Cheaper yen attracts record number of visitors to Japan

This is nice to see, in spite of all the crap that politicians spout about "foreigners" in Japan, the more that visit, will hopefully help people here learn more about the world around them.

Japan owes these people a big thanks for coming here!

Now not only are the export companies riding high, the tourist industry in japan will see more growth and will more growth and will have to add more jobs in the coming months as the tourist numbers rise. Abenomics scores another win. despite all the disbelievers

YubaruMay. 23, 2013 - 07:27AM JST

in Japan, the more that visit, will hopefully help people here learn more about the world around them.

I find the opposite is true in Japan.

I find the opposite is true in Japan.

Hence my remarks, I agree to a point, yet if more visit Japan, it will help dispel many of the misconceptions and their views of people from around the world.

I will never forget the effect of seeing children interact with some foreign visitors that they met on the street, a chance encounter, it was something that will stay in their minds (hopefully) for a long time. They took pictures together and tried communicating with each other with the help of dictionaries and gestures and broken Japanese and English. But it was fun to watch, and a great experience for everyone involved.

Many people from South Korea. So, maybe the ordinary people don't care about the fights between governments a lot. Nice.

A couple of friends from Australia were in Tokyo last weekend after completing a cruise from Yokohama all around Japan. They loved every minute of it and all the places they visited such as Kobe, Ishikawa, Aomori etc. They said it was the best cruise they had been on and were very impressed with the people, food and beautiful nature. Their favorite was when they got off at Kanazawa and a bus took them through those huge ice canyons in Toyama, I think. They also saw a traditional wedding ceremony

It was really wonderful hearing them chatter away at how beautiful the women dress, how immaculate things are presented in department stores, restaurants etc, and how polite everyone was. For long-term residents such as myself, it is easy to sometimes forget the positive aspects of living in Japan.

It's true. Central Tokyo shopping areas have plenty more tourists speaking Chinese and even (gasp!) Korean....

@AKBfan: " more tourists speaking Chinese and even (gasp!) Korean...."

Not sure why you're gasping. Koreans have counters for almost 1 in 3 tourists for years. And there are a lot of exchange students here as well. You may even have noticed that most train stations have had signs in Korean since around 2002.

Just because a bunch of Nationalist Wankers on both sides of the pond garner more media attention than they deserve, the people generally get on very well. And there's lots of travel between the two countries.

A record 923,000 foreigners....The previous monthly high was 879,000 in July 2010

c'mon it is only up by 44,000. In 2010 USD>JPY avg was 88. Now it is 102. "Sometime these writer see what they want to see :( "

Good to hear, the more tourists always the merrier.

Hence my remarks, I agree to a point, yet if more visit Japan, it will help dispel many of the misconceptions and their views of people from around the world. I will never forget the effect of seeing children interact with some foreign visitors that they met on the street, a chance encounter, it was something that will stay in their minds (hopefully) for a long time. They took pictures together and tried communicating with each other with the help of dictionaries and gestures and broken Japanese and English. But it was fun to watch, and a great experience for everyone involved.

That's all nice and cute, but its still not going to make them understand foreigners. It will only add to their belief that all foreigners speak English. I had a French friend that didn't (or refused to) speak English and spoke good Japanese, but he was constantly Engrished by kids and adults alike. Just having foreigners around isn't going to make them understand.

Cheaper yen attracts record number of visitors to Japan

Or maybe the cheaper yen merely facilitates traveling to Japan. It's the charm of Japanese culture that attracts tourists.

Speaking of which, I'll be back again this year. When I visited last year, US$1 bought only 77JPY. The past few days, it's been 102-103JPY. Which means I'll see more sights and bring back more omiyage this time. Haha, most of my check-in luggage will be gifts for friends in Japan from the U.S., and then going back it will be crammed with gifts for family and friends in the U.S. from Japan. Everybody wins! :-)

Everybody wins!

For a tourist that is......and I am happy that it is so for you and yours. Personally speaking, it sucks royally.

Tourists spedn money, This means more revenue to Japanese business. It is better than they spend money in Hong Kong or Singapore.

I stand corrected Taj.

For a tourist that is......and I am happy that it is so for you and yours. Personally speaking, it sucks royally.

Yes, I have heard from my local Japanese friends that they were very happy when they first came to the U.S. on their company's exchange program. The yen was strong and bought a lot here. Now it's reversing and they're not so happy about it. So sure, there are always some who aren't winners, no matter what happens. Sorry about it being your turn. Last year, it was my turn.

But Japan's two main industries have traditionally been export and tourism, no? So this may be what Japan needs to boost its economy after all.

I think Japan could attract even more westerner tourists. But for all friends who came to visit us, their biggest challenge was the food. They were ready to try, but from taste and quantity viewpoint most of them really suffered and lost weight (and I am not talking about overweighted people). Actually that was their biggest concern every day, to find something they could eat.

Thus I suggest that hotels widen a bit their offers - and especially at breakfast - while still giving the opportunity to westerners to tame the japanese food.

I am not suggesting the japanese food is bad, but it is pretty unique and demands some time to adapt.