Tag - tourism

 
 

TOURISM

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2024
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Travelers spent ¥5.86 trillion in Japan through September of this year, preliminary figures show, eclipsing the ¥5.3 trillion they spent in all of 2023.
Omar Nok arrived in Japan 250 days after leaving Egypt. He didn't use a plane for any part of his journey.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 20, 2024
Omar Nok: 'There are good people everywhere'
Omar Nok says the hospitality he has received from locals at every stop on his journey from Egypt to Japan has been nothing short of inspirational.
A view inside Beijing Daxing International Airport. Japanese nationals could soon visit China without a visa for up to 15 days, according to reports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 19, 2024
China may soon resume visa exemptions for Japanese nationals, reports say
The news comes as the two countries work toward mending fences after a period of tension and in the face of rising protectionist threats.
A rubber-tired tram system, tentatively called the “Fuji Tram,” would run along magnetic markers, reducing environmental damage, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 19, 2024
Why Yamanashi gave up building a light-rail system on Mount Fuji
As an alternative, the governor proposed a new plan to use a rubber-tired tram system.
(From left) JR East President Yoichi Kise, Kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke, and Shochiku President Toshihiro Takahashi at a joint news conference at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2024
JR East and Shochiku to collaborate on regional revitalization
Under the 10-year agreement, the two companies will bring to life programs rooted in regional traditional culture
The number of visitors to Mount Fuji has exploded in recent years and authorities have struggled to reduce the environmental impact.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2024
Yamanashi officially scraps Fuji railway plan as it looks to Chinese tram
Authorities are eyeing a transport system developed by China's state-owned railway company CRRC, as well as alternatives from Japanese firms.
Fuji Subaru Line fifth station is crowded with hikers on Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture in September 2023.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2024
Mount Fuji eyes China-made tram to transport hikers, source says
Pollution and overcrowding have become a headache for authorities seeking to clean up the site, which many Japanese people hold sacred.
A photo taken on Monday shows a torii gate at the Meiji Shrine on which carvings resembling kanji were found.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024
American tourist arrested over defacing of Meiji Shrine torii gate
Suspect Steve Lee Hayes, 65, allegedly carved letters into the wooden pillar of one of the shrine's torii gates.
Deer attacks have surged in Nara Park during the fall rutting season, with male deer being particularly aggressive as they search for mates.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 14, 2024
Authorities warn of spike in deer-related injuries at Nara Park
In September, 35 people were injured by antler attacks — a sevenfold increase from the five cases reported during the same period last year.
Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
BUSINESS / Longform
Nov 11, 2024
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
Japan’s MICE sector is expanding rapidly, adapting with tech upgrades, flexible venues and sustainable initiatives as the Osaka Expo approaches.
For some Americans, physical distance between them and their country in the immediate post-election period is the best thing they can do for their mental health.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024
Americans are traveling abroad as a post-election salve
One woman who temporarily relocated to Mexico City wishes she had traveled even further to a place like Japan for even more distance from domestic politcal news.
The body of Claudio Worm, a German university student who went missing in Wakayama Prefecture, has been found.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024
Body of missing German tourist found off Wakayama coast
The 21-year-old's body was discovered off the Takurazaki coast after an individual alerted the Wakayama Coast Guard at around 2.50 p.m. on Nov 1.
The topics nominated for this year’s buzzwords of the year ranged from new banknotes and Olympian quips to political scandals and rice shortages.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2024
From cat memes to Olympians with too much rizz, these are Japan's 2024 buzzword nominations
The buzzword of the year, along with the top 10 picks, will be decided from the 30 nominated terms on Dec. 2.
The Kurama Fire Festival is one of Japan's most visceral 'matsuri' (festivals), but growing throngs of spectators could bring changes in the future.
LIFE / Travel
Nov 2, 2024
At Japan’s hottest festival, crowds threaten to smother the flames
Despite the growing throngs of attendees, it’s the smaller details of the Kurama Fire Festival that add up to more than the sum of its parts.
Police officers control traffic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024
Fewer Halloween revelers seen in Tokyo following street drinking ban
Measures taken that include the street drinking ban to prevent problems are "beginning to produce results," Shibuya's mayor said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2024
Warm weather causes record-breaking delay for autumn foliage in Japan
In many regions, the vibrant color change has been pushed back by more than 10 days, according to a forecast released Wednesday.
A man waits for a train at Ebisu Station in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 29, 2024
Japan's rail fans disapprove of new Seishun 18 tickets
Train enthusiasts are up in arms over changes to the iconic and inexpensive all-you-can-ride pass that will limit how and when it can be used.
A digital camera found near the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula in August was identified as belonging to Yu Nudeshima, a passenger of the Kazu I tour boat that sank on April 23, 2022, with 26 people on board.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 28, 2024
Passenger's photos from Hokkaido boat accident retrieved 2½ years on
The images offer a glimpse of April 23, 2022 — the day the Kazu I tour boat sank off Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula with 26 people on board.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida accepts a gift of 'dekopon' citruses, a specialty product and symbol of Kumamoto Prefecture, from Kumamon, itself a mascot and instantly recognizeable symbol of the region.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 28, 2024
Japan’s ‘meibutsu’-industrial complex is a wonder to behold
If you name a Japanese prefecture, many locals will instantly be able to tell you something that the region is famous for or a product synonymous with that area.
A guest room decked out in Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers gear at Yuko Hattori's Ohtani-senshu Ouen Minpaku (Guesthouse for Ohtani Fans) near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 27, 2024
Los Angeles couple gives Japan guests a lodging experience fit for Ohtani superfans
A unique lodging near Dodger Stadium may be the ideal home base for anyone making the trip to Los Angeles to see the Japanese superstar.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?