Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

Flames and smoke rise from a burning wildfire, as seen from a highway in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 26, 2024
Wildfire roars through a Canadian town popular with tourists
The town is in the heart of Jasper National Park, which is one of Canada’s premier tourist destinations, receiving about 2.5 million visitors each year.
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2024
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018.
One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2024
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’
Homeless influencers, fantasy boyfriends and bubble-era bars — Kabukicho seems to have it all.
Fireworks during Irumagawa Tanabata Festival in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture in July 2023
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024
Many summer fireworks festivals in Japan canceled due to complaints
Property damage caused by debris, and littering and trespassing by those looking for a better view are among the reasons for the cancellations.
The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 20, 2024
Land of punishment, land of gold
The Sado Gold Mine may soon become Japan’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, but the island’s history is much more complicated than a single tourist destination.
A group of Chinese tourists walks through the Ginza district of Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 19, 2024
Japan sees more tourists than before pandemic, breaking half-year record
The weak yen is attracting large crowds to Japan, with many tourists splashing out.
The government is considering introducing a new preclearance system for foreign visitors, starting with tourists from Taiwan, to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024
Japan to speed up entry process as tourist wave hits new record
The government will introduce a new preclearance system from January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK has reported.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals