Now that we are in a new month, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen in Tokyo foreign exchange trading.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, here's how the currencies looked on Friday:
The U.S. dollar has seen its value sink over the last year because of many of the same risks that drove gold’s price higher. Early Friday, the dollar was trading at 153.85 Japanese yen, up from 152.97 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1921 from $1.1967.
To read more, go here.
We're now in a new month and travel to Japan is still roaring.
Who can blame foreigners? The U.S. dollar is at its highest level since the "bubble years" against the Japanese yen in Tokyo trading.
Were does the dollar stand today against the yen?
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
USD/JPY161.09
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| Above, one of the gates to Nijo Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
When I saw the following story, I had to think a bit about when we visited Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan with the first G-TOUR.
That was in 2004, 20 years ago. We toured the castle and experienced its "nightingale floors" which were designed to alert the castle's residents of possible assassins by their squeaks during Japan's feudal period.
Asahi Shimbun posted an article on the reopening of one of the palace buildings after 17 years.
They begin with:
KYOTO—One of the main buildings at Nijo-jo Castle here, a UNESCO World Heritage site, will reopen to the public on Sept. 1 after being closed for 17 years, the city government announced on June 17.
The castle’s Honmaru-goten Palace was closed to the public in 2007 due to concerns about its earthquake resilience, following damage caused by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
Since 2017, the city has invested 1.56 billion yen ($9.89 million) to reinforce the structure and to restore its paintings. The renovation work was completed in March this year.
This will be the first time that the palace has been open to the public year-round. Prior to its 2007 closure, it was open only twice a year.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Ginza's shopping district near Ginza Crossing. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Inflation is currently the norm in the U.S., but other countries are hit with it as well, including Japan.
For those who are not budget-minded, there are new hotels that are rather pricey springing up in Tokyo's Ginza district.
So, if you have tons on cash you're willing to part with, these may be for you.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
High-end hotels have been opening across Tokyo’s Ginza district since last year as tourists flock to the posh neighborhood.
The trend is likely driven by the influx of foreign visitors who are willing to pay high accommodation fees for luxury experiences in the swanky district.
The Royal Park Hotel Ginza 6-chome opened toward the end of May in a prime location in Ginza.
Featuring 15 stories above ground and one below, the massive hotel with 273 guest rooms became the third establishment in Ginza from the Royal Park Hotels brand.
The new hotel opened at a prime spot facing Showa-dori street, a three-minute walk from Higashi-Ginza Station. The famed Kabukiza theater and the Tsukiji district are nearby as well.
Room rates are relatively high, starting from 30,000 yen ($192) per room per night.
The concept of the hotel is “Ginza Pop.” The history of Ginza—a district boasting both old and modern features—inspired the hotel’s color arrangements and patterns.
Large communal baths, exclusively for guests, were incorporated to present Japanese onsen culture.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, yours truly at Godaido Temple in Matsushima in 2006. |
Millions of Japanese are hitting the airports, train and bus stations to celebrate Golden Week.
I was in Japan during Golden Week back in 2006 and I remember how crowded the train stations got. I took a bullet train (Shinkansen) trip up to Sendai and Matsushima.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Millions of Japanese started their Golden Week holidays by crowding train stations and airports as they headed to their holiday destinations and hometowns.
Overseas travel was out of the question for many people due to the weak yen.
Predictably, JR Tokyo Station was packed to the rafters as people started fleeing the capital April 27 to spend the holiday period with family members and friends.
Travel departures are expected to reach their peak on May 3, with return trips hitting their busiest on May 5 and 6, according to Japan Railway group companies. The Nozomi trains on Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines will operate with all seats reserved until May 6.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Tokyo's Hotel Fukudaya ryokan. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Being rowdy or excessively drunk at a Japanese hotel or inn (ryokan) will get one turned away.
Soon, hotels and inns will be given the right to turn away guests for bad behavior.
The Asahi Shimbun reported:
Hotels and inns will soon be able to turn away annoying and drunk guests under the health ministry’s draft guidelines that specify the conditions for refusal.
The guidelines, released on Sept. 5, allow hotels and inns to reject guests who repeatedly exhibit aggressive behavior, including demanding unreasonable discounts and excessive hospitality, and making unreasonable and persistent complaints until hotel workers kneel on the floor and apologize.
They also say hotels can decline accommodations to heavily drunk customers.
A final version of the outline will be approved by December.
The guidelines were drafted following revisions made to the Hotel Business Law in June.
The revisions allowed hotels to turn away guests who impose excessive burdens on their employees, creating an exception to the law that prohibits hotels from refusing customers.
So behave yourselves, kiddies!
