Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

Visitors take photos of a tunnel of roses at Yokohama English Garden on Wednesday in Yokohama.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 18, 2024
Japan’s summer travel spending soars despite economic pressures
Households plan to spend the most in six years this summer as more people aim to travel despite rising inflation and a weakening yen.
China's 15-day visa-free policy is giving tourism a huge boost, with bookings from eligible countries surging 150% and attracting millions of visitors post-pandemic.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2024
China strives to lure foreign tourists, but it's a hard sell for some
The recent surge in tourism comes after China closed its borders in early 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and kept them shut until the start of 2023.
Narita International Airport will accept imported jet fuel to deal with a fuel shortage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 14, 2024
Narita Airport to accept imported jet fuel amid Japan shortage
The move comes as Japan witnesses a sharp rise in the number of foreign travelers, partly attracted by the yen trading at a 38-year low.
NewJeans members (from left) Hanni, Haerin, Danielle and Minji attend an event at which they were named tourism ambassadors to South Korea.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 13, 2024
South Korea names K-pop group NewJeans tourism ambassadors
The quartet take on the role previously held by "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae and K-pop megastars BTS.
Marketing and PR Director at MSC Cruises Japan Kathy Knowles believes inbound tourism in Japan is likely to increase, and hopes more people will want to explore the country by sea.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 13, 2024
Kathy Knowles: ‘I would never have been able to see so much if it weren't for this job’
Going on a cruise can be a fun summer travel option, so much so that this industry executive has made a career out of it.
Located in Yokohama's chic Minato Mirai neighborhood, the Kahala Hotel & Resort opened in 2020 but still has the feeling of a newly launched accommodation.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 13, 2024
The paradox of a five-star Hawaiian-themed hotel in Yokohama
What manner of overseas tourist would come all the way to Japan just to stay at a Hawaiian-themed hotel?
An empty street in Fukiya, Okayama Prefecture. Japan may be both experiencing overtourism in some places and witnessing the opposite in others.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2024
Japan doesn't have too many tourists, statistics suggest. It just feels that way.
The country received 0.2 tourists per capita in 2023, compared with France's 1.5, Greece's 3.4, Portugal's 2.5 and Spain's 1.8.
A woman is rescued by a helicopter on Wednesday off the coast of Chiba Prefecture after drifting at sea for 36 hours.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2024
Woman rescued off Chiba 36 hours after going missing in Shizuoka
The woman, who is a Chinese national in her 20s, was dehydrated but conscious and did not require hospitalization.
Shoppers pass food stalls at a night market in Taipei.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 11, 2024
Taiwan turns to Southeast Asian tourists as Chinese stay away
The trend, if it continues, could reshape a tourism sector long reliant on arrivals from China.
In order to emphasize its grandeur, architect Gonkuro Kume designed the entrance hall of Nikko Kanaya Hotel's Annex Building with "karahafu" curved gables.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 10, 2024
Nikko Kanaya Hotel: A gateway to the art of Meiji Japan in the hills of Tochigi
Over 150 years on, the structure stands as a remarkable example of Japanese art and architecture in an era known for rapid modernization.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games' opening ceremony, which will be held outside of a stadium for the first time in history, has attracted a lot of interest from Japanese fans.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024
Japan fans shun pricey Olympics tickets even as top-tier packages sell out
Travel agencies report a noticeable drop in demand for Paris Olympics tours amid a weakening of the yen and the introduction of a new booking system.
Yumiko Takano, chief executive officer of Oriental Land, speaks during a news conference in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday. Oriental Land has secured a deal with Disney Enterprises to launch Disney Cruises in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2024
Disney to add new ship in Tokyo to expanding cruise business
The new ship will be modeled after the Wish, the largest vessel in Disney's fleet.
A mystery-solving event with clues embedded in constellations projected on a dome is held at a planetarium in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on June 7.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024
Japan's planetarium operators shoot for the stars with new events
The number of planetarium visitors in fiscal 2022 totaled 7.9 million, recovering to about 90% of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. The mayor of Himeji has suggested that foreign tourists pay four times more to enter the castle than the current ¥1,000 entrance fee.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024
Japan really should charge tourists four times more
The suggestion by a Kansai mayor that foreign visitors pay more for tourist attractions doesn't go far enough. The government should establish a nationwide policy.
Asuka was one of Japan's earliest imperial capitals before the court eventually decamped for other locales.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 6, 2024
Cycling through Asuka, the forgotten capital of ancient Japan
During the Yamato Period (300-710), this village was one of the earliest capitals of the nascent Yamato state, even meriting its own aptly named Asuka Period (552-645).
Although air travel in Asia has picked up since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still below 2019 levels, with many passengers preferring to travel shorter distances.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024
Asian airlines face a cold summer
Despite seemingly positive results, air travel in Asia hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, with many of the continent's travelers preferring to stay closer to home.
The weak yen continues to attract visitors from abroad, while travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024
Weak yen slows overseas summer travel recovery
While the currency's weakness continues to attract visitors from abroad, travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
Sanuki Kagari Temari sold at a store in Haneda Airport
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024
Traditional Japanese crafts catching on among tourists at Haneda Airport
Their delicate craftsmanship and colors are attracting many foreign visitors to a specialty store at an airport in Tokyo.
A city street in Kyoto crowded with tourists in April. American tourists headed for Japan have surged this year, according to data from the International Trade Administration.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2024
More American tourists head to Japan as battered yen beckons
Airlines are also moving in tandem with this trend, adding 9% more seats between the United States and Japan in the three months through August.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is briefed by local officials during his visit to the Wakura hot spring area in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024
Kishida visits Noto for launch of 'creative' reconstruction team
Japan will introduce a 70% discount tourism campaign covered by the government to support sightseeing in the area.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.