Osaka's tourism industry hit hard by typhoon

It was just a comment in reference to your comment about stereotypes. The polite Japanese................

@oyatoi: I didn't get what you mean, honestly.

You are assuming that I’m a foreigner. Actually I am a citizen.

You kinda lost me now. But anyway sorry for any offence caused.

Oh ok, I read what you wrote and get your angle. You are assuming that I’m a foreigner. Actually I am a citizen.

I am not getting worked up at all. It’s on you to read other people’s comments and respond to them if you so wish. If you read wrong or didn’t understand what I wrote and then try to call me out on it, well cmon, that’s also on you too.

@thepersoniamnow

First of all, do not get too worked up. Your comment looks like sarcasm to me. Also sorry that I missed you earlier comment.

Also Yoshisan are you saying that I am rejoicing that the tourists are gone? If you read what I wrote you’d see that I said the opposite.

Do you have a point?

No Yoshisan I should NOT take that claim to the city council to “run more trains”.

The Midosuji line is the busiest subway line in Osaka. I love my city and it needs to be more international and also gain from tourism.

Lastly, what a ridiculous idea. If I don’t get to sit at rush hours go and start complaining. lol!

So many people rejoicing in the lack or tourists but, annoying though they may be, bring a lot of money to the area. Businesses are already being affected. I hope no one loses work over this. Same thing happening in Hokkaido, how many of you are pleased about that too?

Hey the tourists clog up Namba through Umeda in Osaka. I no longer get to sit on trains, gotta walk around people constantly...but I appreciate them! Thank you and come again :)

You sounds like it is the tourists' fault that you do not get to sit on trains. Well then you should take your complaint to the train company for not running more trains. Or the Osaka city council for being so hard on promoting tourism. Or the Japanese people who make Japan so beautiful that it attracts so many tourists from all over the world. Not demonising the tourist!

While you are rejoicing the tourist are gone, there are people, JAPANESE people, who are worrying that they may lose their jobs or have to close down their businesses.

“In my city, also the most stereotypically polite people in the world (Germans and Dutch) become savage. They think Italy is a huge amusement park”

There are stereotypes and then there is Japan. Abandon hope that this ain’t so, all ye who enter here.

I don't get the sense of some comments. To any Country, foreign tourists are a necessity, not a pleasure. Nobody likes confusion and noise. The locals usually don't enjoy the presence of tourists because you need to do your own business, and the massive presence of tourists can bother your daily activities. Plus, when the tourists are foreign, they can have bad and impolite behaviours because they don't know your laws (or all they care is relax and entertainment). In my city, also the most stereotypically polite people in the world (Germans and Dutch) become savage. They think Italy is a huge amusement park where you can do whatever you want. Every time I hope summer will end soon, because I can't stand the tourists anymore, especially the foreign ones. It's a huge stress. This has nothing to do with racism.

Hey the tourists clog up Namba through Umeda in Osaka. I no longer get to sit on trains, gotta walk around people constantly...but I appreciate them!

Thank you and come again :)

"I know that they contribute to the economy and business, but honestly I was sick of the bad manners and loud voices (his opinion), but now I realize how badly we need them." "They" and "them" of course being Chinese and Korean tourists, mainly.

This is a great representation of Japan's version of multiculturalism. "Yes, we want you to come to Japan to take your money and to do our work, but we don't like you and want you to be Japanese." Japan's tourism bubble will burst in the not too distant future, partly because of this unwelcomeness, but also because there are only so many people in the world who want to visit Japan and most only want to visit once for their bucket list. Japan should stop relying so heavily on tourist dollars and think of it as a bonus and not a necessity. As I have said many times, Japan's economy needs to be rebuilt domestically, not internationally.

Mike: "As a local here in Kyoto, the lack of tourists is a HUGE breath of fresh air. I was able to drive to work in under 1 hour for the first time in 2 years. On top of that, parking lots aren't full, and you can actually walk down the street without tourists stopping mid-stride to take pictures of themselves."

Just more proof the locals in Kyoto (who will never, ever accept you as one, by the way, so maybe modify it to "local foreigner") are complete snobs. When they're not busy watering the sidewalks with enough to provide drinking water to an entire Indian family for months, they start the name of all products with "Kyo-this, Kyo-that" as though a green pepper grown there is the only thing that matters in the world, when it's no different than anywhere else.

Again, so sad you guys are laughing or having fun about the lack of tourism, when it is seriously hurting industry and the business you brag about are suffering. Maybe you'll finally get it if all your favourite places start going out of business and pulling down the shutters for good, because I can tell you the shopkeepers, if they didn't before, finally get it.

As a local here in Kyoto, the lack of tourists is a HUGE breath of fresh air. I was able to drive to work in under 1 hour for the first time in 2 years. On top of that, parking lots aren't full, and you can actually walk down the street without tourists stopping mid-stride to take pictures of themselves.

Glad to hear that. By the way how are the business owners and their staff there feeling?

Maybe locals in Kansai can start to really appreciate the large number of Asians, especially Chinese, who visit there in large numbers.

This isn't to say all my Japanese acquaintances who live in Kansai think this way, but many have hardly anything positive to say about the large number of tourists that have started visiting there the last 10 years.

