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© Thomson Reuters 2024.Visitors to Japan exceed 3 million for 2nd straight month in April
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© Thomson Reuters 2024.
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TokyoLiving
Excellent, welcome to Japan..
Behave well guys..
sakurasuki
Locals will complain about misbehave tourist and over tourism, same old, same old.
factchecker
Japan welcomed more than 3 million visitors cash for a second straight month in April, official data showed on Wednesday, setting the stage for a potential record year for overtourism.
Fixed the first paragraph for you.
Fighto!
2024 will break every record in the book for Japanese tourism. And if the yen continues its downward slide - as it likely will - 2025 will see much bigger numbers.
Tourism has become a very important part of the Japanese economy. Hopefully lots of investment is being funnelled into construction of many new tourist hotels.
JeffLee
When I’ve made trips to Fukushima, Gumma, Tochigi and northern Ibaraki over the past year, I’ve seen hardly any of them, and yet I see soooo many in Shibuya.
kurisupisu
Well, Japan is making new records off the visitors too.Heaps of revenue and jobs being created!
.
Start hiring multilinguals to herd the flocks then!
More jobs for the Japanese!
Luke
As a tourist from Australia who has visited Japan many times over the past 10 years (visiting Japanese family and friends) my trip this month felt different, in terms of local attitudes and behaviors.
Sometimes it is difficult as a tourist who tries their utmost to be respectful, follow local rules and customs and speak Japanese when other tourists don't bother to do the same. At times I felt that despite my best efforts, I would be put in the 'annoying gaijin' bucket just because of the way I look, until I earned respect through Japanese language or other means. I almost felt that I should wear a badge saying "I'm trying to be one of the good ones".
I am empathetic, because I know how the frustration of over-tourism can feel to local people. I live near some of Australia's most popular beaches! But for the most part (and I can only speak for Australian tourists I know personally), we would prefer to try our best to fit in, rather than cause friction.
I sincerely hope that moving forwards, tourists and Japanese locals can remain respectful in equal measure, and realise the benefits of tourism for both parties without the need to take an extreme and rules-led approach to tourism control.
Patricia Yarrow
There is a litter problem because there are very very very few trash bins! Obvious solution....!
DanteKH
Sadly, Japan has become the World's Disney Land due to Yen and Economy crash. For a foreigner, there could not be a better time to visit.
Sadly, the locals suffers the most, since the hotel prices skyrocket, availability is also scarce, prices for services doubled and trippled on the last 2,3 years.
The local government only cares about foreign tourists, while completely ignoring and punishing the local ones, who can no longer afford to visit and trip in their own country.
Wasabi
Do as we do, bring your trash home with you.
shogun36
really? where's my raise?
JeffLee
Not in an economy with a serious labor shortage. International tourism is usually promoted in countries with high unemployment. Japan is the opposite of that, and the last thing it needs are the kind of rock-bottom wages tourism pays.
kurisupisu
I’d disagree that Japanese are being punished in any way.In fact, it’s the opposite.
Take for example, the foreign tourist starting their vacation in Kansai and leaving from Tokyo.
A one-way ticket to Kobe from KIX is 3,200 yen.
A return ticket is 3,700 yen.
It’s quite obvious who is being royally shafted here even though mid-afternoon, foreigners make up 90% of bus users.
Plenty of people are making shed loads off the gaikokujin…
Redemption
Yeah I just flew back to Haneda from
Atlanta on Saturday and the flight was absolutely packed with so many excited tourists. Immigration and customs were as smooth as astroglide.
Negative Nancy
Welcome, people of the world, welcome! It is wonderful to see so many happy smiling people bringing color and diversity to this country. I'm so glad to hear that all the efforts that went into the Cool Japan campaign have come to fruition.
There has never been a bigger need for Japanese people to learn and practice foreign languages. That's great news for all the people who work here teaching English.
Redemption
Negative Nancy, I couldn't agree with you more.
wallace
Most of the tourists visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Antiquesaving
That would be the smart thing but like the Olympics, for some silly reason the cities and wards are relying on retired volunteers and no jobs are created.
I know a lot of younger Japanese all with interpretor certificates or that have long experience working as translators/interpretors.
Few can find regular gigs.
Their biggest complaints are that tourist attractions, local business associations ask the city to get volunteers and the cities do it!
Instead the cities should hire paid interpretors and charge the business associations making the request!
Or the cities should say NO, and then these businesses would be forced to hire people.
Antiquesaving
Akihabara last weekend!
Bus load of Chinese tourists.
Each one buying several made in Japan rice cookers!
They don't want the made in China or Vietnam only the made in Japan.
The sales guy said they sold 1000 the day before on a Friday and Saturday (that day) was going to far surpass that number.
Tourists don't just stay in hotels or go to restaurants they buy things and that is money to Japanese retailers and wholesalers.
Antique fairs are packed with tourists buying the things Japanese no longer want or collect.
The "junk" someone's grandmother had and they don't want (most Japanese don't want because they already have 2 or 3 from other grandparents) is now worth something, antique dealer pay regular Japanese for these things because they know that tourists will buy them.
What would be in the garbage now gets grandma a bit of extra spending money, gets the dealer more income to hire an pay staff and tourists leave happy!
The venues hosting the antique fairs make money, their staff have more secure jobs because the venue is busy more often, etc....
This constant negative attitude, generally comes from people that don't seem to understand how tourism actually works!
Open-minded
........while the country's economy contracts by .5%.
How nice for the tourists!
wallace
Most of the tourists are Asian and most do not speak English.
Antiquesaving
Your point?
I think you are missing the point!
Chinese like most tourists don't want to go to another country and buy something not from that country.
So a status symbol in China is an "import" rice cooker or something else that is expensive.
