Foreign tourists spent record ¥4.8 trillion here in 2019, tourism agency figures show
Foreign tourists in Japan spent a record ¥4.81 trillion ($43.6 billion) in 2019 in line with a continued increase in visitors, government data showed Friday. Their spending rose 6.5 percent from 2018, increasing for the seventh consecutive year, the Japan Tourism Agency said in a ...
Tourists who damaged Machu Picchu deported and barred from Peru
Five tourists accused of damaging Peru's iconic Machu Picchu site were deported to Bolivia on Thursday and barred from returning to the country for 15 years, police and immigration officials said. Peru Migration said in a statement the tourists — two Brazilians, an Argentine, a ...
Japan Tourism Agency to promote school trips abroad, with China as major destination
The Japan Tourism Agency is set to promote school trips abroad and other overseas tours for educational purposes in order to help expand interaction between young people in Japan and those outside the nation. The government agency is eyeing China as a major destination for ...
Tokyo manga hotel makes virtue of sleepless nights
Few hotels in the world actively encourage guests to have sleepless nights, but a manga-themed establishment does just that — and it is proving very popular with Japanese and non-Japanese alike. The Manga Art Hotel in central Tokyo has developed a unique offering, with capsule-like ...
Chiba residents open doors in warmup for 2020 crowds
With the 2020 Games just six months away, residents in Chiba, a city that will host several Olympic and Paralympic competitions, are preparing to open their doors to visitors under a program that encourages residents to host paying guests during popular events. Kenji Kaminaga, 82, ...
Plain Japanese, please: Amid tourism boom, easy form of language could help ease communication
With Japan targeted by an ever increasing flood of visitors, the plain form of Japanese is spreading as a more inclusive means of communication in situations ranging from disasters to tourism. "Every language must be respected, and when we communicate with people who don't speak ...
Rock singer Hyde joins other Japanese musicians in promoting their hometowns
When Wakayama's newsletter featured native rock star Hyde on its front cover, phones at the municipal office lit up, alarming officials. "The response to the newsletter was beyond our imagination," recalled a city official. The Wakayama Municipal Government received over 1,200 inquiries about the monthly newsletter ...
Japan's famed cherry blossom season to arrive earlier than usual
Hanami is going to start a week earlier than last year, with full bloom in Tokyo due on March 27, an Osaka weather-forecaster says.
Foreign visitors to Japan set record in 2019, but South Korea tensions put 40 million goal in doubt
The boycott, spawned by Japan’s decision last year to tighten curbs on strategic exports to the South, is resulting in fewer visitors.
Al-Shabab warns of more attacks against Kenya and U.S. interests
Somali Islamist group al-Shabab on Wednesday warned Kenya "will never be safe," threatening tourists and calling for more attacks on U.S. interests after they stormed an American base at the weekend. The al-Qaida-linked group said its attack on Camp Simba, in which three Americans were ...
Kyoto mayor says city will require barrier-free rooms at all new hotels and lodging facilities
In order to improve the accommodation experience for people with disabilities and elderly guests, the city of Kyoto plans to require all rooms in newly built lodging facilities to be barrier-free in principle, Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa said Monday. The city, one of the most popular ...
Of the issues non-Japanese had to deal with in the past year (and even the past decade), some were major news stories and some fell quietly into the cracks.
