Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

The defunct Ichiyotei Hotel (background), which is undergoing renovation work, and a model of the proposal for the building in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2023
Residents use big-city thinking to bring onsen town back from brink
It is hoped that Minakami Onsen can be returned to its past glory as a tourism hot spot in collaboration with local authorities and private companies.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) and tourism minister Tetsuo Saito sign a memorandum of cooperation on tourism promotion on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2023
Japan and U.S. designate 2024 as tourism promotion year
Under the initiative, the two countries will hold travel campaigns for the general public and host events for travel agencies.
Cormorant fishing master Youichiro Adachi (left) holds the leashes tied to the necks and bodies of cormorants on the Nagara River in Oze, Gifu Prefecture, on Sept. 8.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 30, 2023
Environmental change threatens Japan's cormorant fishing legacy
The method of fishing was once common in Japan, and a version of it has also been practiced in China
A rendering of the new Junglia theme park scheduled to open in Okinawa in 2025
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2023
Nature-focused theme park to open in Okinawa in 2025
The park aims to take advantage of the outstanding forests of northern Okinawa Prefecture, which have been designated a World Heritage site.
A bed bug in Paris in September
JAPAN / Society
Nov 27, 2023
Bedbugs are spreading in South Korea and China. Is Japan next?
Experts caution that it may only be a matter of time, given the number of travelers now arriving in the country.
Pedestrians walk past stores in the Koenji district in Tokyo on Oct. 29.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2023
Personal shopping services in Japan buoyed by weak yen
Shoppers who cannot physically be in Japan are outsourcing their hunt for bargains to remote shopping services.
Honolulu's Waikiki Beach last week
JAPAN / Society
Nov 21, 2023
Hawaii may let Japanese tourists pass border checks from Japan
The state is looking to create a system that allows Japanese tourists to complete immigration and customs procedures before departing Japan.
Overflowing trash next to a vending machine in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, which is popular with tourists, in March
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 18, 2023
Trash cans make techie comeback in Japan as tourists flood cities
This week, the tourist-heavy Dotonbori district in Osaka installed around 20 new technologically enabled garbage cans called SmaGO.
Transport ministry officials hand out fliers to arriving international visitors warning against using unlicensed taxis at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture in early November.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 18, 2023
Japan cracks down on illegal taxis as tourism boom drives demand
Japanese authorities are stepping up surveillance of unlicensed taxis at Narita Airport near Tokyo, as more tourists seek transport to the capital.
Tourists in Tokyo's Asakusa district earlier this month
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2023
Visitors to Japan in October exceed pre-COVID level for first time
Visitor numbers improved to 100.8% of levels seen in 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19 led to travel curbs around the world.
By the finale, I had completely bought into Samurai Restaurant Time's spectacle — a neon-lit festival with chants and cheers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023
Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho
To replace the defunct Robot Restaurant, the neon-soaked streets of Kabukicho are serving up a kitschy second course.
Falling energy import costs trimmed Japan's trade deficit in the April-September period, resulting in a record current account surplus.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 9, 2023
Japan's current account surplus triples to record ¥12.7 trillion
Primary income stood at ¥18.38 trillion, up 3.9% from a year earlier, as higher overseas yields and a weaker yen boosted the total.
Blair Masters and Talisker Scott Hunter pose for a photo with their kei truck, nicknamed “KT,” outside Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Nov 6, 2023
The little truck that could: A fresh way to tour Japan's north
Travelers have documented almost every corner of Japan. Perhaps a new kind of adventure would be doing those same journeys by different means.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023
Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year
From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.
A Japan Airlines aircraft approaches Haneda Airport in Tokyo in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023
Airlines JAL and ANA post significant recovery in profits
Japan's two biggest airlines posted a significant recovery in profits in the April-September period, as travel demand continued to pick up.
In September, the Sapporo Convention Center played host to the first Adventure Travel World Summit ever to take place in Asia.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 28, 2023
Travel pros warn against diluting ‘Japaneseness’
“Don’t dilute the Japaneseness, because that’s what makes it special,” said one travel expert. “We want to come to Japan.”
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023
The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked
One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
A poster for Uber displayed at a Tokyo subway station reads: "Meeting inbound demand together with Japan's taxis." It also notes that its service is used in 71 countries.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023
Japan weighs allowing ride-hailing amid taxi industry opposition
The taxi industry is opposed to any change, arguing that allowing ride-hailing is just a temporary fix that will take jobs from taxi drivers.
JR Kyushu is investigating four foreign YouTubers who seemingly took free rides on trains around the country.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2023
Railway operator investigates free-riding foreign YouTubers
A YouTuber known as Fidias posted a video of the four riding trains around Japan, apparently without paying for tickets.
A bear waits for passing cars that might provide food, on a road in Covasna, Romania.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 23, 2023
Keep or cull? Romania divided over its bear population
In Romania, bear attacks are on the rise as the creatures venture out looking for food, often brought by tourists or left in unsecured garbage cans.

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