Kyushu Tourism Still Struggling

Above, Kumamoto Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As it happened in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the recent quakes in Kyushu has put a damper on foreign tourism.

News On Japan reported:

Tourism continues to struggle in southwestern Japan two months after major earthquakes, with hotel guests in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures at only 60% of normal levels in late May. 

The sector is a key industry in the Kyushu region, which includes the two prefectures. Expectations are growing that the central government will come to the aid of affected businesses.

The Tohoku region of northeast Japan still hasn't seen a full recovery in foreign tourism.

To read more, go here.

Japan Govenment To Revive Kyushu Tourism

Above, Kumamoto Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japanese government is taking steps to revive tourism in quake-hit Kyushu.

According to NHK:

Japan's government plans to help revive tourism in southwestern areas of the country hit by last month's powerful earthquakes. 

Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii announced this after visiting Aso City in Kumamoto Prefecture and the Yufuin hot spring resort in neighboring Oita Prefecture on Sunday.

Many accommodations in Yufuin were open during the holiday season after the quakes. But the number of guests had fallen almost by half from the same period last year.

To read more, go here.

Gaijinpot: What To Do If You Fall On The Train Tracks

Above, a commuter train at Kumamoto Station. The yellow line is there for a reason. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The subject of standing or walking safely on a train or subway platform is not one that I would immediately think of blogging about. But, apparently Gaijinpot.com feels otherwise and they posted an article on "What To Do If You Fall On The Train Tracks."

They begin it with:

Anyone who has squeezed onto a crowded Tokyo platform has probably had this thought: what should I do if I fall on the tracks in Japan? As it turns out, we have several options in this worst-case scenario. In this article, you can read about preventing falls, the several common safety features of Japanese train platforms and how you can use them in case of a fall.

The tips Gaijinpot provides can also apply to subways and train platforms in the U.S. or other countries with these transportation systems.

To read the full article, go here. 

Kumamoto Station Featured At JapanTourist

Above, Kumamoto Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Eitetsu Terakado, one of my co-contributors at JapanTourist, has posted an article on Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto, Kyushu.

Kumamoto Station is the embarkation point to Mount Aso Volcano National Park from Kumamoto on the Hohi Line (also spelled Houhi Line) of the Kyushu Railway Company. Mount Aso was featured in Rodan (1956). Mount Aso Volcano is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on page 46.

A new shinkansen service has recently opened between Hakata (Fukuoka) and Kumamoto. When I visited Kumamoto and Kyushu back in 2007, I had to rely upon local commuter trains.

Besides being the way to Mount Aso, Kumamoto is also the home of Ultramanland. Ultramanland is spotlighted on page 49 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To read the article on Kumamoto Station, go here.