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The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2014 exceeded 13 million for the first time ever, the Japan National Tourism Organization and Transport Ministry said Tuesday.
According to figures released by the JNTO, 13,410,000 tourists visited Japan in 2014, up 29.4% over 2013, TBS reported Wednesday.
The highest number came from Taiwan (up 28% to 2,829,800), followed by South Korea with 2,755,300 (up 12.2%) and China -- which had the biggest jump at 83.3% -- with 2,409,200 visitors.
Tourism officials attribute the hike in tourism numbers to the weak yen, more international flights in and out of Haneda Airport, as well as the easing of visa regulations for countries in Southeast Asia.
Agency officials also noted that from Oct 1, the list of duty-free products was expanded leading to a increase in sales at department and other stores of over 2.4 times compared to last last year.
The Japan Tourism Agency predicts that numbers of foreign tourists will continue to climb this year as well, likely exceeding 15 million.
Officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport say that by the time of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, the total number of foreign visitors will finally reach and or exceed 20 million.
Transport Minister Akihiro Ota told a news conference that access to and from major airports will be expanded along with the number of flights in and out of the country through both Haneda and Narita airports.
© Japan Today
24 Comments
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Yubaru
Not surprising seeing how the yen has lost so much of it's value. Rather surprising for such a myopic government that it is happy to see all these foreigners visit their land.
Oh right, I get it....visit, but just dont the door hit you in the butt on the way out.
HaraldBloodaxe
But weren't we just told japan is "such an unpopular tourist destination"?
Where did I read that?
Oh yes...http://www.japantoday.com/category/travel/view/why-is-japan-such-an-unpopular-tourist-destination#comment_1910311
Kaerimashita
Weak yen having some benefits.
wtfjapan
Oh right, I get it....visit, but just dont let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. before youve spent all your money here, have a nice day
pointofview
Define visit... I have visited many airports too.
Moderator
Visit means passing through immigration and customs.
Moderator
That story was comparing Japan with other countries.
StormR
Great for the economy, I wonder how much per average does the typical tourist spend while here.
hereforever
Major shift in interst? They mention he major increase in Asains coming to Japan but no mention of the decrease from native English speakers, which at one time was the majority. Will mean a shift from English schools to Chinese schools? Perhaps add Chinese to the curriculum?
itsonlyrocknroll
The overseas missions and Embassies need to redouble there efforts, Japan has 16 World Heritage Sites, who could name six without resorting to Google?
nath
I can't but I am also not up-to-date with the World Heritage Sites in my home-country(many).
itsonlyrocknroll
I could only name two...Sigh.....
innit
@hereforever, if a Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese are all in Tokyo trying to communicate why on earth would Chinese be useful? English would be the primary lingua franca followed by Japanese.
Good news for Japan, sorry Yubaru, this news must have upset you greatly.
The Apartment
I WAS ONE OF THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CoconutE3
Good thing getting experience with large number of tourists. Helps prepare for Olympics too.
NYtoday
Airfare to Japan has slightly dropped and I hope many foreigners take this opportunity to come visit Japan. I know almost every friend of mine say, "OMG, going to Japan is my dream but it's too expensive!"
toshiko
Many people will visit Olympic year. Hotels will be busy. Olympic time, it is best you have reservation of hotels if you want to stay in Tokyo. There are travke magazines in Jaoan, People who love hot weather, Okinawa is best. Then Kyushu.
Nobusaki
I am glad to be one of the 13 000 000 people who visited Japan on 2014! It truly was an amazing cultural experience!
<3
Expensive but soooo worth it!
Steve Crichton
The scenery here is so beautiful , so lots to do if you love nature, hiking or photography for example. The food is great too, not just Japanese food but any cuisine they attempt they do very well.. The people on the surface are welcoming and superficially polite. Just dont stay too long. You will find your self mostly ignored and unappreciated which is ok if you just like doing your own thing but if you want to be part of Japanese society and assimilate and fit in and enjoy a circle of friends with a reasonable level of social interaction then this isnt the place for you. Great place to visit though.
dcog9065
Great news! East Asians (especially Chinese) are the big tourist spenders so it's good to see the numbers going up.
NYtoday
@Steve Crichton
The world doesn't care about you as much as you want them to. I have traveled solo many countries and I know. I was on vacation and had all the free time on my hands but people I met had to go to work, school, clean the house and other stuff.
And there's language wall and cultural barrier. When I went to France and stayed at my French friend's house, I was lonely, felt neglected, and always wondered what each family member of hers were thinking because none of them including my friend spoke decent English and I spoke no French.
Whether your stay is a short one or permanent, you need real friends and make a great effort to overcome both language and cultural conflict. Real life requires more than "konnichiwa" and "domo."
Chop Chop
No need Casino to boost the tourism.
Steve Crichton
@NYtoday. Thats just it. I have been to a lot of other countries too. This one though does require extra effort to assimilate and fit in however.. Funny my my wife live in France 2 years and has similar tales to tell. Funny world.
hereforever
Innit, I live near an apartment with mostly Chinese, none of them speak English.