FirstPoint Japan
  • What's New
  • Table of Contents
  • Overview
  • Japan Expert Insights
  • Japan Expert Interviews
    • Listen To The Experts (audio / video)
    • Are You A Japan Expert?
    • Prepare For Your Interview
  • Japan Market Entry
  • For Japan Hiring Managers
  • For Japan Training Managers
  • For Japan Recruiters
    • Introduction
    • What We Address
    • Recruiter Jobs
  • Recruiters & Executive Search
  • Training & Development
  • Coaches & Consultants
  • Human Resources Consultants
  • Japan Jobs & Careers
  • Japan Events
  • Our Sponsors
  • Advertise on FirstPointJapan
  • Newsletters & Alerts
  • The Japan Business Blog
  • Resources
    • Japan Labor Standards Office (English Helpline)
    • Tozen Union
    • Nambu Union
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Content Archives (Full)
  • About
    • Leadership & Advisory Board Members
    • Advisory Board Members Application Form
    • Content Contributors & Vendors Application Form
    • Terms Of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Policies: Challenges, Rebuttals & Retractions
    • Contact Us

South East Asia Visitors To Japan Offsets Drop In Chinese Visitors (Asahi Shimbun)

6/19/2013

0 Comments

 
The weakened yen and promotional packages fueled a surge in Southeast Asian visitors to Japan in May that offset the decline in Chinese tourists that has continued since a territorial spat erupted.

The number of visitors from Thailand soared 67.8 percent in May from the same month last year, while the increase was 39.3 percent for Indonesians and 24.5 percent for Singaporeans, according to a report released June 19 by the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Tourist numbers from Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also rose by double digits, the report showed.

Overall, 875,400 tourists visited Japan in May, up 31.2 percent from the previous year. The number is a record for May and the third largest monthly total.

Tourists from South Korea and Taiwan--the largest and the second largest groups--were also higher than last year. Visitors from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong still account for 65 percent of all foreign travelers to Japan.

However, the number of tourists from China has drastically fallen since the Japanese government bought three of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea from private ownership in September 2012. The acquisition triggered anti-Japan protests across China, which also claims sovereignty over the uninhabited isles.

With no end in sight to the dispute, the Japanese government plans to raise visitor numbers from Southeast Asia and lower its dependence on tourists from East Asian countries.

Specifically, it wants to attract 1 million Southeast Asian tourists this year, and 2 million in 2016. The number was 780,000 last year.

To achieve these goals, the Japan Tourism Agency plans to lower conditions for Southeast Asians to obtain tourist visas to the same level as those for South Koreans. The eased requirements will allow Thai and Malaysian tourists to enter Japan without visas by this summer.

Another thing working in the favor of Japanese tourism officials is the weakened yen.

Nazerah Mohamed, 44, a Singaporean elementary school teacher, and her husband joined a six-day, five-night tour to Hokkaido and Tokyo. They ended up at the Takeya discount store in Tokyo’s Taito Ward on June 19 to buy chocolates and other souvenirs.

“The mesh-grilled scallops we had near Lake Toyako were delicious,” Nazerah said.

An official of a Tokyo-based company involved in arrangements for the tour said, “Buoyed by the weakening yen, the demand for tours that cater to Southeast Asians has been rising since the end of last year.”

The influx of Southeast Asian tourists is also evident at department stores.

The increase in Thai shoppers in May was largely behind the highest monthly duty-free goods sales at the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward since 2008, store officials said.

Thippawan Yongsiriwit, 56, a Thai civil-service worker, bought three Issey Miyake brand bags at the store.

“Due to the weakening yen, they are about 30 percent less expensive in Japan,” said Thippawan, who added that Issei Miyake brand goods have gained in popularity in Thailand because they are the favorites of the Thai queen.

Japan’s tourism companies have also taken measures to increase visitor numbers from Southeast Asia.

In April, a record 12,500 foreign group tourists visited the Shinyokohama Raumen Museum in Yokohama, a facility featuring ramen noodle specialties from across Japan. Thai tourists accounted for 60 percent of the total.
more: SE ASIA Visitors OFFSET CHINESE VISITOR DROP
0 Comments

Top 20 Places to Catch a Great View in Japan (RocketNews24)

4/15/2013

0 Comments

 
Going on vacation can be stressful. Wandering through an unfamiliar land, deciphering a strange language, and deciding on which places to visit can all lead to a massive headache. Instead of frantically navigating the streets trying to squeeze in a stop at every popular tourist attraction, why not view the entire city all at once at one of the top twenty lookout points in Japan.

