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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Japan's new imports: Asian tourists
The trend is a sign of larger changes in one of the world's most dynamic regions.
By Martin Fackler
26 July 2008
International Herald Tribune
TOKYO -- In the elegant shops of the Ginza district of Tokyo, managers are hiring Chinese-speaking sales clerks and keeping stacks of Chinese bills by cash registers.
The paths of Shiretoko National Park, a woodland preserve on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are lined with tour groups from Taiwan, for whom Japan has become the second most popular foreign destination, after Hong Kong.
Remote hot springs inns are filling with visitors from South Korea, a country that sent more than two million travelers to Japan last year alone.
Once prohibitively expensive, Japan is now drawing soaring numbers of visitors from across the Asia-Pacific region who come to splurge at its posh department stores, lounge in its resorts or explore the pristine mountains and forests in remote corners of the country.
While a boon to Japan's faltering tourism industry, the new tourists are also a sign of larger economic changes in one of the world's most dynamic regions.
Japan itself was once known for its high-flying tourists, who flocked to boutiques from Hong Kong to Fifth Avenue to the Champs Élysées. But as Japan's economy stalled for the past dozen or so years, rapid development in countries like China and South Korea raised living standards there. Those countries are now catching up with slow-growing Japan, long the region's dominant economic power. In fact, Japan's dwindling, but still potent, lead in technology is a major draw for Asian tourists, who are as likely to visit a Toyota car factory as a Zen temple.
At the same time, there has been a decline in the number of people going abroad from Japan. The number of Japanese traveling abroad has fallen 3 percent from the 2000 peak of 17.8 million, according to the government-run Japan National Tourist Organization. The decline was particularly pronounced among Japanese in their 20s, whose trips abroad fell 40 percent from a decade ago to 2.8 million last year. Officials from the tourist group attributed the drop in tourism among the young Japanese to falling wages and more modest lifestyles.
By contrast, the number of visitors from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong almost doubled last year from five years earlier, to 5.36 million, according to the Japanese tourist organization. Those four regions alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of all foreign visitors to Japan last year, the organization said.
But far from being concerned about yet another sign of their country's declining status, many Japanese seem to embrace this change. In fact, the government helped open the gates five years ago by waiving visa requirements for tourists from Taiwan and South Korea. Asian visitors are now regarded by a growing number of Japanese as a much-needed economic shot in the arm for Japan, whose vitality has been sapped by economic maturity and an aging population.
''Asia has closed the gap in economic power,'' said Yukiko Fukagawa, an economics and politics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. ''And Japan is slowly realizing that maybe this is not such a bad thing.''
The growth in Asian visitors to Japan is due to more than retail tourism. Many visitors also say they are drawn by a deep fascination for Japan. Now that they can afford to come, they say, they want to see the country that has long been the region's front runner, not just in high technology and fashion but also in popular culture, an area where Japan enjoys a broad following across Asia.
Visitors say they feel envy and respect for Japan as the region's only fully developed nation, even if - more than half a century after the end of World War II - they still do not always see eye to eye.
''We feel very close to the Japanese culturally, but they are also still ahead,'' said Kao Yu-jeng, a 50-year-old school teacher who was part of a tour group from Taiwan on a recent visit to the Shiretoko park. ''We want to know more about what makes them tick.''
According to the Taiwanese government's Tourism Bureau, Japan passed Macao last year to become the second most popular overseas destination for Taiwanese going abroad, after Hong Kong.
''Japan used to be a very distant presence,'' said Hsu Ya-shan, assistant director in the Tokyo office of the Taiwan Visitors Association, a government-run tourism promotion agency. ''Now, it feels a lot closer.''
Officials at the Japan National Tourist Organization called the surge in Asian visitors an unexpected result of their Visit Japan program, a 2003 advertising campaign whose goal was to double foreign visitors to 10 million by 2010. While they initially envisioned planeloads of arriving Westerners, it was Asians who actually showed up, officials said. Americans were the largest group of overseas visitors to Japan during the 1980s, but have now fallen to fourth behind South Korea, Taiwan and China.
''Japan always had this huge, unnatural imbalance of sending out far more tourists than it took in,'' said Daisuke Tonai, a senior assistant manager at the tourist organization. ''The situation is finally becoming more normal.''
