No. of foreign visitors to Japan in July hits new monthly record

It's so odd considering how much the countries hate each other

It's so odd considering how much the countries hate each other

Don't let the media fool you. There are factions in each side that "hate" each other, but in reality the relations between the "people" and businesses are pretty darn good!

Sadly too many folks are sucked into believing the media BS.

It's so odd considering how much each country tries to install nationalist values and hatred amongst their population, that the people often forget about that nonsense and do the opposite. It's wonderfully odd actually.

anderstungtwistToday 07:24 am JSTIt's so odd considering how much the countries hate each other

That is the image created by the media and the CCP supporters and anti-J posters on this forum. While it is true that an anti-Japan policy is part of China's diplomatic agenda, the people themselves do not hate Japan and vice versa.

"the [Chinese] people themselves do not hate Japan and vice versa"

I'm not sure about the "vice versa" part. I tried to look for data on Japanese outbound tourists inbound to China. It doesn't seem like China is anywhere near the top of Japanese' list when travelling abroad nowadays.

https://www.tourism.jp/en/tourism-database/stats/outbound/#region-courtry

I think the better explanation is that Chinese citizens know their government and media are propagandistic and so they take what officials say with a grain of salt, while Japanese citizens know their media is free and credible and so they believe the negative things they read and as a result stay away from China.

 while Japanese citizens know their media is free and credible

..that's the problem.

anderstungtwist: "It's so odd considering how much the countries hate each other"

Nah, the people don't much hate each other. There are those that have bought into the propaganda, of course, but they are not worth talking about. Most people don't pander to the politics and are just interested in having fun and having new experiences. Some people make said experiences very negative, which is a shame, but they are few and far between. It's the politicians and the politics that ruin it all.

Well said, smith.

Basically people don't hate each other, only government + poor education makes people to hate each other.

Yeah, the main tourists are from China and Korea. That shows the total disconnect between the government and the people in these countries. That's a good thing. Also, Chinese I talk to say that they are treated better in Japan than anywhere else, especially like Taiwan and Hong Kong, where people look down on them. There are more Chinese speaking clerks in the electronic shops here in Shinjuku than English speaking ones. Also at the tax refund desks. And they know that the European luxury goods they buy here are genuine.

I hope they didn't get too wet. It rained most days in July at my place.

Given the composition of the tourists, it would be nice to see the TV people taking to Chinese and Koreans sometimes. If you were an old person in inaka with the tv on, you would think most of the tourists were Westerners, because they're what you see on the screen.

More tourists means less opportunity for hard working Japanese to enjoy popular vacation spots. (Not my opinion. Directly from many of my Japanese friends mouth, who mostly stayed local).

shinsaku.ai: ”I'm not sure about the "vice versa" part. I tried to look for data on Japanese outbound tourists inbound to China. It doesn't seem like China is anywhere near the top of Japanese' list when travelling abroad nowadays."

For your info, number of Japanese visiting China in 2016 reached 2,587,400, +3.6% while that to S. Korea was 2,297,893, +25.4; Taiwan, 1,896,456, +16.4%. Growth for China is small but by no means generating small numbers.

Here in Tokyo there is a noticeably huge influx of tourists from Asia to Japan. Nice to see the numbers that quantify it. I think it is a good thing. The more that people from Asian nations can interact the better chance that relations can improve, in spite of the efforts of governments in the region to prevent it.

I think this is partially the reason for better economic and spending numbers.  Yokoso Japan.

Japan has become star attraction among Asian travellers.Japanese government must provide more facilities to the foreign tourists and do not impose any tax on foreign visitors arriving in Japan.

Here in Shinjuku, if you walk from the Alta building to Isetan Department Store, most of what you hear is not Japanese. I hear Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and there increasing numbers of SE Asian tourists, and some speaking Mongolian, I think, but I'm not sure. A smaller of Europeans and Americans, but they are there! It is really great to see all the smiling tourists! Shinjuku feels so international. I talk to some who look lost, and mainly they ask about how to get around Shinjuku Station and the trains and subways.

More tourists means less opportunity for hard working Japanese to enjoy popular vacation spots.  considering foreign tourists spend considerable more when vacationing in Japan than Japanese themselves do, they're contributing more to the J economy. but hey if Japan doesn't want them then fine , Im sure they can find another asian country to take they're tourist money away from them. Japan needs foreign tourists far more than vise versa

More tourists means less opportunity for hard working Japanese to enjoy popular vacation spots. (Not my opinion. Directly from many of my Japanese friends mouth, who mostly stayed local).

So; an anecdote?

Lest some think that all Japanese think all tourists/gaijin are deckchair-hogging, workshy, coach-filling invaders...

Tourism can only be a good thing for Japan; surely? Why bother promoting 2020 otherwise?

It's so odd considering how much the countries hate each other

That's Trump-style western propaganda attempting to cause rift between China and it's unofficial 'province.'

Either welcome the (Chinese) tourists and their money and shut up about the crowds, or don't let them in and make do with penny-pinching domestic consumers. You can't have your cake AND eat it.

shinsaku.aiAug. 17 09:18 am JST"the [Chinese] people themselves do not hate Japan and vice versa"

I'm not sure about the "vice versa" part. I tried to look for data on Japanese outbound tourists inbound to China. It doesn't seem like China is anywhere near the top of Japanese' list when travelling abroad nowadays.

The number of Japanese tourists visiting China dropped sharply after the Chinese government orchestrated anti-Japanese demonstrations of several years ago, many of which were violent. That created an unsafe image of China for Japanese tourists, ie; fear. Which not the same as hatred. In contrast there were never any anti-Chinese demonstrations in Japan, much less violent ones, so Chinese tourists do not share that fear.

Dear PM Abe, Japan doesn't Casino to promote tourism. The Casino will only destroy peaceful Japanese society. Japan has many tourist attractions and wonderful culture and tradition. The Casino will destroy all of these beautiful things in Japan.

The people do hate eachother. Ask any man or woman over age 40 what they think of Chinese people.

If you want more realistic results, ask the same question again after that person has drunk 3 beers.

I know very few Japanese people who have anything good to say about China or Chinese people. In 10 years I can count the number of JP citizens who like Chinese people - even those who have lived in China for many years.

Don't be blinded by numbers - Chinese and Koreans are coming to Japan to buy goods and use services and visit attractions that are only available in Japan (Disney, etc).

They hate the people but love the products.

I actually had a Chinese (Taiwanese) girl tell me that when I was a university student. At the time it shocked me and my respect for her went down. Now after a decade of living here I think I can understand where she's coming from.

Asians just hate eachother and they will probably never live in peace as long as things like borders and citizenship exist.