Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

A venue for the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024
Ride-hailing restrictions to be eased during 2025 Osaka Expo
To meet visitors' demand for transport between April and October, 24-hour operations are to be allowed throughout Osaka Prefecture.
Foreign tourists visit Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo in June.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2024
Japan breaks annual visitor record with 33.4 million in just 11 months
November saw 3.19 million foreign visitors for business and leisure, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
People walk toward a beach in Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2024
Blackstone buys Ritz-Carlton Okinawa as Japan tourism booms
The transaction will include the Kanehide Kise Beach Palace and money to be spent on renovations, sources say.
New fencing was installed along the sidewalk near a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Monday to prevent tourists from jaywalking and to improve safety.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2024
New fencing installed to help manage tourists at Mount Fuji photo spot
The area in Fujikawaguchiko, a popular photography spot because of how Mount Fuji rises behind the convenience store, has gained traction on social media.
A worker walks along the partially snowless slope at the William F. Rogers Ski Area at Massachusetts' Blue Hills in January.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 17, 2024
Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter
Warmer winters also impact everything from sports to drinking water and even seasonal allergies.
Disney and Oriental Land executives pose with Disney characters at the unveiling of an expanded cruise line, in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 16, 2024
Tokyo Disney Resort operator eyes cruises for new growth
The company plans to invest approximately ¥330 billion in the project, hoping to launch services in fiscal 2028.
Tour guides wait to collect tour groups from Hong Kong outside the Shenzhen Bay border crossing in Shenzhen, China
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2024
Educated young Chinese turn to tour guiding as job market wavers
Tour guiding is becoming an increasingly popular fallback option in a China rife with employment instability as the economy slows.
Climbers on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, in July. The prefecture implemented a ¥2,000 fee per climber starting last year, while neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture is planning to collect ¥4,000 per climber starting in 2025.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024
Shizuoka Prefecture aims to collect ¥4,000 from all Mount Fuji climbers
The proposal for an entry fee for Japan's highest mountain is designed to ease congestion at the site and prevent dangerous attempts to scale the peak.
The JR Kyushu group has been working on raising safety awareness among employees, repairing the ship and enhancing governance, with the aim of resuming the Queen Beetle high-speed passenger ship operations.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024
JR Kyushu may end South Korea ship route over water leak scandal
JR Kyushu Jet Ferry covered up water ingress on the Queen Beetle high-speed passenger ship for more than three months.
A protester wears a mask depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally calling for his impeachment, in Seoul, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2024
South Korea's soft power gains at risk from extended political crisis
How the country — a top global destination for medical and plastic surgery tourism — gets through the period of uncertainty will impact foreign visitor numbers.
The town of Futaba is still dealing with the effects of 3/11, but that isn't stopping some residents from looking forward.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 7, 2024
Futaba pivots to 'hope tourism' to revive its fortunes
Whether you’re a long-term resident of Japan or flying in for a holiday, the message is clear: Futaba welcomes you.
Passengers at the check-in counters of Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 3. The average budget for domestic trips during the upcoming year-end and New Year holiday period is estimated to hit a record high for the second straight year.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2024
Domestic travel budget for holiday period projected to hit record
The increase reflects soaring accommodation costs and growing demand for travel to distant destinations, JTB said.
Passengers line up at Narita Airport to board a flight to Seoul on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2024
Japanese companies weigh impact of South Korea's martial law chaos
The Foreign Ministry estimates that over 40,000 Japanese nationals reside in South Korea, with around 3,000 Japanese companies maintaining local offices.
The Japanese government is considering several proposals regarding visas for Chinese visitors, including simplifying document procedures and expanding the scope of those eligible for multiple short-term visas.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2024
Japan to ease visa requirements for Chinese visitors
The move comes after China reinstated its short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors at the end of last month.
War Tours co-founder Dmytro Nykyforov stands next to a destroyed Russian tank at a tank graveyard during a tour near Dmytrivka village, outside Kyiv, on Nov. 7.
WORLD
Dec 3, 2024
Ukraine sees influx of Western war tourists
Ukraine's destroyed Irpin brige, blown up to stop Russian troops in 2022, is now one of many hotspots for thrill-seeking tourists visiting the country.
Hibiya Park in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday. Warm weather has delayed the country's autumn foliage season — when tourists flock to see leaves turn vibrant reds and yellows.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2024
Japan witnesses warmest fall on record
Between September and November, the temperature was 1.97 degrees Celsius higher than usual, delaying the country's popular displays of seasonal foliage.
Students give a presentation at a competition in London on Friday for revitalization strategies in the Hokuriku region
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024
London students compete on ideas to promote Hokuriku region
The presentations set out unique tourism strategies, such as "sake passports" to encourage tourists to visit local breweries, and "health tourism" to promote local foods.
In the absence of a long-term revitalization strategy, the historic city of Venice will remain on the path to becoming a cultural mausoleum.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2024
Venice’s beauty curse
UNESCO’s World Heritage designation for Venice comprises the city in its entirety, rather than select buildings or neighborhoods.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport during the Lunar New Year travel rush in February 2024
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2024
China resumes short-term visa waiver for Japanese visitors
The maximum period of visa-free stays was also extended to 30 days from the previous 15 days.
The Ginza shopping district in Tokyo in August
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024
Japan to overhaul tax exemption system for foreign visitors
The new system is expected to allow foreign visitors to receive tax refunds for products purchased at prices with the tax included when they leave the country.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition