AGRA, Aug. 21 -- A traditional welcome was accorded to a 240-member Japanese delegation upon their arrival in the city of Taj on Thursday. Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, is leading the delegation. A group of artistes presented 'Peacock Dance' and 'Bam Rasiya', introducing the visitors to the Braj region's folk traditions. Later, the delegation visited the Taj Mahal. State tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh and director general, UP Tourism, Vedpati Mishra interacted with the visitors over lunch. According to a press statement issued by the district information office, after seeing the Taj Mahal, Kotaro Nagasaki said, "I had seen the Taj Mahal many times in photographs, but being here allows you to notice the craftsmanship and proportion in a completely different way. From a distance it appears grand, but when you come closer, it is the detail that stays with you." "The Taj Mahal gave our guests a familiar point of entry into UP, but the journey ahead will introduce them to very different experiences. Lucknow will bring them closer to our hospitality, cuisine and tourism ecosystem, while eastern Uttar Pradesh will open up the Buddhist and spiritual connect that India and Japan have shared for centuries. We want the delegation to experience these places as parts of one larger journey," minister Jaiveer Singh said. Singh further said the visit could help deepen tourism ties between Uttar Pradesh and Japan. On Friday, the delegation will participate in a tourism engagement at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow. The event will include a roundtable with over 50 tour operators, hoteliers and entrepreneurs, a tourism exhibition and discussions on future cooperation. The delegation is in India for the 'U.P.-Japan Investment Meet 2026', a five-day blitz from August 19 to 23 in New Delhi aimed at turning Tokyo's interest in India's growth story into factories, technology and jobs in Uttar Pradesh....