Surveys by the national tourist organization show that Asian tourists come to Japan for very different reasons then Westerners, Tonai said. While Americans said they came to see cultural attractions like temples, Asians cited shopping, followed by hot springs and nature. Visits to factories are also popular, he said.
In the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo, the excitement these days is all about the appearance of large numbers of rich Asian tourists, mostly from China, who have become particularly noticeable in the past year.
Shoji Saito, manager for overseas-related business at the marble-columned Mitsukoshi department store, said wealthy Chinese were buying trendy Japanese and European-branded clothes and handbags by the dozen and think nothing of plunking down hundreds of thousands of dollars on a whim for a watch or painting.
Saito said the store had not seen big-spending tourists like these since Japan's own go-go era in the 1980s.
''Asian tourists are our new growth market,'' Saito said.
Many Asian tourists interviewed said they liked to shop here because Japan has the latest fashions first and at prices way below many other Asian countries, where import tariffs are steep. This has made Japan a less costly place to shop for European fashions than Taiwan or South Korea, though Japanese prices in general remain sky-high. They also said they liked visiting Japan because it is safer and cleaner than much of the rest of Asia.
Recently a top draw for Asian tourists has been Hokkaido, Japan's least-developed major island, with open spaces and picturesque farms.
Kao, the teacher from Taiwan, called Hokkaido's natural beauty a welcome break from pollution-choked cities back home and in China, where he has visited.
Many members of the Taiwan group said Japan's preservation of natural areas like Shiretoko, a Unesco World Heritage site, was a sign that it was more advanced than developing Asian countries, which they said lagged in protecting the environment.
As the group's bus wound along Shiretoko's rugged coastline, the tour guide, Yu Li-fang, warned her wards of the dangers of entering a true wilderness area.
''What do you do if you see a bear?'' she asked.
''Run,'' said one voice.
''Kill it,'' said another.
''Do you know how to kill a bear?'' Yu asked, only half jokingly.
While the group did not encounter a bear as it visited the park's lakes and a waterfall, many members did experience a different kind of shock at a gift store, where the prices were far higher than in Taiwan, they said.
''Taiwan is getting closer, but Japan is still ahead when it comes to prices,'' Lin Hsiao-ching, a 44-year-old homemaker, said with a laugh. ''We still have to keep an eye on every bill we spend.''
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1832712,00.html
By Martin Fackler
26 July 2008
International Herald Tribune
TOKYO -- In the elegant shops of the Ginza district of Tokyo, managers are hiring Chinese-speaking sales clerks and keeping stacks of Chinese bills by cash registers.
The paths of Shiretoko National Park, a woodland preserve on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, are lined with tour groups from Taiwan, for whom Japan has become the second most popular foreign destination, after Hong Kong.
Remote hot springs inns are filling with visitors from South Korea, a country that sent more than two million travelers to Japan last year alone.
Once prohibitively expensive, Japan is now drawing soaring numbers of visitors from across the Asia-Pacific region who come to splurge at its posh department stores, lounge in its resorts or explore the pristine mountains and forests in remote corners of the country.
While a boon to Japan's faltering tourism industry, the new tourists are also a sign of larger economic changes in one of the world's most dynamic regions.
Japan itself was once known for its high-flying tourists, who flocked to boutiques from Hong Kong to Fifth Avenue to the Champs Élysées. But as Japan's economy stalled for the past dozen or so years, rapid development in countries like China and South Korea raised living standards there. Those countries are now catching up with slow-growing Japan, long the region's dominant economic power. In fact, Japan's dwindling, but still potent, lead in technology is a major draw for Asian tourists, who are as likely to visit a Toyota car factory as a Zen temple.
At the same time, there has been a decline in the number of people going abroad from Japan. The number of Japanese traveling abroad has fallen 3 percent from the 2000 peak of 17.8 million, according to the government-run Japan National Tourist Organization. The decline was particularly pronounced among Japanese in their 20s, whose trips abroad fell 40 percent from a decade ago to 2.8 million last year. Officials from the tourist group attributed the drop in tourism among the young Japanese to falling wages and more modest lifestyles.
By contrast, the number of visitors from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong almost doubled last year from five years earlier, to 5.36 million, according to the Japanese tourist organization. Those four regions alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of all foreign visitors to Japan last year, the organization said.
