The Japanese government has recently announced an action plan with the objective of increasing consumption by foreign visitors to Japan. This plan, which was approved at a ministerial meeting on Tuesday, focuses on attracting visitors for business, research, and other non-sightseeing purposes. The goal is to enhance their spending to ¥860 billion by 2025, representing a 20% increase compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019. Rather than solely prioritizing the number of visitors, the action plan was developed to introduce a series of measures that encourage higher consumption by foreign visitors. In total, 78 measures will be implemented in three key areas: business, education and research, and culture, arts, sports, and nature.   One of the key objectives of the plan is to increase the number of international conferences hosted in Japan, aiming to reach the top five in the world rankings by 2030. Additionally, the plan seeks to raise the number of foreign visitors who visit...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world, bringing many aspects of daily life to a halt. However, as the world slowly recovers, we are starting to see signs of life returning to normal. Japan, for instance, is experiencing a rebound towards pre-pandemic levels in various sectors, including tourism and entertainment. In mid-April, the two-day Spring Takayama Festival, also known as Sanno Matsuri, was held in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, with an estimated 168,000 people in attendance. This number was more than triple the attendance of the previous year, which saw 53,000 people attending the festival. The festival's main event, a parade of floats, was held for the first time in four years, attracting many tourists from Japan and beyond. This surge in tourism is a welcome relief for the industry that was severely hit by the pandemic.   The tourism industry's impact was felt by businesses such as the Yakatabune pleasure boat, which saw a significant decline i...

The Japan Tourism Agency has announced that it will be subsidizing 139 travel packages for foreign tourists, providing unique and exclusive experiences such as participating in Kyoto's Gion Festival or being the lord of an entire castle. The JTA hopes to attract affluent overseas travelers through these programs. Over 1,000 proposals were submitted by private businesses, local governments, and other parties to the JTA, who called for tours and events that draw on natural features, cultural properties, traditional performance arts, and other resources unique to Japan. The 139 proposals were selected based on their novelty and will receive subsidies ranging from 11 million yen to 27.5 million yen ($83,000 to $207,000). These programs will be available to tourists from next February at the latest.   Many of the programs will include festivals, such as the opportunity to join a procession of "yamahoko" floats during the Gion Festival in Kyoto. The Sapporo Tourist Associ...

On its 40th anniversary, Tokyo Disneyland celebrated its milestone by welcoming visitors with colorful celebrations featuring Mickey Mouse and other iconic characters. The theme park, located just east of Tokyo, opened its doors in 1983, welcoming 20,000 people on its first day, according to Oriental Land Co., the operator of Disneyland. Since then, the theme park has expanded continuously, adding popular attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. The construction of nearby JR Maihama Station and several hotels in the area also encouraged steady growth before the opening of neighboring theme park Tokyo DisneySea in 2001.   As of March last year, the total number of visitors to the two parks had surpassed 800 million, according to the company. Over time, the theme parks have produced die-hard fans who make several trips a year to enjoy seasonal parades and purchase limited-edition goods for big events, such as Halloween and Christmas. The parks have also come ...