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the current ¥10,000 banknote. |
Japan will be issuing three new banknote designs next year. These will be the first banknote changes to Japan's currency in 20 years.
The changed banknotes will be the ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1.000 and will be issued in July 2024.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Three new banknotes from the Bank of Japan featuring three new faces as well as unprecedented technology to prevent counterfeiting will be issued as early as July of next year, marking the first design changes in 20 years.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki announced the approximate issuance date on June 28.
The manufacturing process of the new 10,000-yen ($69.20) banknote was shown to the media at the National Printing Bureau’s Tokyo plant in the capital’s Kita Ward on the same day.
The 10,000-yen banknotes featuring the portrait of Eiichi Shibusawa (1840-1931), an entrepreneur and business leader in early modern Japan known as “the father of Japanese capitalism,” were being printed.
The machine attached a 3-D hologram to the banknote, the first technology on any currency in the world, to deter counterfeiters.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a Narita Airport terminal. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
As Japan has (more or less) returned to normal when it comes to inbound tourism, it as exposed a major problem: airport ground staff shortages.
Many airport ground staffers quit their jobs during the pandemic, but after the lifting of pandemic restrictions in the country, Japan's airports found that they have inadequate staff to handle day to day operations with the influx of international flights.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Although inbound tourism to Japan is picking with the easing of COVID-19 border controls, a dire shortage of ground staff at airports is hampering the airline industry’s post-pandemic recovery.
Alarmed at the situation, a transport ministry expert panel moved to address the crisis with a May 11 proposal to raise the salaries of ground staff to make the sector more attractive to job hunters. It also called on airport ground handling companies to adopt a unified staff evaluation system.
So many ground staff quit their jobs during the pandemic that airports are now struggling to handle the influx of international flights, which has resulted in delays in resuming inbound flights and long lines at airport security checks.
The expert panel hopes to compile formal proposals by the end of June.
The labor shortage is acute when it comes to finding staff to guide arriving aircraft to parking aprons, ensuring that passengers go to airport check-in counters and providing airport security inspectors.
According to the ministry, 61 major airport ground handling companies had around 21,600 employees as of December, or around 20 percent fewer than in March 2019, before the pandemic started.
In addition to the pandemic, salaries and working conditions are believed to account for the exodus of airport staff.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a Yakatabune pleasure boat moored on the Sumida River in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Parts of Japan are seeing crowds returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Now that the coronavirus severity level will be downgraded on May 8, many travel and pleasure businesses are breathing sighs of relief.
The Asahi Shimbun reported:
Indoors and outdoors, on land and over water, bustling crowds returned to Japan well before May 8, when the government will downgrade the severity category of COVID-19.
An estimated 168,000 people attended the two-day Spring Takayama Festival, or Sanno Matsuri, held in mid-April in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, the city said. That was more than triple the attendance of 53,000 last year.
The festival’s main event, a parade of floats, was held for the first time in four years, attracting many tourists from in and out of Japan.
The spread of the novel coronavirus hammered the tourism industry, which is now seeing a rebound toward pre-pandemic levels.
Customers are returning to Yakatabune pleasure boat businesses, which were devastated by the pandemic.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a night view of the Tokyo Skytree from Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Japan's tourist numbers are climbing during the past two months since restrictions on foreign visitors have been lifted.
The numbers for November almost doubled over the October numbers.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
With the scrapping of most COVID-19 entry restrictions in October, the number of foreign visitors to Japan jumped to nearly 1 million in November, according to government data.
The number was about 1.9 times more than the previous month.
Around 730,000 of the 934,500 people who arrived from overseas in November were tourists.
The figure was about 2.5 times higher than October, according to preliminary figures released by
the Japan National Tourism Organization on Dec. 21.Visitors from South Korea were the largest at 315,400, accounting for one-third of all foreign arrivals. The number is about 1.5 times the figure in November 2019 before the pandemic.
That was followed by Taiwan at 99,500, the United States at 84,300 and Hong Kong at 83,000, according to the tourism organization.
The overall number of foreign visitors in November, however, represents only a little less than 40 percent of the 2,441,274 arrivals in Japan in the same month in 2019.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the Asahi Beer Hall and Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Once Japan lifted its restrictions on foreign visitors, the numbers of travelers into the country soared.
The numbers are now in and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has provided them to the Japanese media.
From the Asahi Shimbun:
Around 290,000 foreign tourists entered Japan in October, 15 times the figure for September, as the government eased its COVID-related border restrictions, data showed.
Specifically, 288,909 foreigners visited Japan in October for sightseeing purposes, for a daily average of 9,320, according to statistics released by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan on Nov. 15.