But far from being concerned about yet another sign of their country's declining status, many Japanese seem to embrace this change. In fact, the government helped open the gates five years ago by waiving visa requirements for tourists from Taiwan and South Korea. Asian visitors are now regarded by a growing number of Japanese as a much-needed economic shot in the arm for Japan, whose vitality has been sapped by economic maturity and an aging population.
''Asia has closed the gap in economic power,'' said Yukiko Fukagawa, an economics and politics professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. ''And Japan is slowly realizing that maybe this is not such a bad thing.''
The growth in Asian visitors to Japan is due to more than retail tourism. Many visitors also say they are drawn by a deep fascination for Japan. Now that they can afford to come, they say, they want to see the country that has long been the region's front runner, not just in high technology and fashion but also in popular culture, an area where Japan enjoys a broad following across Asia.
Visitors say they feel envy and respect for Japan as the region's only fully developed nation, even if - more than half a century after the end of World War II - they still do not always see eye to eye.
''We feel very close to the Japanese culturally, but they are also still ahead,'' said Kao Yu-jeng, a 50-year-old school teacher who was part of a tour group from Taiwan on a recent visit to the Shiretoko park. ''We want to know more about what makes them tick.''
According to the Taiwanese government's Tourism Bureau, Japan passed Macao last year to become the second most popular overseas destination for Taiwanese going abroad, after Hong Kong.
''Japan used to be a very distant presence,'' said Hsu Ya-shan, assistant director in the Tokyo office of the Taiwan Visitors Association, a government-run tourism promotion agency. ''Now, it feels a lot closer.''
Officials at the Japan National Tourist Organization called the surge in Asian visitors an unexpected result of their Visit Japan program, a 2003 advertising campaign whose goal was to double foreign visitors to 10 million by 2010. While they initially envisioned planeloads of arriving Westerners, it was Asians who actually showed up, officials said. Americans were the largest group of overseas visitors to Japan during the 1980s, but have now fallen to fourth behind South Korea, Taiwan and China.
''Japan always had this huge, unnatural imbalance of sending out far more tourists than it took in,'' said Daisuke Tonai, a senior assistant manager at the tourist organization. ''The situation is finally becoming more normal.''
Surveys by the national tourist organization show that Asian tourists come to Japan for very different reasons then Westerners, Tonai said. While Americans said they came to see cultural attractions like temples, Asians cited shopping, followed by hot springs and nature. Visits to factories are also popular, he said.
In the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo, the excitement these days is all about the appearance of large numbers of rich Asian tourists, mostly from China, who have become particularly noticeable in the past year.
Shoji Saito, manager for overseas-related business at the marble-columned Mitsukoshi department store, said wealthy Chinese were buying trendy Japanese and European-branded clothes and handbags by the dozen and think nothing of plunking down hundreds of thousands of dollars on a whim for a watch or painting.
Saito said the store had not seen big-spending tourists like these since Japan's own go-go era in the 1980s.
''Asian tourists are our new growth market,'' Saito said.
Many Asian tourists interviewed said they liked to shop here because Japan has the latest fashions first and at prices way below many other Asian countries, where import tariffs are steep. This has made Japan a less costly place to shop for European fashions than Taiwan or South Korea, though Japanese prices in general remain sky-high. They also said they liked visiting Japan because it is safer and cleaner than much of the rest of Asia.
Recently a top draw for Asian tourists has been Hokkaido, Japan's least-developed major island, with open spaces and picturesque farms.
Kao, the teacher from Taiwan, called Hokkaido's natural beauty a welcome break from pollution-choked cities back home and in China, where he has visited.
Many members of the Taiwan group said Japan's preservation of natural areas like Shiretoko, a Unesco World Heritage site, was a sign that it was more advanced than developing Asian countries, which they said lagged in protecting the environment.
As the group's bus wound along Shiretoko's rugged coastline, the tour guide, Yu Li-fang, warned her wards of the dangers of entering a true wilderness area.
''What do you do if you see a bear?'' she asked.
''Run,'' said one voice.
''Kill it,'' said another.
''Do you know how to kill a bear?'' Yu asked, only half jokingly.