When someone visits Venice they buy a stupid gondola souvenir often the crooked sellers put a "made in Italy" or "made in Venice " over the made in China mark!
Because few tourists want a Chinese, Vietnamese, etc...souvenir from Italy!
So people avoid those and head to the glass blowing factory to watch the artisan making the piece they will buy to take home or as a gift.
Just human nature, people want a souvenir from and made in the place they are visiting.
wallace
Antiquesaving
wallace
There are very good Chinese products that are better than many Japanese ones.
They will have a major problem if they buy any electrical goods. Voltage in China is 220V and 50Hz and Japan 100V.
I didn't say tourists don't buy items. But a Japanese rice cooker is useless in China.
wallace
Number of international visitors coming to Japan in 2023, by region of origin
https://www.statista.com/statistics/654312/japan-foreign-visitors-breakdown-by-country/
The largest group are South Koreans, 7 million.
James
there are overseas rice cookers
South Koreans is indeed a huge group and unfortunately they spend all their time instagramming instead of having kids, it’s so annoying. Almost as bad as the countryside Chinese who can’t stop yelling and behaving like a dork.
Going near tourist sites has gotten very annoying and I just enjoy everything local will almost all Japanese now
Antiquesaving
That wasn't the point, I didn't say that Chinese products weren't good my fridge and standing freezer are both Chinese brand!
But a Chinese tourist doesn't want something they can get in China when shopping in Japan!
I guess you haven't been to Akihabara in a few decades!
They sell European, Chinese, Korean, North American etc..made in Japan voltage and the appreciate plugs.
I bought my brother a North America rice cooker with English Canada US inspection made in Japan 5 years ago with international warrantee.
The stores know who are the clients, they have entry sections just for tourists!
wallace
Antiquesaving
my first comment @06:43 was my own and not some response to yours.
Are you saying they sell 200V Japanese appliances? They need more than a plug. A 100V appliance would need a transformer.
200V appliances are for restaurants.
Can you post a link where I can buy 200V appliances.
https://www.tiger-corporation.com/en/jpn/product/commercial-use/jiw-g361/
Antiquesaving
To be honest, Chinese tourists are not as noisy as people think, it is the same thing before with North Americans and Europeans add Australia and NZ also.
The perception is they were/are loud but years back experiments were done and the noise level of westerners talking was the same as Japanese but the Japanese "perceived" the westerners to be louder because the language sticks out as not natural to the ears of Japanese.
As a non native Japanese person, I notice both the Japanese tourists and Chinese equally as opposed to my local neighbours.
When Kansai people are in the area it seems like they are talking extremely loud but in reality they aren't it is the dialect and way of talking that stands out!
I have far more problem with the children, today's Japanese children preschool and first few years of primary are totally undisciplined at shows in stores at restaurants they do whatever they want and the parents say nothing!
Chinese parents on the other hand they yell and in many cases I have personally seen will give a swift smack in many cases of the child doesn't listen! (Not condoning just saying what I have witnessed).
Antiquesaving
Yes I am say just that!
Each large electronic shop has and has had a foreign appliance section going back decades in Akihabara.
I live near there, I go there often.
Each time the sales people come over and tell me to go to the X floor for international or the next building for international appliances.
I have to repeatedly tell them I live in Japan!
You will not find these sections in the local mall Yamada denki, or K's denki generally only Akihabara and I was told also in some stores in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku! (I cannot confirm those last 2 I was told this but I have been to the Akihabara international appliances sections).
wallace
Antiquesaving
You posted that Chinese want to buy a Japanese made rice cookers. Domestic ones, 100V are less than ¥10,000. A 200V commercial rice cooker is ¥150,000. 15 times the price.
Antiquesaving
I don't know what your problem is but if you don't believe it fine!
I don't live in the countryside away from modern things I live 10 minutes from Akihabara by train.
Zojirushi Mahobin High Heat Globular Pot Pressure IH Rice Cooker for domestic use 220~230 was available a few year back popular model, today probably a more advanced one is available
Tiger Donabe IH Rice Cooker also was available in 220v at the time, again probably a newer equivalent available now (not a commercial product for domestic use)
Etc...
Yeah I know because I took friends visiting to look at these!
You want to know, get on a train and go see for yourself!
wallace
Antiquesaving
I live in a city 20 minutes from the Shinkansen and 10 minutes from a JR station. There is no need to post insults.
albaleo
Wallace, Antiquesaving is correct that you can buy Japanese rice cookers for overseas use in Akihabara. We bought one there a long time ago for UK use (220-240V).
wallace
Since the end of the Covid sending packages to other countries has become very expensive and also complicated if you use the Post Office.
wallace
albaleo
From looking on the internet they are much more expensive than the 100V domestic ones. You can also buy 200V appliances usually for restaurants and are also expensive.
Then there is the problem of shipping them back home.
ClippetyClop
True. Unfortunately, there are some people who are nominally adults who feel the urgent need to divest themselves from their trash the moment it becomes trash.
If there isn't a place to dispose of it within seconds they feel that they have the right to make their very minor problem someone elses problem.
They are willing to do this in areas of great beauty to avoid hauling a 10g plastic bottle back to their hotel.
tigerjane
I would like to make a comment in agreement with regards to locals cannot afford to travel within Japan because of the rising costs within, however, they cannot even afford to travel abroad due to the weakening of the yen. Therefore, many Japanese cannot afford to do much for the exception of staying at home.
zibala
Good point, It must be burdensome to not even have vending machines in the neighborhood.
wallace
zibala
You should stop second-guessing. There are vending machines 100 meters from our home, including a 7-11 and a Lawson. I don't need to use an SUV to get a can of Coke.