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.

Navigating Japan's Shinkansen Network

Above, inside a bullet train car. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My first trip to Japan was in November 2001. During that trip I took a bullet train (Shinkansen) trip to the Atami area of Japan.

Since then, I have taken several other Shinkansen trains to other areas of Japan including Sendai, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kyushu and Niigata. 

Travel + Leisure has posted a complete guide on Japan's bullet trains with information on the different types of them.

They begin with:

The notion of wasting time on commutes is foreign in Japan, thanks to its high-speed bullet trains, or Shinkansen, which zoom along at a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). Operating on a well-organised high-speed railway network, these trains adhere to a punctual schedule throughout the week. With travellers’ convenience at the fore, Japan’s bullet trains delight with amenities like vending machines, food carts serving meals, drinks, and snacks, as well as informative announcements delivered in multiple languages.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Shortening Quarantine Period

Above, a Niigata cemetery. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On first glance, Japan's policy involving foreign nationals and coronavirus is a bit confusing, to say the least.

On one hand, foreign visitors are banned from entering the country. Then on the other, they are shortening quarantine times down. It looks to me that the following involves Japanese citizens and foreigners who are residents.

The latest policy has been posted by The Japan Times:

Japan said Friday it will shorten the quarantine period for travelers arriving in the country to 10 days from the current 14, effective Saturday.

Citizens and Japan residents arriving from countries severely hit by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which effectively includes all countries and territories around the world, will be eligible to enter the country under the new rules, the Foreign Ministry said. New entries of foreign nationals are effectively banned due to COVID-19 border restrictions.

“The length of period when they are required to self-quarantine in places such as their own residence or accommodations after their entry into Japan, to follow-up checks conducted by the Health Monitoring Center for Overseas Entrants and to refrain from using public transportation is changed from 14 days to 10 days,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The period had been at least three days, but it was extended to 14 days in late November as the government tightened border controls following the emergence of omicron.

The move comes after the government shortened the quarantine period for close contacts of COVID-19 patients from 14 days to 10.

To read more, go here. 

Double-decker Shinkansen Cars To Be Retired

Above, a cleaning crew waits to be given the go-ahead to clean the Joetsu Shinkansen
double-decker train in the background at Tokyo Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During my 2010 trip to Japan, I took an excursion to Niigata to see the Sea of Japan side of Honshu for the fun of it.

I rode the Joetsu Shinkansen to Niigata. It was a double-decker train.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reports that the double-decker Shinkansen cars will be retired October 1.

They wrote:

The E4 series of Shinkansen trains — known for their Max Toki and Max Tanigawa services on the Joetsu Shinkansen line — will retire after their final run on Oct. 1.

The E4 are the only double-decker Shinkansen trains in Japan. Social media accounts operated by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) have been flooded with messages from passengers and fans, describing their memories of trips and expressing their appreciation.

JR East is planning events and selling commemorative goods on an unusually large scale. Fans and the railway company are united in their desire to send the trains off in style.

The E4 series Shinkansen trains were first introduced to the Tohoku Shinkansen line in 1997 and to the Joetsu Shinkansen line in 2001. The 16-car trains had a seating capacity of 1,634, the most of any high-speed train in the world.

Age and speed were cited as the reasons for retiring the double-decker cars.

To read more, go here. 

Ten Years Since 2010 Japan Trip

Above, at the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios.

While going through my Japan photos yesterday to use in a blog post on Kyoto's Kiyumizu-dera temple, I found that I went to Japan for a combined business and pleasure trip ten years ago today. Man, ten years sure did whisk by fast!

Another reason for going was that my mother passed away in January and the upcoming Christmas would be the first without any living parents. I figured that the trip to Japan would be a needed lift for me. It worked!

The business end was to promote the newly-published The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. It included some interviews and a photo shoot at the Godzilla statue in Hibiya by the Yomiuri Shimbun. I came armed with plenty of copies of the travel guide.

I also went to Toho Studios in Setagaya and had some photos taken with the Godzilla statue while holding a copy of the travel guide.

Above, an article and photo at the Godzilla statue by the Yomiuri Shibun.

While I spent most of the trip in Tokyo, I did manage to take a Shinkansen trip to Niigata, which is on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu. I stayed at the Dormy Inn. One morning, I went to the hotel's restaurant for breakfast and saw (and heard) first-hand Japanese businessmen slurping their soba noodles. The slurping was quite loud in the small dining room. It was rather amusing. 

While I was in Tokyo, I set my clock to 4:00 in the morning to pay an early morning visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market. But an aftershock from a recent earthquake off the coast of Japan got me up at 3:20. I took a taxi to the fish market as trains and subways weren't in operation until a little later.

Above, at one of the restaurants at the Outer Market of the Tsukiji Fish Market.

The Tsukiji Fish Market was interesting to see. I had a plate of tuna sushi for breakfast at the fish market's Outer Market (where shops and restaurants were clustered). It was the best sushi I ever had. While there, I had some photos taken by and with some of the restaurateurs. 

Also, while in Tokyo, I went to see the new movie, Space Battleship Yamato in Hibiya. It was an enjoyable movie, even though I don't understand Japanese.