While the group did not encounter a bear as it visited the park's lakes and a waterfall, many members did experience a different kind of shock at a gift store, where the prices were far higher than in Taiwan, they said.
''Taiwan is getting closer, but Japan is still ahead when it comes to prices,'' Lin Hsiao-ching, a 44-year-old homemaker, said with a laugh. ''We still have to keep an eye on every bill we spend.''
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1832712,00.html
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Lunch at Picante
Sapporo is famous for soup-curry and Picante is Yurika-san's favourite restaurant!
Natalie shared with Yurika-san how she became a Christian over lunch today and encouraged Yurika-san to find out more about Jesus.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Final Wednesday Night English for the term
Tonight was also the last Wednesday Night English Class for the Durham team. Afterwards, people went to chill out at Sapporo Station Mister Donut.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Annie's takoyaki adventures - part 2
ESS member Junko-san invited several of her friends, Annie and myself to her house for a takoyaki party.
Making takoyaki was a lot of fun and we had some good conversations through the course of the evening.
Making takoyaki was a lot of fun and we had some good conversations through the course of the evening.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sapporo Art Park
For my day off today, my friend Mayuko-san invited me to see an exhibition with her family. The exhibition was held at the Museum of Contempary Art Sapporo, located at the Sapporo Artpark.
Sapporo Art Park:
http://www.artpark.or.jp/english/index.html
Kazuo Oga Exhibition
http://www.ntv.co.jp/oga/
Sapporo Art Park:
http://www.artpark.or.jp/english/index.html
Kazuo Oga Exhibition
http://www.ntv.co.jp/oga/
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Annie's takoyaki adventures
When Mio-san heard that Annie had never tried takoyaki, she insisted on taking her to a takoyaki restaurant near Sapporo Station.
We had an interesting discussion about the what we say or do before a meal. By saying "itadakemasu", Japanese people are thanking everyone involved in preparing the meal. Christians say grace, thereby thanking God for His gracious provision.
We had an interesting discussion about the what we say or do before a meal. By saying "itadakemasu", Japanese people are thanking everyone involved in preparing the meal. Christians say grace, thereby thanking God for His gracious provision.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
It just isn't the same...
...eating at a Chinese restaurant in Japan.
a. You must sit on the ground. Guys sit cross-legged and girls sit half-lying down.
b. There is little or no MSG in the food.
c. The toilets are actually clean.
a. You must sit on the ground. Guys sit cross-legged and girls sit half-lying down.
b. There is little or no MSG in the food.
c. The toilets are actually clean.
Monday, July 14, 2008
English Meal
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fmzero/sets/72157606472844782/
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Hokudai Orchestra Recital
From a young age, it is quite normal for Japanese students pour countless hours into club activities.
Toshiki-san lives two blocks away from me. He attends Wednesday Night English Class regularly and I attend recitals and concerts performed by the Hokudai Orchestra, of which he is a part of.
Today, the Hokudai Orchestra members got together to rehearse during the day and gave a free performance in the evening. Really enjoyed the music and thankful for the opportunity to meet lots of new people.
Toshiki-san lives two blocks away from me. He attends Wednesday Night English Class regularly and I attend recitals and concerts performed by the Hokudai Orchestra, of which he is a part of.
Today, the Hokudai Orchestra members got together to rehearse during the day and gave a free performance in the evening. Really enjoyed the music and thankful for the opportunity to meet lots of new people.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Visiting SIC
The Durham team decided to make a huge pot of hot chocolate and serve it after Wednesday Night English Class.
I usually attend the ESS circle activity at Hokudai and head out for a meal with students afterwards. This evening though, I invited my friends to meet the Durham team and drink hot chocolate at Sapporo International Church.
Praise God for an encouraging evening! Some of my ESS friends have expressed interest in visiting Wednesday Night English when ESS takes a break.
I usually attend the ESS circle activity at Hokudai and head out for a meal with students afterwards. This evening though, I invited my friends to meet the Durham team and drink hot chocolate at Sapporo International Church.
Praise God for an encouraging evening! Some of my ESS friends have expressed interest in visiting Wednesday Night English when ESS takes a break.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Language Exchange
One of the most effective and natural ways to make friends with Japanese students has been through language exchange.
This morning, my housemate Jun-san joined me to meet with Ryo-san, Mio-san and Annie for language over some tasty beverages at Starbucks.