In September, the daily average was 634, for a total of about 19,000 foreign tourists.
Overall in October, 498,600 travelers from abroad entered Japan, about 2.4 times more than the 206,500 who arrived in September, the Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) said on Nov. 16.
The number was 22.5 times the figure for the same month in 2021, and also the largest since February 2020, when Japan started to impose border restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Narita Airport departure counter. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
If the Japanese government thought that their latest actions on foreign tourism would be a big boost to tourism, they were sadly mistaken.
The Asahi Shimbun reported (some snippets):
Entry restrictions on foreign tourists were further relaxed on Sept. 7, but a sudden surge in such visitors is not expected because some unpopular border rules still apply.
The government now allows small groups of tourists to arrive in Japan without a guide, but individuals must arrange their visits through a travel agency.
Moreover, all tourists still must obtain visas before entering Japan.
Restrictions abroad have also reduced the number of tourists to Japan.
But a source at another travel agency said a surge in trips to Japan will come only after the visa requirement is lifted.
The limited number of direct flights to and from Japan has led to one-way tickets costing about 300,000 yen ($2,080). But Wang said many inquiries were still being made about possible trips to Japan.
The rule banning individual tourists from arranging their own trips also remains a huge barrier.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, the Godzilla slide at Kurihama Flower World. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Before the pandemic, tourism to Japan was "red-hot" in international popularity.
Now, even though foreign tourism is allowed (albeit on a very restricted basis), foreigners are shunning Japan as a vacation destination. This comes as no surprise according to an Asahi Shimbun article.
The start it with:
Japan’s eased border restrictions have resulted in a relative trickle of international tourists entering the country, a disappointing but unsurprising development in the long-struggling travel and hospitality industry.
Industry sources said travelers are put off by Japan’s remaining entry rules concerning PCR tests and chaperoned travel packages. Others noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away.
“Japan still imposes tough restrictions,” said an official of TAS Co., a Tokyo-based company that specializes in inbound trips. “It is lagging behind other countries in letting in tourists despite its claim to be a tourism powerhouse.”
Fewer than 8,000 international tourists visited Japan last month after the government lifted the ban on sightseers from abroad in June.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, the Dotonbori area of Osaka in pre-pandemic days. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
International tourist arrivals hardly "moved the needle" in Japan. This is the case despite the foreign exchange rate between the dollar (and other currencies) and the Japanese yen being the most favorable in years.
That's according to an article in the Asahi Shimbun.
Here's some snippets:
While Japan eased its travel restrictions on international arrivals in June hoping to attract more overseas visitors, new data shows the move barely even moved the needle.
Tourism officials said the number of overseas visitors has not increased significantly due in part to a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the country.
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) reported on Aug. 17 that there were only 144,500 foreign arrivals in July, including those who flew to Japan on business, to study, or through the Japanese government’s job training program for young people from developing countries.
A JNTO official said several factors contributed to the dwindling tourism figures. They include the Omicron subvariant driving up COVID-19 cases across Japan, the stringent anti-coronavirus measures put in place at airports, and the government’s decision to only allow in tourists taking part in group tours.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, Nakamise Street before the pandemic. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
One of the most enjoyable places to visit while in Tokyo is Nakamise Street (or Nakamise Dori) in Asakusa.
Tourists annually spend plenty of yen while visiting many shops.
Now that foreign tourists are about to be welcomed back (after a time for processing visas) to Japan, Nakamise Street's retailers are getting ready to welcome them.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Popular tourist destinations are gearing up for a return to pre-pandemic times in line with the June 10 resumption of procedures to finally allow inbound visitors after a two-year lull on entry.
While the initial inflow will be from a limited number of nations deemed to be at a lower risk of novel coronavirus infections and involve small tour groups, hopes are gaining traction that larger numbers will return this summer.
The Asakusa Nakamise shopping area close to spectacular Sensoji temple in Tokyo is regarded as a must-see tourist destination, and far more visitors were seen strolling through the narrow thoroughfare on June 10. Most, however, were Japanese women in kimono or students on school trips.
But the Nakamise association of retail outlets is already preparing for a full-scale return of hordes of foreign tourists. All 88 member stores boast posters in English calling on visitors to abide by infection-prevention measures, such as wearing face masks and disinfecting their hands.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, small group tours like G-TOUR will be allowed in Japan this month. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Japan is starting to allow foreign tourism this month by allowing small organized group tours from several countries, including the United States. I guess you may call this a "tippy-toe" step on Japan's part.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Japan this month will allow foreign tourists to enter the country for the first time since early 2020, when the border was closed to such travelers to prevent novel coronavirus infections.
