system truly helps me so much. 
That is to say, the people who go sightseeing to Kyushu may think so, 
too. In fact, in COARA the local government began to use the Internet from the 
field of the sightseeing, too. On April in 1995, the international conference 
institution named B-con plaza established in Beppu. And the first 
international conference took up the problem of standardization related
to the information. 

 Observation of the Monkey
 The participants of the conference use the Internet as a ordinary
tool. The secretariat of the conference of Japan asked the B-con plaza to 
cooperate with them of their preparation. So just like a tourist town, the 
B-con plaza collected sightseeing Web pages to show Beppu before they 
come. It was a big hit.
And the secretariats of the conference notified the participants of the 
contents of the conference in COARA in advance, too. The participants
already knew Beppu well by the Internet. They from all over the world 
enjoyed there very much while they were in the conference three days.
As the conference was well received by people, the B-con plaza was in 
good mood. It agreed with the COARA to fix the remote control camera
which we can see the whole Beppu bay and the steam of the hot spring 
from all the world at the real time. Besides we can operate the camera 
by ourselves. Don't you feel that you really go sightseeing more and more?
"Well, how about fitting the camera to the Mt.Takasaki of the monkey
next!" We liven up with this plan. We will be able to enjoy observation
of the Monkey in our room, soon.

 Reservation of the second gathering later on
 The trend toward using the Internet made the hotel in Beppu feeling like  
using it. The youth club of the hotel association gathered and made a 
hotel reference system. And they made the bar and the pub's one, too. 
We can look up the charge, seating capacity. Besides we can look up 
there is a karaoke, or not. So, you can reserve the second gathering later 
on, emcee. Some hotels correspond to the Internet. They stretch the
wiring for the Internet around the meeting room and each of the room
so the guest can use the Internet freely.
Of course you can exchange the E-mail with the manager. But most of 
the exchange tend to be a private communication with them though at first 
it was a subject of reservation. That sounds good. They talked about 
the Hell Tour or the local dishes called Isson Ippin dishes. The source 
of the sightseeing is people after all.

 From the E-mail to the people
 By the Internet you can enjoy virtual sightseeing like photos or pictures.
But if you have a friend you have never seen truly though you know him 
very much, you will feel like to see him. Everyone will feel so. Some of 
the office worker actually don't select the office worker's hotel in Oita 
city. They select the hotels in Beppu they have been acquainted with 
by the Internet, and what is more they enjoy sightseeing.
The more we use the Internet, the more we miss people. So it grow 
from the E-mail exchange to the communication of people.

written by Tooru Ono, the chief of the NEW COARA secretariat