Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

Tourists walk through a traditional alleyway near Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in August.
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2025
Foreign visitors to Japan hit record 3.42 million in August
The tally was pushed higher by visitors from mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States.
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2025
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
Along with a nickname referencing its financial woes, Choshi Electric Railway is selling "Mazui-bo," a snack named after the company's mazui, or "bad" fiscal situation.
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2025
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
At its current pace, the Expo will top 22 million visitors — which is the target to break even on operating costs — and is expected to turn a profit.
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2025
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Well known for its views of Mount Fuji, the mountainous community also holds a growing collection of world-class art.
A stay at Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is one of Bali's priciest choices — but also one of its most uncompromisingly luxurious.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 13, 2025
In Bali, the Ritz-Carlton’s ultraluxury Mandapa hotel marks 10 years
One of just nine “Reserve” properties around the world, Mandapa offers a delightfully unsanitized take on a rainforest retreat.
Juan Ansotegui walks on his property in Villalibado, a hamlet in the Odra-Pisuerga comarca of Burgos, Castile, Spain.
WORLD / Society
Sep 12, 2025
Spain wants to save rural areas — and it's finding creative ways to do it
Public and private actors are experimenting with ways to reverse demographic decline and save the centuries-old histories, traditions and cultures of Spain's rural communities.
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2025
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Shirakawago is famed for its verdant landscape and gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, which are hundreds of years old.
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 8, 2025
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Hotels hit by labor shortage hope to reduce their burden, while restaurants and the local community aim to attract more visitors.
Haruto Kotani (second from right), the 20.25 millionth visitor to the Osaka Expo, and others during a ceremony in Osaka on Saturday
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2025
Osaka Expo hits record 200,000 daily visitors
The cumulative number of visitors, including those related to the Expo project, has reached 20.25 million.
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 6, 2025
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
A new luxury resort might halt the decline of Kawayu, but only if locals and businesses can agree on how to move forward.
Lotte Holdings President Genichi Tamatsuka (left), Lotte hotels Japan head Tomoya Fukui (center) and Hotel Lotte CEO Jung Ho-suck (right) at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The companies unveiled plans to open 20 hotels in Japan by 2034.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2025
Lotte’s sweet deal aims to capitalize on Japan’s tourism boom
Confectionery giants Lotte Holdings and Lotte Corporation plan to draw on South Korea expertise and in-house products to create more hotels in Japan.
Foreign tourists visit a park near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2025
Anger in Japan after Instagrammer drinks burial site offering
On Tuesday, the Australian Embassy warned on Facebook that travelers must ensure "appropriate behavior" while visiting Japan, without explicitly referring to the incident.
Osaka stayed in first place thanks to high scores in the economy and for tourist attractions.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2025
Osaka rated most powerful Japanese city outside Tokyo for fifth year
Osaka stayed in first thanks to high scores in the economy and for tourist attractions, with the city hosting the World Expo.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center) speaks at a meeting of the government's Headquarters for Creating New Regional Economies and Living Environments on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 2, 2025
System launched to support regional cooperation across prefectures
The central government plans to provide grants and subsidies to help local governments and businesses with regional development initiatives, and will relax regulations on request.
A street vendor walks along a railway track between cafe terraces in central Hanoi on Aug. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 1, 2025
Tourists dodge danger on Hanoi's train street
Tourism to railside cafes in the Vietnamese capital have brought lucrative business to a former slum disdained by the government.
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 31, 2025
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
Officials in a Yamanashi town have been struggling to balance welcoming visitors and preserving the quality of life for locals. A new mesh barrier is an attempt at compromise.
The former main building of the Justice Ministry. The ministry is requesting ¥877.5 billion in overall funding, of which ¥22.9 billion would be used for measures linked to foreign workers.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2025
Budget requests from Justice Ministry focus on foreign nationals
Of the ¥877.5 billion requested, ¥22.9 billion would be set aside for measures linked to foreign workers and ¥18.3 billion for measures that respond to a rise in foreign tourists.
Keihan Holdings President Yoshihiro Hirakawa speaks during an interview on Aug. 19 in the city of Osaka.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2025
Keihan to gain connection to Yumeshima in Osaka after casino resort opening
The Keihan Holdings president also revealed a plan to partially automate train operations to cope with a labor shortage at the railroad unit.
An employee works at a bar in the City of Dreams, an integrated resort that includes Sri Lanka's first high end casino, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 26, 2025
Sri Lanka rolls the dice on casinos to power post-crisis tourism boom
The success of the casino strategy is crucial for President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who completes one year in office next month.
The Metropolitan Police Department has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of two Japanese tourists in Manila this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 26, 2025
Tokyo police launch probe into murder of two Japanese tourists in Manila
Hideaki Satori and Akinobu Nakayama were shot shortly after getting out of a taxi near their hotel on Aug. 15.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’