#1 – Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto)
#2 – Tokyo Sky Tree  (Tokyo)
#3 – Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium (Sapporo, Hokkaido)
#4 – Sapporo JR Tower (Sapporo, Hokkaido)
#5 – Roppongi Hills Mori Tower (Roppongi, Tokyo)
#6 – Tokyo Tower (Minato, Tokyo)
#7 – Haneda Airport Terminal 2 Viewing Deck (Tokyo)
#8 – Umeda Sky Building (Osaka)
#9 – Goryokaku Tower (Hakodate, Hokkaido)
#10 – Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Shinjuku, Tokyo)
#11 – World Trade Center (Hamamatsucho, Tokyo)
#12 – Tempozan Ferris Wheel (Osaka)
#13 – Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium (Hakuba, Nagano)
#14 – Yokohama Landmark Tower (Yokohama)
#15 – HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel (Osaka)
#16 – Sapporo TV Tower (Sapporo, Hokkaido)
#17 – Kansai Airport Sky View Observation Hall (Osaka)
#18 – Fukuoka Tower (Fukuoka)
#19 – Kobe City Hall Observation Lobby (Kobe, Hyogo)
#20 – Palette Town Ferris Wheel (Odaiba, Tokyo)
VIEW ALL: JAPAN'S TOP 20 GREAT VIEWS
0 Comments

    About FirstPoint Japan

    "Where Japanese Business Begins™"
     
    FirstPoint Japan™  is the first and only English-language portal that helps you accelerate your Japanese Business with expert advice. 

    We advise and guide Japan-based, Japan-facing or Japan-related companies, subsidiaries, senior executives, hiring managers, HR professionals, executive search consultants and others seeking to enter the Japan market, build-out existing operations or accelerate business growth or that are looking to acquire, retain, train or outplace bilingual talent in Japan.

    Archives

    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Advisory Board
    Asia
    Business Japanese
    Business Mixer
    Business Networking
    Ethical Recruiting
    Ethical Recruiting Alliance
    Event
    Expert Interviews
    Firstpoint Japan
    Firstpoint Japan Advertising
    Firstpoint Japan Announcements
    Firstpoint Japan Website
    Hr
    Hr Events
    Human Resources
    I18n / L10N
    Internationalization
    Interviews
    James Santagata
    Japan Advertising
    Japan Auto Industry
    Japan Auto Industry
    Japan Banking
    Japan Buildings
    Japan Business
    Japan Business
    Japan Careers
    Japan China Relations
    Japan-china Relations
    Japan Culture
    Japan Depositions
    Japan Earthquake
    Japan Ecommerce
    Japan Economy
    Japan Economy
    Japan Education
    Japan Entrepreneurs
    Japan Entrepreneurs
    Japanese Agriculture
    Japanese Careers
    Japanese Consumers
    Japanese Creativity
    Japanese Creativity
    Japanese Culture
    Japanese Culture
    Japanese Diversity
    Japanese Diversity
    Japanese Education
    Japanese Food
    Japanese Food Products
    Japanese Gaming
    Japanese Innovation
    Japanese Innovation
    Japanese Investments
    Japanese Language
    Japanese Leadership
    Japanese Leadership
    Japanese Life Science
    Japanese Military
    Japanese Mobile Gaming
    Japanese Navy
    Japanese Pharma
    Japanese Politics
    Japanese Politics
    Japanese Population
    Japanese Population
    Japanese Security
    Japanese Trends
    Japanese Trends
    Japanese Universities
    Japanese Venture Capital
    Japanese Venture Capital
    Japan Exchange Rates
    Japan Executive Search Firms
    Japan Expert Insights
    Japan Expert Insights
    Japan Fashion
    Japan Finance
    Japan Foreign Law Firms
    Japan Hr
    Japan India Relations
    Japan Infrastructure
    Japan Internet
    Japan Interpretation
    Japan Israel
    Japan Legal
    Japan Litigation
    Japan Luxury Goods
    Japan Manufacturing
    Japan Market Entry
    Japan Marketing
    Japan Monetary Policy
    Japan Patent Litigation
    Japan Recruiters
    Japan Rental Space
    Japan Retail
    Japan Sightseeing
    Japan Startups
    Japan Startups
    Japan Taxes
    Japan Tech News
    Japan Tours
    Japan Translation
    Japan Venture Capital
    Japan Venture Capital
    Jet Programme
    Kim Pedersen
    Korean Business
    Korean Population
    Korean Startups
    Language Acquisition
    Languages
    Localization
    Myths And Memes
    Myths And Memes
    Office Relocation
    Office Space
    Rakuten
    Real Estate
    Recruiting
    Recruiting Events
    Recruiting Japan
    Rumors
    Singapore
    Social Networking
    Softbank
    Sponsors
    Startup Nation
    Succeeding In Japan
    Toefl
    Toeic
    Tokyo American Club
    Toyota
    Videos
    Work Culture
    Work Environments
    Yahoo Japan

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture

© Copyright 2007-2025 SiliconEdge™ Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.