Japan Looks Into Evacuating If Mount Fuji Erupts

Above, a Shinkansen view of Mount Fuji. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Mount Fuji has been a major symbol of Japan. 

It has been a mecca for mountain climbing, tourism, photography and art. I have been to one of the Fifth Stations on the mountain (with G-Tour in 2004) and have photographed it from a Shinkansen. 

With all that being said, it is easy to forget that Mount Fuji is still an active volcano. Local municipalities are weighing on how to evacuate the areas surrounding it should it erupt.

The Japan Times reported:

Mount Fuji attracts thousands of foreign tourists each year, but many forget that Japan’s highest peak is an active volcano. With the risk of an eruption ever-present, a critical question looms: how could such visitors be evacuated safely in the event of a disaster?

On Thursday, around 150 participants from local governments, national ministries, transportation companies, airlines and foreign embassies convened in the gateway town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, to examine this very question.

To read more, go here. 

Streetcar A-Bomb Damaged Now Used For Tours In Hiroshima

Above, a Nagasaki streetcar in 2007. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I visited Hiroshima in 2004 with G-TOUR, we mainly confined our visit to the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Atomic Bomb Dome. 

At the time, I did not see any streetcars there. A few years later, I did see streetcars in Nakasaki when I visited it. They reminded me of old Los Angeles when streetcars were operating. They were removed in 1963 in favor of buses.

There is one streetcar in Hiroshima that did survive, although damaged, the atomic bomb. It is now being used for tours.

According to The Japan Times:

HIROSHIMA – A tour offering views of Hiroshima’s reconstruction following the U.S. atomic bombing 81 years ago aboard a streetcar that survived the blast started Sunday.

The tour uses Hiroshima Electric Railway’s streetcar No. 653, which was damaged in the blast on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II.

The streetcar resumed operations four months later after undergoing emergency repairs, and became a symbol of the city’s reconstruction. It is still operated for special events, with its livery restored to that at the time of the bombing.

The latest tour will run a total of 19 times on weekends and holidays through Oct. 31, on a loop line that opened in March.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Sees 2% Drop In Foreign Visitors

Above, Godzilla peers over buildings in Shinjuku. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Foreign visitors to Japan slowed during the first half of the year. This is seen as the first drop in foreign tourism in five years.

According to The Japan Times:

Japan welcomed around 21.1 million foreign visitors in the first six months of 2026, a 2.0% drop from last year and down for the first time in five years, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

While the first-half visitor tally topped 20 million for the second straight year, Japan saw a 56.4% drop in visitors from China as Beijing continues to call on its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.

Of the 21.1 million visitors in the January-June period, 2.06 million visitors came from mainland China. Visitors from South Korea increased by 18.6% to 5.7 million, while those from Taiwan numbered around 4 million, up 20.9%.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Visitors Exceeded 40 Million In 2025

Above, a view from the Tokyo Skytree. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Years ago, Japan was working to exceed 10 million tourist visitors a year. After awhile, they finally reached that goal and then exceeded it.

Then the pandemic hit in 2020 and Japan was slow to reopen to tourists. Since then, due to the exchange rate of the yen against other currencies, people started coming in droves, which led to the coining of the term, overtourism (especially in places like Kyoto). 

Last year, Japan topped 40 million visitors in 2025, a new record. 

According to The Japan Times:

Foreign visitors to Japan hit a record 42.7 million last year, topping the 40-million mark for the first time, tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko said Tuesday, steadily inching toward the government’s goal of 60 million by 2030.

The number of foreign visitors has been rising after Japan reopened the borders following COVID-19-era restrictions. The figure was a record-high for two years in a row, with 36.87 million foreign visitors coming to Japan in 2024. Foreign travelers have been a boon for the Japanese economy, spending a record ¥9.5 trillion in 2025, up from ¥8.1 trillion in the year before.

To read more, go here. 

What To Buy In Tokyo's Kappabashi

Above, Kappabashi's Giant Chef. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my 2014 trip to Japan, one of the places in Tokyo I explored was the Kappabashi district.

Kappabashi is known as "Kitchen Town" where food preparation products can be bought. I bought three chef's knives while there.

Above, I bought 3 knives at Kamaasa Knife Co. in Kappabashi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan Times has posted an article on Kappabashi.

They begin with:

In Kappabashi, a roughly 800-meter-long strip between Asakusa and Ueno, locals and tourists alike spill out from a dense row of nearly 170 kitchenware shops. Their shopping bags tell the story — knives, chopsticks, cake molds and plastic sushi souvenirs.

No wonder they call this place “Kitchen Town.”

To read more, go here. 

