4 hours ago
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A woman has been praised for her efforts in promoting the city of Stoke-on-Trent to Japan.
Yuri Kawakami-Shotton runs Peak and Pottery Tours at the city's Spode Museum, showcasing the region and the Potteries to overseas visitors from Japan.
She said she was inspired to spread the word about the city after watching a BBC News report about pottery firms falling into administration.
"My father-in-law said: 'Oh, because no one's buying a dinner set anymore'," she explained. "And I said, 'Japanese people would buy, Japanese people would go to the museum and things. I can do that, I can maybe promote it for this city'."
Kawakami-Shotton said, since starting her tours, the dinner sets made in England have proved to be a hit in Japan.
"My customers love it and then some of them, for example, they come in Spode, they can't move, in front of the entrance, like 'oh my god i'm in Stoke, i'm in Spode'," she beamed.
"It's like a legend."
