In the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year period, which begins Sunday, there had been some hope that waves of Chinese tourists — known for going on "explosive" shopping sprees prior to the pandemic — will return to Japan given Beijing's eased border restrictions.
However, a number of factors may stand in the way of what would be a timely boost to the hospitality industry — including expensive flight tickets, a high number of infections still discouraging people to travel overseas and Japan’s tightened border restrictions for travelers from China.
“It now costs around ¥100,000 ($780) to fly one way from China to Japan, so it’s unlikely anyone other than the very wealthy, or those who have saved considerably, will be looking to come here for now,” said aviation and travel expert Kotaro Toriumi. Outbound flights are also running at just 10% of their pre-pandemic levels, he added.