As a local here in Kyoto, the lack of tourists is a HUGE breath of fresh air. I was able to drive to work in under 1 hour for the first time in 2 years. On top of that, parking lots aren't full, and you can actually walk down the street without tourists stopping mid-stride to take pictures of themselves.

Perhaps, now, the gov't will see the flaw in relying so heavily on tourism to boost the economy. Then again the LDP has little representation from Kansai, perhaps not...

Will the owners / captain of that tanker be held responsible for it crashing into that bridge with their insurance company paying for the repairs? They must bear some responsibility for being unable to control their vessel.

Is there anyone here familiar with marine rules and regs, insurance etc.?

Speed: "Maybe locals in Kansai can start to really appreciate the large number of Asians, especially Chinese, who visit there in large numbers."

While you were DEAD wrong about the severity of the storm (and time travel to boot!), you are right about this. I talked to some business owners over the weekend and they are HURTING. One even said exactly what you just did, "I know that they contribute to the economy and business, but honestly I was sick of the bad manners and loud voices (his opinion), but now I realize how badly we need them." "They" and "them" of course being Chinese and Korean tourists, mainly.

Hopefully this will change the attitudes of some people who tended to frown on certain visitors while depending on them.

I'll give them a pass for ship crashing into the bridge but the rest of the airport does not sound very resilient.

The number of foreign visitors is low and passengers are few. We don't think we will recover easily

The summer school holiday in the Northern Hemisphere has ended so it is normal to see lower tourist number (compaire to August). International flights is not at full capacity yet so passengers are few. No need to worry. When the red leaf seeing season starts it will recover.

Not only has it exposed major holes in the nations disaster preparedness but the storm has done a KIX farce job of puncturing Japan’s already dubious reputation for streamlined efficiency and overflowing omotenashi. One would hope that salutary lessons have been learnt, including the realization that putting all your eggs in one basket dependence on foreign tourism was always going to be a risky strategy.

I enjoyed walking through dotonbori for the first time in 3 years

Glad to hear that. By the way how are the business owners and their staff there feeling?

There were many unavoidable disasters to confront that strong typhoon in high tide, as well as Kansai area authorities had to precisely ask/check areas like as Okinawa/Kyushu or southern Shikoku where most typhoon had the routes to find better ways to avoid disasters informed by media to citizens. So many cars and buildings were not prepared to avoid the strong wind and high tide water.

Of course it was. What do people expect? This land is hit by a myriad of natural disasters and it's Always a risk in terms of tourism. It will recover, and people will come back, but no one should be surprised or cry foul if people Don't want to go to a disaster hit area.

@dadude. Usually hotels in Osaka are full and expensive. Not now. Already booked.

Not just tourists. I was stranded in Kyoto for the night. During a typhoon. Got home to roof leak. Then the usual road to work was closed for 5days. Normally 40 mins drive, but over 2 hours. Should of taken the car instead of sleeping on the floor at work.

No doubt many locals are taking this opportunity to visit spots that are typically overrun, or stay in hotels that are usually impossible to book.

I have heard USJ is awesome to go to now. Wait times are less than 10 minutes.

There are two major infrastructure errors in Osaka’s airport. Firstly, the money-pit airport was built on a manmade island that is only a few meters above sea level with no sea walls or adequate drainage. Then, the bridge that supplies the only vehicle access to the airport does not have any protective barriers around its pylons. There is also the problem of flooded generators, which lead to a 24 hour blackout. For a country that tends to micromanage everything, there seems to be a lot of poorly constructed infrastructure.

My concern is the possible deep structural damage to the bridge. Hasty structural repairs may conceal unnoticed weaknesses the impact has caused, which might result is an unpleasant surprise months or even years from now.

I enjoyed walking through dotonbori for the first time in 3 years.

Maybe locals in Kansai can start to really appreciate the large number of Asians, especially Chinese, who visit there in large numbers.

This isn't to say all my Japanese acquaintances who live in Kansai think this way, but many have hardly anything positive to say about the large number of tourists that have started visiting there the last 10 years.

I’ve lost some faith in KIX due to this massive oversight.

If this is how they handled a category one typhoon, imagine how the 80,000 passengers/day will fare if a major EQ/tsunami were to threaten KIX. It took them two or three days to evacuate the 8000 people stranded there.

Indeed,many tourists were able to divert to other airports but would not have done so due to the cost, change of hotels and other transport costs.

The point is that without fortifications around the airport then the same thing is likely to reoccur.

I’ve lost some faith in KIX due to this massive oversight.

I wondered why the tanker was near the airport at the time of the typhoon. It was a tanker carrying jet fuel to the airport. Yet, it was a problem the tanker was on the sea near the airport.

Having no airport and being exactly a week after the worst typhoon that even old people can remember may do that to you.

Next week will be better hopefully.

Obviously, tourist numbers are down dramatically across Kansai, not merely in Osaka. No doubt many locals are taking this opportunity to visit spots that are typically overrun, or stay in hotels that are usually impossible to book.

Well, it took about two weeks to fix the sinkhole in Fukuoka. I wonder how fast they'll be able to fix the bridge now that they're expecting to start work this month. Say what you want about Japan but you have to admit their engineering feats are amazing.