Japan Visitors Top Over 30 Million

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is funny how Japan had pushed for more tourism in recent years and the result in many areas is overtourism. It seems Japan is the "victim" of their own success.

Kyoto, for example, is hiking its hotel room taxes to supposedly fight overtourism. 

This year, foreign tourism has topped over 30 million visitors, the fastest pace ever. 

According to the Japan Times:

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January to September exceeded 30 million, passing the line at the fastest pace ever, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The figure jumped 17.7% from the same period last year to a little over 31.6 million.

It crossed the 30-million mark one month earlier than in the previous year, when the annual total hit a record high of 36.87 million, according to the JNTO

This year, the figure may exceed 40 million for the first time, with the autumn foliage season and winter holidays coming up.

To read more, go here. 

Trump Invited To Commemoration of Atomic Bombings

Above, the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan have invited President Donald Trump to their cities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings that led to the end of World War II.

The Japan Times reported:

The mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have requested that U.S. President Donald Trump visit the atomic-bombed cities this year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the attacks and the end of World War II.

“We hope that you will listen to the voices of civil society, visit the atomic-bombed cities, listen to the firsthand accounts of the hibakusha and fully grasp the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accept the hibakusha’s earnest desire for peace,” Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to the new U.S. president.

The mayors emphasized Washington’s key role in reining in the proliferation of nuclear weapons as “tensions continue to worsen” across the globe ahead of the anniversary of the attack on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and on Nagasaki three days later.

The U.S. bombings of the two cities killed an estimated 214,000 people, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

Above, the hypocenter monument in Nagasaki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Trump Attends RNC Opening Night

Above, former President Donald Trump with Tucker Carlson (left) and Sen. J. D. Vance. Screenshot by Armand Vaquer.

Last night, I watched the opening night of the Republican National Convention. This brought back memories as I attended three of them as a member of the California Reagan Delegations.

Former President Donald Trump attended the convention with a bandage on his right ear. He sat with his Vice Presidential running mate Sen. J. D. Vance and Tucker Carlson among others.

From The Japan Times:

Former U.S. President Donald Trump made his first public appearance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since an assassination attempt — with a large white bandage covering the right ear that a bullet pierced — as Republicans gathered to nominate him as their presidential nominee for the third time in the last eight years.

Trump entered Fiserv Forum on Monday to a standing ovation that lasted several minutes, during the Republican National Committee’s convention.

He walked to a box near his family and stood next to U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, whom he tapped earlier in the day as his 2024 running mate.

To read more, go here. 

Yen Intervention Suspected

When the Japanese yen sunk to ¥160 per dollar on Monday, it suddenly went up to ¥154. Analysts think the government intervened. But nobody's saying anything.

From The Japan Times:

After months of warnings that they might intervene in the currency market, Japan's finance authorities appeared to have finally made a move on Monday to curb the pace of the yen’s weakening against the U.S. dollar.

The Japanese currency plunged past the ¥160 mark to hit a fresh 34-year low that day, but subsequently jumped back up to the ¥154 level. As of Tuesday evening, it was near the ¥157 level.

Later Monday, Japan's top currency diplomat Masato Kanda declined to comment on whether the government had taken action. He also refused to comment on Tuesday, but told reporters that the Finance Ministry is ready "24 hours" a day to take action.

To read more, go here.

Japanese Yen Slides To ¥160 Then Rebounds

The Japanese yen slid to ¥160 on Monday, but rebounded back.

The Japan Times reported:

The yen swung in holiday-thinned market conditions, punching through ¥160 per dollar to touch its weakest in 34 years before erasing all its losses for the day and rebounding strongly.

The Japanese currency dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01. Trade sources said Japanese banks were seen selling dollars for yen.

To read more, go here. 

Yen Inching Closer To Intervention

The weak yen may be great for American tourists, but it is not healthy for the Japanese economy as a whole.

The current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen is about ¥155. 

The Japan Times reported that the yen is inching closer to intervention:

Yen traders are bracing themselves for a redux of September 2022, when Japan intervened in the market to prop up the ailing currency in the wake of a central bank decision that reaffirmed accommodative monetary policy.

With the yen already much weaker than it was then, and U.S. interest rates unlikely to come down anytime soon, the mere lack of any hawkish comments from Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda on Friday may be enough to push the currency toward a possible inflection point. Based on an analysis of comments from the Masato Kanda, the top currency official at the Finance Ministry, ¥157.60 versus the dollar is one key level to watch.

There has been no sign yet of yen purchases by the ministry, even as the currency continues its slide and on Wednesday trading in London broke beyond ¥155 per dollar for the first time in more than three decades. But the situation could change very quickly, with a host of potential triggers for a sharp drop in the yen and action from authorities in Tokyo.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Hotel Prices Near 30-Year High

Above, the Dormy Inn in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The United States isn't the only country with inflation problems.

