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| Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
A recent survey found that Japan is a popular tourist destination for people of other Asian nations, but as far as Westerners are concerned, not so popular.
According to Japan Today:
TOKYO - Japan’s alluring contrast of tradition and contemporary has made it a fantastic getaway destination for travelers looking to immerse themselves in country known worldwide for anime, video games and cuisine.
And thanks to the 2020 Olympic Games looming on the horizon, the country attracted a record number of tourists in 2017, totaling a whopping 28.69 million people. Chinese (7.35 million) and South Korean (7.14 million) travelers claimed the top spots, but according to the survey, only a paltry 3 million tourists hailed from Western countries.
There are reasons, more like misperceptions, for this:
They’ve found that several factors could have contributed to the apparent lack of visitors from Western countries, including long travel distances and the general perception that Japan is an expensive country to visit.
Nevertheless, those reasons pale in comparison to what is probably the biggest obstacle preventing Westerners from enjoying Japan to its fullest: the language.
To read more (the article has a nighttime photo of the Godzilla head in Shinjuku), go here.
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