On a trial basis, small group tours will be allowed into Japan from four countries: the United States, Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
“We will move forward with the plan while trying to achieve a balance between socio-economic activities and anti-coronavirus measures,” tourism minister Tetsuo Saito said at a news conference on May 17.
The four countries are not on the Japanese government’s list for tightened border control against novel coronavirus variants. The government also said the infection situations in those countries have stabilized.
The entering tourists must be triple vaccinated and will be accompanied by tour conductors from travel agencies.
It looks like this year's G-TOUR can proceed if all works out with this trial.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Akira Takarada as Ogata in Godzilla (1954). Source: IMDb. |
The Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, has reported the passing of actor Akira Takarada.
This, and one from Japan Today, are the first reports I've seen on his passing from Japanese news sources (I'm sure there's more).
Asahi Shimbun begins it with:
Akira Takarada, an actor who starred in the first “Godzilla” movie and later became a peace activist, died of pneumonia on March 14. He was 87.
Born on the Korean Peninsula when it was under Japan’s colonial rule, Takarada and his family eventually moved to Manchuria and returned to Japan after the end of World War II.
Takarada was chosen as one of the new actors for Toho Co. in 1953, and he played the lead role in “Godzilla” the following year.
To read more, go here.
Japan Today wrote:
TOKYO - Japanese actor Akira Takarada, who starred in the original 1954 "Godzilla" and several later films featuring the city-wrecking monster, has died in Tokyo aged 87.
Takarada, who appeared at the premiere of his latest film earlier this month, passed away in hospital having contracted pneumonia, Japanese media reported Friday.
"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Akira Takarada. May his memory continue to inspire the lives of many Godzilla fans," said a tweet posted by the official account of the Godzilla franchise.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a Japanese RV parked in the Asakusa section of Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Those who regularly follow this blog know that there is a boom in RV sales in the U.S. (at least until the current ridiculously high gasoline prices puts the brakes on it).
However, does anyone know that there is also an RV boom in Japan? It seems there is. Like in the U.S., much of the boom in Japan is also related to the coronavirus pandemic.
A few years ago, I saw a Japanese RV parked in Asakusa. Had the owner been around, I probably would have asked to see the inside.
According to an article by the Asahi Shimbun (some snippets):
Businesses have become more creative with their campers and other outdoor-leisure vehicles, which have grown in popularity during the novel coronavirus crisis.
Cheaper options have fueled sales among younger drivers, but now, some rather unconventional vehicles are attracting attention.
Seventy companies put automobiles on display at the Japan Camping Car Show 2022 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba from Feb. 10 to 13.
Preliminary data from the Japan Recreational Vehicle Association in Yokohama show that total sales of camper vans in Japan in 2021 increased 9 percent year on year to 63.54 billion yen. The figure is triple that of 10 years ago.
In 2021, 136,000 campers were owned by motorists in Japan, up 6 percent from the previous year.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Japan has been closed off to foreigners since practically the beginning of the pandemic.
It is obvious that this did not prevent the rampant infections that took place in waves in Japan. The Asahi Shimbun posted an editorial calling for the reopening of the country.
They begin it with:
Japan’s stringent COVID-19 border controls have been in place for far too long, which has had ramifications across a wide range of areas.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged over the weekend to consider easing the restrictions.
We urge the government to swiftly review the rules. It is time for Japan to reopen its border to those longing to study or work here.
Japan has maintained a closed door policy, in principle, for foreign nationals since January last year.
The government planned to ease the travel ban in November but retracted the policy after the emergence of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. Only 150,000 or so foreign nationals were permitted entry in 2021, less than 1 percent of the total for 2019.
While acknowledging the necessity of border controls, Asahi Shimbun editorials have argued that steps to block the inflow of people should not remain in place for longer than is reasonably necessary.
To read the full editorial, go here.
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| Above, the grounds of Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Since Japan has banned foreign tourists from entering the country since 2020, the only real surprise in the following is that there were any foreign visitors at all.
Foreign visitation in 2021 plunged to a record low.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have throttled Japan's tourism industry, with the estimated number of foreign visitors plummeting to an all-time low of 245,900 last year.
The figure released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on Jan. 19 broke the previous record low of 352,832 marked in 1964, when the organization began keeping records.
The latest figure plunged by 99.2 percent from the 31,882,049 recorded in 2019 before the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the country and forced officials to seal off their border to virtually all foreign visitors.
The figure for the first quarter of 2021 also plummeted by 94 percent from the 4,115,828 tallied during the same period in 2020, when foreign tourists were still allowed to enter Japan for sightseeing.
To read more, go here.
