27,400 foreign travelers visited Japan in October: JNTO

13th straight month of declines due to the global coronavirus pandemic,

except the global coronavirus pandemic hasn't been around for 13 months; just nine. Four months must be for another reason. The start of schools? American football season?

The number of visitor arrivals includes expatriates and their families entering or re-entering Japan

When did "expats" suddenly become "foreigners?

Aircrew and permanent residents were excluded.

So expats get counted as foreigners and people with PR dont?

The start of schools? American football season?

Lol! Schools start here in April so no, and there aren't THAT many American tourists here in Japan either!

Not to mention that while the decline may be "national" it does not take in to account the huge rise in tourists in some locations in Japan, prior to corona!

27,400 foreign travelers visited Japan in October: JNTO

Great news! Kyoto is great again.

except the global coronavirus pandemic hasn't been around for 13 months; just nine. Four months must be for another reason. The start of schools? American football season?

the extra four months coincide exactly with Abe’s tax sales tax increase, which sent the economy into recession before the pandemic.

thats alot of people from china...

I work in Harajuku. In the first several months the area was dead and businesses on Takeshita St went down. It was a true ghost town. These days foreigners (from the Asian countries that the J-gov wants to do business with) are visibly increasing.

The other day I saw four White guys walking the streets. Sure enough, they were sporting Australian accents; another country that has been “eased”.

How many are tourists ? Zero ?

Figures do include expats, international students and a few business man. Again, a strange way to do statistics,

Foreign residents and their families being classed as visitors again. What a country.

Once again, stats changed to make things look rosy and attractive in Japan. I would NOT regard students or re-entering expatriates as visitors. The only visitors are the occasional businessmen who won't stay long.

erik:

thats alot of people from china...

You call 4,500 a lot???!!! That's a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of Chinese who either study here or are long-term or permanent residents. Plus, there were more Vietnamese coming here. Eyes rolling.

Went to Kyoto last week, it was mercifully free of Chinese tourists and reminded me of how Kyoto was in the Showa era. Long may it continue!

Out and about and whilst being precautionary with the old masks, hand sanitizers and whatnot, it's pleasing to see less of the loudmouth variety of tourists and reminds me how much nicer it was before Matthew Perry. Every cloud, silver lining etc.

didou

that's Japan...statistic is obviously base on: Japanese and non-Japanese regardless their status in Japan. It's shinu made gaijin here even with japanese nationality obtained.

YubaruToday  07:45 am JST

The number of visitor arrivals includes expatriates and their families entering or re-entering Japan

When did "expats" suddenly become "foreigners?

They didn't. They were always foreigners. The definition of Expatriate is a person who lives outside his own country. They will no longer be foreigners if they choose to obtain J-citizenship.

@OssanAmerica

An expatriate is a migrant worker who is a professional or skilled worker in his or her profession. The worker takes a position outside his/her home country, either independently or as a work assignment scheduled by the employer, which can be a company, university, government, or non-governmental organization

@LudditeToday 09:44 am JST

Foreign residents and their families being classed as visitors again. What a country.

It is only for expatriates (and international students). PR, the one with a working visa, etc are excluded

Other posters are making the same point, but the specific problem with this report is the use of the expression "foreign travelers". Perhaps its a direct translation of some Japanese word, but the net result is that it encourages the reader to confuse people here for work or study with tourists.

In the meantime, the number of Japanese nationals departing the country in October also plunged 98.1 percent from a year earlier to 31,000.

It doesn't seem very difficult for Japanese to get back into country, so it is good to know that most of them are still giving foreign holidays a miss.

Yubaru,

Lol! Schools start here in April so no, and there aren't THAT many American tourists here in Japan either!

Actually, school starts in September in many parts of the world, not just the US.

Zichi,

I don't understand why people stay when they don't enjoy it.

Because it's easy and people (including me) tend to fall into a routine/comfortable life they enjoy while still pointing out what they don't like about it.