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The Japan Tourism Agency said Thursday that the number of foreign visitors to Japan will surpass 10 million on Friday.
The agency said that as of Dec 16, the number of foreign visitors was recorded as 9,920,000, TBS reported.
Following the launch of the government's "Visit Japan" marketing campaign in 2003, the agency estimated that by 2010, the influx of foreign visitors would reach the 10-million mark. However, after the financial crisis of 2008, the number of tourists saw a sharp decline.
This year, three years after the government initially estimated Japan would reach the milestone, the influx of tourists has finally reached its mark, mainly due to the yen's strength against Asian currencies, the agency said.
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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GalapagosnoGairaishu
I think I've seen about 8 million of the total photographing the "scramble" intersection in front of Shibuya's Hachiko Hiroba.
harvey pekar
I feel sorry for the guy or gal at the airport with that little clicker counting them all, waiting for that 10,000,000 to turrrrn ooover, NOW!
James Ellis Middleton
I can see the future. Kobe will be the place to be.
TrevorPeace1
Hmmm. I visited Japan three different times, this year - did they count me three times?
ka_chan
Maybe they may improve the immigration at the airports? They probably corrected this but when I went from the US to Japan and then to China, I didn't go through any immigration control in China. Just walked through the area and I was in the lobby by a HSBC ATM. Had my passport and everything and no one to show it to. It was that easy when I got back to Japan. Well, not like just walking out of the control area.
kimuzukashiiiii
"foreign visitors" .... can we have some kind of breakdown please, instead of tarring all non-japanese with the same "gaijin" brush.
Im going to guess that 75% are chinese or korean.
Mark_McCracken
Kimuzukashi,
Here you go.
Country and regional breakdowns are on page two.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/sta/PDF/E2013.pdf
rickyvee
isn't "foreign visitor" redundant? why not just "tourists" or "visitors" to japan.
SenseNotSoCommon
You've been thoroughly checked for your China visa, and the Japan exit stamp in your passport verifies your date of entry. Controls will be stricter off other flights.
Louis Tan
Better that they take photos before Japan and Tokyo becomes unrecognisable.
Saketown
Make that 10 Million + 2 more...
My J-Wife and I are flying out to NRT tonight via JAL (Business Class)
Yep, we gonna spend Christmas & New Years in the most Fabulous Country in The World. - JAPAN!
Can't wait.
We got the Party Pack laid out: Caretta Illumination Show, Tokyo Skye Tree, Tokyo Tower, JR Rail Pass for the Shinkansen from Tokyo - Nagoya (2 Days Stay) - Kyoto (2 Days) - Hyogo Kobe (1 Day) - Hiroshima (2 Days) - Then Shoot Up All The Way back to Nagano (2 Days) - Aomori (2 Days) - Back to Tokyo until New Years.
Take advantage of the JR Rail Pass everyone and GO SEE JAPAN!
Kobuta Chan
How many peoples do not go back to their country and over stay in Japan?