In Japan, the weak yen is fueling the highest hotel prices in 30 years along with record numbers of foreign visitors. This amounts to a two-edged sword.

According to The Japan Times:

Hotel prices in Japan soared to a near three-decade high in March, as the cheap yen and the cherry blossom season attracted a record number of tourists to the country.

The average daily room rate for March was about ¥20,986 ($136), the highest level since August 1997 and a nearly 20% increase from the same period last year, according to CoStar Group. The average hotel occupancy rate also increased to 78%.

A record 3.1 million people visited Japan in March. The yen is hovering at a 34-year low against the dollar, making the country an attractive destination for inbound tourists. The tourism boom has been led by arrivals from South Korea, Taiwan and China in the midst of the cherry blossom season, which traditionally draws in visitors.

 To read more, go here.

Japan Announces Measures To Combat Overtourism

Above, Kyoto's Kinkakuji "Golden Pavilion". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since the pandemic ended, Japan has been coping with overtourism, particularly in popular cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

The hiking of the prices of JR Rail Passes may contribute to the lowering of numbers of foreign tourists to places outside of Tokyo. 

According to TravelPulse:

Japan’s tourism ministry outlined its new plans to combat overtourism this week, ranging from strengthening transportation systems in large cities like Tokyo to encouraging a greater spread of tourism to lesser-known destinations. 

According to The Japan Times, a large part of the program is expanding bus and taxi fleets in popular areas, especially during heavy tourist seasons. Direct bus routes to popular destinations from major stations that are designed specifically for tourist use are also being considered.

The tourism ministry will also consider ways to encourage a wider spread of travelers to lesser known areas to direct traffic away from Tokyo, Kyoto and other popular destinations. 

While the country has nearly reached its pre-pandemic level of visitor totals, the majority of these travelers tend to concentrate in popular destinations like Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, leading to overcrowding in these cities. 

To read more, go here. 

Toy Sales In Japan Top ¥1 Trillion

Above, an Asakusa toy store in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Buying toys in Japan is one of those pastimes that many foreign visitors indulge in. 

I and many others in Godzilla/kaiju fandom collect Japanese toys of their favorite monsters in the U.S. in stores that specialize in them or at conventions such as the annual G-FEST conventions. The biggest draw at G-FEST, for example, is the dealers room where toys of every size and description can be found. Most dealers price them reasonably. 

Above, I got this 1968 Godzilla toy during my 2015 Japan trip in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Those same toys are available in Japan at considerably lower prices. One popular stop for foreign visitors is Mandarake in the Nakano section of Tokyo. I found some good deals there over the years.

Since Japan has reopened to foreign visitors, toy sales there have skyrocketed. It it likely due to pent-up demand from the pandemic closure of the country. According to an article in The Japan Times, toy sales in Japan topped ¥1 trillion for the first time. 

They wrote:

Japan's toy market topped ¥1 trillion ($7 billion) for the first time in the financial year that ended in March, driven in part by solid demand for goods of anime characters and franchises like Pokemon from foreign tourists, an industry body said Thursday.

Sales of card games, stuffed toys, model vehicles and other types of toys totaled ¥952.5 billion, up 6.7% from a year earlier, according to the Japan Toy Association.

Sales of "capsule toys," or miniature toys sold in plastic capsules from vending machines, amounted to ¥61 billion, up 35.6%.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Hotel Visitors Top 10 Million

Above, the Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Foreign visitation to Japan is inching up to pre-pandemic levels if the following is any indication.

From The Japan Times:

The number of foreign nationals who stayed at hotels and other accommodation facilities in Japan topped 10 million in April for the first time since January 2020, government data showed Wednesday, buoyed by a weaker yen and an increase in the number of international flights.

The figure rose more than nineteenfold from a year before to 10.38 million, equivalent to 92% of the total in April 2019 before the coronavirus outbreak, according to the preliminary data released by the Japan Tourism Agency.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Dropping COVID Border Measures Saturday

Above, a yakatabune (屋形船) party boat on the Sumida River in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan has moved up the dropping of COVID border measures from May 8 to this coming Saturday.

According to the Japan Times:

Starting on Saturday, passengers arriving in Japan will no longer be required to submit proof of vaccination or negative test results, according to media reports, as the country braces for an influx of travelers during the Golden Week holidays.

Currently, all incoming passengers — including Japanese nationals and foreign residents — are required to present proof that they have received at least three COVID-19 vaccine shots or have tested negative for the virus within 72 hours before departure.

The government had previously said it planned to end the border measures on May 8, when the category for COVID-19 under the Infectious Disease Law will be downgraded from one similar to Class 2 to Class 5, which is on par with seasonal influenza.

