Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

People visit to view cherry blossoms in full bloom at Chidorigafuchi, one of the moats around the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2024
Tokyo crowds revel as cherry blossoms reach full bloom
The Meteorological Agency declared that Japan's most common and popular Somei Yoshino variety of cherry tree was in full bloom.
The 2024 grand prix winner was Zerogravity, a marine activity provider with a focus on accessible tours and accommodation.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 29, 2024
Japan Travel Awards promote inclusive tourism
While currently far from a global player, the Japan Travel Awards is filling a void for recommendations on forward-looking travel-centric organizations.
Tourists crowd Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district in February.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2024
Japan tourism agency picks model areas aiming to address overtourism
The agency has selected 20 areas to implement model projects aimed at addressing challenges related to the negative impacts of a surge in tourists.
Beijing-based Chinese influencer Chang Feifei has taken on many jobs to promote travel destinations in Japan, including from Universal Studios Japan and the Hankyu and Hanshin department stores.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2024
Influencers — Japan’s secret weapon to promote niche tourism spots
Followers' trust in — and reliance on — social media for travel info, even when the content is sponsored, is a key factor.
Festivalgoers sit at dining tables next to food stalls at the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium, last year. The event is set to take place in Thailand in 2026.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 26, 2024
Thailand to host two major music events after Taylor Swift miss
The Southeast Asian country plans to welcome two foreign music festivals, one of them Japanese, to help boost tourism.
High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Mar 25, 2024
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?
High-end travelers are looking for sustainability, wellness and adventure when they head abroad. Japan hopes to deliver in places other than Tokyo.
Public restrooms designed by Shigeru Ban
JAPAN / Society
Mar 24, 2024
Revamped public toilets tours give visitors unique view of Tokyo
Participants involved in the project include some of Japan's most well-known architects, including Kengo Kuma, Shigeru Ban and Toyo Ito.
Tourists wearing rented 'maiko' costumes stroll down a street in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024
Kyoto and the hard part of soft power
Kyoto has the kind of soft power few cities — and countries — possess.
While policies differ from country to country, a common goal is to clean up an aviation industry that for a century has relied on fossil fuels to function.
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2024
Expensive flights become new normal on $5 trillion green transition
Sustainable aviation fuel is the industry’s primary means of reaching a 2050 net zero target.
Travel agents from Thailand make matcha tea in the town of Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, on Feb. 27, during a tourism promotion program organized by the Kansai Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2024
Japan hoping wealthy Asians will visit rural areas near 2025 expo
While Japan sees the expo as a chance to attract foreign tourists, the event has yet to gain recognition.
Japan welcomed 2.79 million visitors in February, a record for the month and the most for any month since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2024
Japan sees record 2.79 million visitors in February due to Lunar New Year boost
The travel industry is getting a major boost from a weak yen that has made Japan a bargain destination for foreign travelers.
Tourists ride go-karts on a street in Tokyo's Asakusa area in October.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 19, 2024
Tokyo go-karts draw over 100 complaints in 2023
Common grievances include riders exiting karts at traffic lights for photos and disregarding red lights, according to the police.
The 125-kilometer section from Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture to Tsuruga in Fukui, which opened Saturday, adds six new stations to the Hokuriku Shinkansen line.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2024
Hokuriku Shinkansen extension opens, buoying tourism hopes for Fukui
The extension brings shinkansen services to Fukui Prefecture for the first time.
A woman takes pictures with Kawazu cherry blossom trees, one of the earliest to bloom in Japan, in Tokyo's Sumida district on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 15, 2024
Economic impact of hanami expected to double this year
Higher tourist numbers and prices, along with a depreciation of the Japanese currency, are among factors contributing to the larger economic impact.
An extended section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line will open on Saturday to connect the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and the city of Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2024
Hokuriku Shinkansen's Kanazawa-Tsuruga extension set to open Saturday
The opening of the new section is expected to contribute to reconstruction efforts in the Hokuriku region in central Japan.
Children play around the giant Squid King statue in the town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Feb. 27.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 13, 2024
Noto symbol 'Squid King' stands resolute amid quake devastation
Once criticized as "wasteful," the statue's steadfast presence has become a source of solace for local residents as they strive toward recovery.
Internal affairs minister Takeaki Matsumoto
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2024
Hokkaido's Niseko to introduce lodging tax of up to ¥2,000 a night
The nonstatutory tax approved is set to be introduced in the popular ski spot from November.
Travel agency workers in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, take calls Tuesday for reservations for a government-subsidized tourism discount campaign.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 12, 2024
How to get discount reservations for Hokuriku trips
The campaign is aimed at revitalizing the tourism industry in the region amid cancellations and a decrease in tourists following the Noto earthquake.
People line up to board a city bus outside JR Kyoto Station in Kyoto on Feb. 29.
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2024
Kyoto may launch tourist express bus service to beat overcrowding
The city government said it is looking to introduce in June "a sightseeing express bus" that can travel to major tourism sites.
Homes destroyed in the New Year's Day earthquake line a road in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on March 3.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2024
Reservations open for subsidized trips to areas hit by Noto quake
Tours to Niigata, Toyama and Fukui prefectures sold out on a host of websites soon after the start Friday, displaying robust demand for the campaign.

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