Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2019
Coming events give Japan chance to shine as travel destination — if it can rise to the occasion, says tourism chief
Once a tourism underachiever, Japan is riding high like never before. Last year, the nation attracted a record 31 million foreign tourists, topping 30 million for the first time and pulling off nearly a fourfold jump from 2012.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2019
China defers key New Zealand tourism event amid concerns of growing diplomatic rift
China has postponed a major tourism campaign in New Zealand days before its launch and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's visit to Beijing has been further delayed as concerns mount of strained ties over China's growing influence in the Pacific.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 8, 2019
Startup's 'water from air' project aims to turn back Thailand's tide of plastic
Staying at a hotel on the Thai island of Koh Samui in 2015, Meghan Kerrigan noticed the four bottles of water she was given every day were clogging her trash can with plastic. Outside her door, Chaweng Beach was smothered in rubbish.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 7, 2019
University in Osaka aims to hone hotel staff with omotenashi to serve Japan's foreign guests
One of the key factors driving Japan's unprecedented tourism boom is its culture of hospitality — epitomized by the concept of omotenashi, which can be roughly translated as "wholeheartedly looking after guests."
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2019
Aeon rolls out real-time video interpreting service for non-Japanese customers in 10 languages
In light of an increasing number of foreign customers, supermarket giant Aeon Co. on Friday launched a real-time video interpreting service.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 27, 2019
From new visas to a tourism backlash, the Top 10 issues that affected us in 2018 may forecast our future treatment
Every January, Just Be Cause takes a look at how things went for the non-Japanese residents of Japan (NJ) in the previous year.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2019
First-time, short-term visitors to Japan hit record 27 million in 2018, making up 98% of arrivals
The number of new, short-term visitors to Japan hit a record high of 27.05 million last year, according to data showing arrivals from overseas by their visa status released by the Justice Ministry for the first time.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 21, 2019
Factory night views of Yokkaichi a tourist draw and a bitter legacy of pollution
Factory night view cruises in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are recently attracting visitors from across the nation. While the city's tourism association hopes the tour will help make the city become a major tourist destination, people who suffered from industrial pollution in the 1960s say they don't want...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2019
Cruise ship passengers dip for first time since '13
The number of visitors to Japan by cruise ships in 2018 dropped 3.3 percent from the previous year to 2,446,000, the first fall since statistics began in 2013, the transport ministry said Friday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2019
Keep close eye on departure tax
The government must make sure the money from the new tax is going toward serving the needs of inbound tourists.
EDITORIALS
Jan 6, 2019
Keep growing inbound tourism
Sustained efforts must be made to beef up tourism as a key future industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2018
Japan's tourism industry looks to LGBT market
Japan's tourism industry is looking for ways to attract LGBT visitors from overseas and take advantage of their tendency to spend more than average tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2018
Amid an influx of tourists, Japan grapples with how to accommodate foreign visitors with food allergies
Two of the first kanji Conner Lowe learned were the ones that make up the word daizu, meaning soybeans.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2018
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike working to make capital more accessible for foreign and disabled visitors ready for 2020 Games
With 575 days until the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, and a law passed earlier this month that opens the door for 340,000 foreign workers to enter the country over the next five years, Tokyo is about to see a lot of new faces.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 24, 2018
Moroccan suspects in slaying of Nordic trekkers acted alone despite Islamic State vows: official
Moroccan authorities believe four suspects in the killing of two Scandinavian women in the Atlas Mountains were acting on their own initiative, even though they had just pledged allegiance to Islamic State, an official said on Sunday.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Dec 23, 2018
Most Kyoto firms have no plans to add foreign workers, survey finds
The government may be planning to bring in nearly 345,000 foreign workers by 2023, but in Kyoto, a recent survey shows most firms outside the hospitality sector have no plans to discuss adding overseas laborers to their workforce.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 16, 2018
Fukushima launches multilingual emergency call service as number of foreign residents rebounds
The prefectural police and fire departments in Fukushima have started multilingual services aimed at non-Japanese speakers making emergency calls amid a rising number of foreign visitors in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2018
After quake, Hokkaido tourist sites promote safety of winter events
Tourist sites in Hokkaido are coming up with creative solutions to bring foreign visitors back to their events this winter — the busiest season of the year — while also promoting safety.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 10, 2018
Japan sees rise in use of riverside areas to attract tourists following deregulation
The use of riverside areas to attract tourists is on the rise nationwide, following deregulation in recent years allowing the private sector to use the public land to open restaurants or hold events.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Dec 7, 2018
Visitors wowed as Okinawa aquarium becomes world's first to exhibit giant oceanic manta ray
At the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, a giant oceanic manta ray can be seen gliding effortlessly through the Kuroshio Sea attraction's large ocean aquarium, drawing exclamations of delight from onlookers.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes