Aichi woman becomes Japan's 1st ticket holder for Shanghai Expo+

TOKYO, April 11 Kyodo - A woman from Aichi Prefecture became Japan's first ticket holder for the 2010 Shanghai Expo in a Tokyo ceremony Saturday kicking off a promotional campaign for the exposition.

Tomiyo Yamada, a housewife from the city of Seto, was awarded the ticket at the
Tokyo event.
Having visited the 2005 World Exposition in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture
every day during its 185-day run, Yamada, who turns 60 on Sunday, said she
intends to do the same at the Shanghai expo.
Yamada said she is scheduled to rent a condominium near the expo venue and
start living there next January. She will study the various pavilions and
volunteer to be a guide at the expo.
The opening ceremony for the ''Shanghai Expo Week 2009'' campaign took place in
Tokyo's Roppongi district and was also attended by former Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda and star table tennis player Ai Fukuhara, who was appointed as an
ambassador of the Shanghai Expo.
The campaign, targeting Japan, will last until April 20 and will include a
photo exhibit at Tokyo's Haneda airport, organizers said.
Ticket sales in Japan will start July 1.
The expo will run for 184 days beginning May 1 next year. So far, 186 countries
have announced their intention to participate.
==Kyodo