Goal of attracting 20 million foreign tourists to Japan way ahead of target
The number of foreign tourists to Japan in 2015 increased by nearly 50 percent compared to the previous year, smashing the record for the third consecutive year, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) announced Jan. 19.
The Japanese government's goal of bringing in 20 million foreign tourists to Japan is expected to be reached this year, four years earlier than expected. There were a record 19.7 million visitors to Japan in 2015, a 47.1 percent increase from the previous year. China's slowing economy, however, injects an unknown factor into the prediction, as the greatest number of tourists in Japan in 2015 were from China.
Some 4.99 million Chinese people visited Japan in 2015, 2.1 times the number in 2014, when they ranked the third largest tourist population after those from Taiwan and South Korea. The reason for their first-place emergence in 2015 is attributed not only to relaxed regulations for issuing tourist visas and expanded duty-free measures, but also a weak yen against a strong yuan that continued through the summer. At the beginning of 2015, the exchange rate was 18 yen to the yuan, but by August, it was around 20 yen to the yuan. When the yen is weaker, Chinese tourists pay less for accommodation and shopping.
Akihiko Tamura, commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency, under whose jurisdiction the JNTO lies, told a press conference Jan. 19 that the reason for the increase in tourists was explained by "the sense that tourists are getting a bargain because of the weak yen, amid economic growth (across Asia) and an increase in demand for overseas trips."
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160120/p2a/00m/0na/013000c
I wanta go!!
= new reply since forum marked as read
They have a winter festival in Sapporo every year where people make snow and ice sculptures. It's an international competition so the sculptures are large and elaborate.
Hokkaido, and try their famous Hokkaido potato!
and I have friends there...
The guys from the band, M.a:ture.
Many Japanese shops, restaurants and other businesses keep a little cat doll with its paw raised near their entrances. It is a common Japanese figurine – a lucky charm – called Maneki Neko, which literally means “beckoning cat”, and is believed to bring good luck and money to the owner. Usually made of ceramic or plastic, the figurine depict a cat with an upright paw as if beckoning people towards it. It is said that the raised paw brings in customers, while the other paw brings in good luck and wealth. Some modern Maneki Neko are battery-powered and have a slow-moving beckoning paw. Today, these figurines are becoming increasingly popular among merchants in other Asian countries as well, and just like the ubiquitous “laughing buddha” statues, the Maneki Neko have transcended all boundaries, both physical and religious. But their true home will always remain in Gotokuji, a temple in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward.
Gotokuji temple is tucked away in a relatively quiet residential neighborhood in the suburbs of Tokyo, and very easily missed if one did not know where to find the gate. The temple is small compared to others around Tokyo, but is said to be a very beautiful one with plants such as Japanese maple, gingko, and weeping cherry tree, as if it were a Japanese garden. In one corner of the temple in a small area with shelves dedicated to stacking as many cats as possible. Hundreds of them.
There are several legends about the origins of this cat charm, but the most one widely known story goes back to the Edo period. The story goes that a wealthy feudal lord from Hikone (a city in present-day Shiga Prefecture) was taking shelter under a tree near Gotokuji temple during a thunderstorm. The lord saw the temple priest's cat beckoning to him and followed. Moment later the tree was struck by lightning. The lord became so thankful of the cat’s deed that he donated large funds to make the temple grand and generous. When the cat died, the first Maneki Neko was supposed to have made in his honor. As time went on, people began to offer Maneki Neko figurines to the temple as a sign of gratitude when their wishes came true.
more...http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/01/gotokuji-temple-of-beckoning-cats.html