This morning, my housemate Jun-san joined me to meet with Ryo-san, Mio-san and Annie for language over some tasty beverages at Starbucks.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
BBQ at the Ishidas'
Yet another barbecue!
Akira-san invited Mark, Naomi (Nishi church member) and I around to his place for lunch today.
It's impossible to outdo the Japanese when it comes to hospitality.
Akira-san and his wife Yuko-san recently accepted an invitation to attend Nishi church with me. Please pray that there will be more opportunities for Nishi church members to get to know the Ishidas.
Akira-san invited Mark, Naomi (Nishi church member) and I around to his place for lunch today.
It's impossible to outdo the Japanese when it comes to hospitality.
Akira-san and his wife Yuko-san recently accepted an invitation to attend Nishi church with me. Please pray that there will be more opportunities for Nishi church members to get to know the Ishidas.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Tanabata Party
Several students who attended Friday's lunch were going to a tanabata party, so they invited the Durham team along!
Upon hearing that people often wear traditional Japanese summer dress (yukata for girls, jinbei for guys) to a tanabata party, the girls enlisted the help of Yurika to go shopping and to find something for the party! Here's what they were able to procure:
The guys were able to borrow their clothes from Richard. Tom looked like he was in his pyjamas.
Each of the Durham team were encouraged that they were able to make lots of new friends through the evening.
Upon hearing that people often wear traditional Japanese summer dress (yukata for girls, jinbei for guys) to a tanabata party, the girls enlisted the help of Yurika to go shopping and to find something for the party! Here's what they were able to procure:
The guys were able to borrow their clothes from Richard. Tom looked like he was in his pyjamas.
Each of the Durham team were encouraged that they were able to make lots of new friends through the evening.
Tanabata - Japanese Star Festival
July 7th is called tanabata in Japan. It's a Japanese tradition wherein people write wishes on tanzaku paper (small colourful strips of paper) and hang them on bamboo branches.
Tanabata story
Once there was a weaver princess named Orihime and a cow her prince named Hikoboshi living in space. After they got together, they were playing all the time and forgot their jobs. The king was angry at them and seperated them on opposite sides of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). The king allowed them to meet only once a year on July 7th. This is why tanabata is called the Star Festival.
Tanabata story
Once there was a weaver princess named Orihime and a cow her prince named Hikoboshi living in space. After they got together, they were playing all the time and forgot their jobs. The king was angry at them and seperated them on opposite sides of the Amanogawa River (Milky Way). The king allowed them to meet only once a year on July 7th. This is why tanabata is called the Star Festival.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Another Jinpa
A huge answer to prayer today.
Admin certainly isn't my forte. The task of organizing a lunch between the team and Hokudai students really tested my patience and perseverance. After several days of emails, calls, messages on social network mixi, and face-to-face invites, I still wasn't certain who would be coming!
But it's a great comfort to know that everything lies in God's capable hands. In his goodness, fifteen students came along for a simple BYO lunch at the Clark Memorial Student Centre.
The team were also invited to a party tomorrow evening!
To cap off a good start to making friends at Hokudai, the team were invited to a barbecue with students from Alaric's friday English class.
Admin certainly isn't my forte. The task of organizing a lunch between the team and Hokudai students really tested my patience and perseverance. After several days of emails, calls, messages on social network mixi, and face-to-face invites, I still wasn't certain who would be coming!
But it's a great comfort to know that everything lies in God's capable hands. In his goodness, fifteen students came along for a simple BYO lunch at the Clark Memorial Student Centre.
The team were also invited to a party tomorrow evening!
To cap off a good start to making friends at Hokudai, the team were invited to a barbecue with students from Alaric's friday English class.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Donuts and Coffee
After Wednesday night's English class and bible study, we went out for coffee and donuts at Mister Donuts.
The donuts chain is a favourite hang-out for university students working on their group assignment or cramming for their next exam. The big drawcard besides donuts?
Unlimited tea and coffee refills.
How does Mister Donuts ever make any money??
The donuts chain is a favourite hang-out for university students working on their group assignment or cramming for their next exam. The big drawcard besides donuts?
Unlimited tea and coffee refills.
How does Mister Donuts ever make any money??
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