To read more, go here. 

Steep Price Increases For Japan Rail Passes Planned

Above, a couple of JR Rail Passes I used. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan Rail Pass available to foreign tourists is one great benefit that I and many others visiting Japan have taken advantage of.

It allows visitors to travel around Japan on JR rail lines, including bullet trains, and other affiliated transports at lower cost.

Visitors are able to save a lot of money using the rail pass.

But all that may change this coming October if plans to greatly hike the prices of the rail passes go through. Hardly a "welcome back" for foreign tourists after three years of pandemic closures.

The price increases will greatly affect tour packages as the cost of rail passes are added into the cost of tours. 

If I should go back to Japan, I will likely pass on the Rail Pass if the prices are drastically raised.

The Japan Times reported (some snippets):

Tourists planning to take advantage of Japan’s train network could face a more expensive rail pass starting this fall.

Japan Railway Group announced on April 14 that it intends to raise the cost of its Japan Rail Pass this October.

The pass is a popular purchase for sightseers without Japanese passports and a convenient, discounted way to travel around certain parts of the country via rail, including on some bullet trains.

The change would add an almost 70% average price increase to the flat-fee ordinary and green car tickets. But, according to JR, the price hike will come with expanded services.

While an announcement detailing final changes is planned for a later date, JR has announced that pass-holders will be able to access the Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen lines — which are currently off-limits with the pass — through the purchase of additional special tickets.

While subject to change, the price hikes for adults have been announced as follows:

• 7-day pass: From ¥29,650 to ¥50,000.
• 14-day pass: From ¥47,250 to ¥80,000.
• 21-day pass: From ¥60,450 to ¥100,000.
• 7-day Green Car pass: ¥39,600 to ¥70,000
• 14-day Green Car pass: ¥64,120 to ¥110,000
• 21-day Green Car pass: ¥83,390 to ¥140,000

To read the full article, go here.

March Foreign Entries To Japan Number 1.8 Million

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios in Setagaya. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Incoming foreign tourist numbers to Japan has reached around 65% of pre-pandemic levels in March. Much of it was due to cherry blossom season.

According to the Japan Times:

Japan saw an estimated 1,817,500 foreign visitors in March, equivalent to 65.8% of the level seen in March 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday.

The total was the highest since the country lifted its pandemic-prompted ban on individual, non-prearranged trips last October, it said.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Also Hit By Heavy Snows

Above, the street in front of my Tokyo hotel in 2014. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The United States wasn't the only country to be hit by powerful winter snowstorms this past weekend.

Many parts of Japan has also been hard hit by snowstorms that killed 17 people and injured over 90. 

The U.S. storm(s) have left holiday travelers stranded and flights were either cancelled or delayed. Many flights in Japan were also cancelled or delayed.

When I hear about heavy snows in Japan, they remind me of my February 2014 trip to Japan that had me stranded for nearly 24 hours on a commuter train between Narita Airport and Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture. Two big storms hit Japan during my trip, the first one arriving at the same time my flight did,

According to The Japan Times:

Heavy snow blanketed many parts of Japan on Friday, with some western cities renewing records and the weather agency warning of traffic disruptions, blizzard conditions and high waves.

The Meteorological Agency said it expected the rough weather to continue through Monday, moving from the country’s north and east to the west.

Record snowfall was observed in Shikoku, with Kochi registering 14 centimeters and Tokushima 8 cm in the six hours to 10 a.m. 

To read more, go here. 

Almighty Dollar Is Mightier In Japan

Above, the currency exchange window at Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now is a great time to pack up your bags and head off to Japan.

Thanks to the extremely favorable foreign exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, a trip there is much more affordable. Americans now can get more bang for their bucks.

According to the Japan Times, the almighty dollar is even mightier these days.

They start off with:

Now that Japan has opened its doors to vaccinated tourists as of Oct. 11, many travelers are going to find great bargains.

The yen has lost about 20% of its value against the dollar this year, making hotels, meals and attractions very affordable for visitors from the United States. At the same time, inflation has been kept mostly under control, although the country is starting to see price increases for the first time in a generation.

After keeping Japan’s border mostly closed to tourists since the start of the pandemic, the island nation is eager for an economic boost, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida saying he wants these inbound visitors to spend 5 trillion yen ($34.5 billion) annually.

All prices below are converted at the current exchange rate of 144.80 yen a dollar. Travelers may get a worse deal from their bank or credit card provider, in addition to other fees. Prices include sales tax but exclude tips. Tipping isn’t expected anywhere in Japan.

Whenever I travel to Japan, I exchange my dollars for yen at the airport. That would solve the aforementioned "worse deal".

To read more, go here.