Japan's Hotspots Found Through Travel Cards

Above, Osaka's Dotonbori restaurant district. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Travel patterns of foreign visitors to Japan has always been a great source of information for tourism bureaus so they can tailor tours to meet their desires.

Now travel cards are furnishing data.

The Asahi Shimbun reported:

OSAKA--Most foreign tourists to the Kansai region stay overnight in Osaka Prefecture even after visiting other cities and areas in western Japan, analysis of IC rail and bus pass data has shown. 

The survey revealed that sightseers from overseas’ major destinations are Osaka’s Minami district and Kyoto. 

According to the findings, 70 percent of visitors from outside Japan stay overnight in Osaka Prefecture after touring Kobe or Nara. 

The Kansai Economic Federation and the transport ministry's Kinki District Transport Bureau, which conducted the analysis, said they will develop measures to urge more tourists to travel to areas other than Osaka and Kyoto.

According to Japan-Guide:

Located around Namba Station, Minami (南, "South") is one of Osaka's two major city centers. It is the city's most famous entertainment district and offers abundant dining and shopping choices. The district is easily accessible as it is served by three train companies as well as three subway lines and a highway bus terminal. The other major city center is Kita (北, "North") which is located around Osaka and Umeda Stations.

The Dotonbori restaurant district is very popular to foreign visitors. We visited Dotonbori in 2015.

To read more, go here.