Shinji Kikkawa

Born in 1964 in Murakami, Niigata. President of Sennenzake Kikkawa. In 1998 he founded the Murakami Machiya Merchants Association, promoting tourism and community revitalization built around the town's traditional machiya houses. Through events such as the Machiya Doll Festival, he has contributed greatly to tourism in Murakami, and has been named a Tourism Charisma by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and a regional revitalization evangelist.