Above, the Wako Dept. Store clock tower with its winter decorations. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tokyo's Ginza shopping district was decorated for the Christmas holiday season, although they refer to them as "winter" decorations. 

All in all, it was a good trip and got a lot accomplished. I was thinking about going this year, but the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to that idea. Maybe next year.

New Food Service For Niigata and Yamagata Shinkansens

Above, a view of the countryside while en route to Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2010, I took a "little" side trip to Niigata on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu by Shinkansen.

Before boarding the train, I bought a bento box lunch at Tokyo Station. Now, the East Japan Railway company has a new food delivery service for travelers to Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures.

According to News On Japan:

A new food delivery service will be available to passengers traveling by Shinkansen bullet train to the Sea of Japan coast areas of Niigata and Yamagata prefectures. 

East Japan Railway Company on Monday introduced the new menu that will give Shinkansen passengers a taste of farm products from Niigata Prefecture.

To read more, go here. 

North Korea Missile Lands In Japan's EEZ

Above, the Sea of Japan from Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

North Korea has apparently launched a missile that landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Sea of Japan.

The Japan Times reported:

North Korea fired off an unidentified missile Monday morning that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the latest in a spate of ramped-up test-firings that have unnerved the region. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the missile, launched around 5:40 a.m., appeared to have have fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. 

Suga said Japan had issued a strong protest with the North, calling the launch a clear violation of United Nations resolutions. 

The missile was fired from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, according to a statement released by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

To read more, go here. 

How Much Does A Japanese Business Hotel Cost?

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

If a foreign traveler to Japan is on a strict budget and needs to find accommodations that is inexpensive, a Japanese business hotel is something to consider. I have stayed at a few over the years. On average, I've paid around ¥5,000 to ¥7,500 per night for a single room.

City-Cost.com has an article explaining what a Japanese business hotel is, features and costs. Some business hotels are a part of hotel chains, such as the Dormy Inn hotel chain, while others are private and non-corporate.

It begins with:

The ‘business hotel in Japan’ is something of an institution. An ever-present on the Japanese hotel scene, business hotels are the default selection for locals overnighting on a tight budget, their own or the company’s. Not exclusively the realm of the Japanese business person (salaryman / office lady), these hotels can make for a decent accommodation option for tourists and travelers of any shape, size, and nationality. You may also hear them referred to as ‘city hotels’, as predominantly, although not exclusively, this is where they are to be found, usually within easy walking distance of a train station. When considering the question, ‘How much does it cost to stay in a business hotel in Japan?, one also needs to clarify one’s own definition of a ‘business hotel’. In Japan, these places are synonymous with basic, no-frills functionality. This is not 5-star territory.  

 To read more, go here.

Japan Last Double-Decker Shinkansen Trains To End Service

Above, a cleaning crew wait to begin cleaning a Joetsu shinkansen train at Tokyo Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan's only double-decked shinkansen trains will end service by March 2021.

News On Japan reported:

Japan's only existing double-decker Shinkansen bullet train series is set to end its service by the March 2021 end of fiscal 2020. 

East Japan Railway Co. <9020>, or JR East, said Tuesday that it will replace its E4 series double-decker trains on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line with newest E7 series trains in stages between fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2020.

I rode the double-decker Joetsu Shinkansen Line in 2010 to Niigata. It was a comfortable train that provided great views of the passing countryside.

To read more, go here.

Japan's Hotels Saw Rise In Average Daily Rate In 2016

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

Japan's hotels saw rates climb in 2016.

Despite the rise, occupancy rates have risen during the same period with record numbers of foreign tourists visiting Japan.

According to Travel Daily Asia:

Japan’s hotel sector experienced a steady increase in ADR (average daily rate) last year. 

According to the full-year data from STR, the country’s ADR climbed 5.2% to JPY15,396 (approx. US$136) in 2016, due in part to the recovery of the yen, which increased nearly 10% against the US dollar in 2016. This marked the first time the yen had increased in value since 2011.

To read more, go here. 

Japan To Open Tourist Information Centers At All Shinkansen Stations

Above, a tourist information center at Niigata Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gets nearer, Japan is picking up the pace to make things easier for foreign tourists. 

Japan will be opening more tourist centers at shinkansen stations throughout the country.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reported;

The transport ministry aims to make tourist information centers capable of assisting foreign tourists available at all Shinkansen stations nationwide by fiscal 2019, as part of efforts to boost the number of visitors from overseas. 

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry plans to provide subsidies to local governments and other entities when the tourist information centers they operate meet certain criteria, such as always having English-speaking guides available. 

The ministry will request necessary funds in the government’s budget for fiscal 2017 for more than 100 Shinkansen stations to open tourist information centers or upgrade their current ones by fiscal 2019.

To read more, go here. 

Project Undiscovered Japan

Above, the Bandai Bridge in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Finding ways to get foreign tourists out of the major tourist areas such as Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and other places and into other areas that are not too familiar has been something that Japanese tourism officials have been trying to solve.

They have come up with a new idea of getting foreign tourists to these areas.

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Japan has launched a new project to advance tourism in areas that still remain unknown to many, in a bid to deviate tourism from the current golden routes.
The project, called “Undiscovered Japan,” is led by the National Tourism Zones Promotion Council, a government-sponsored private organization, launched in 2014 to develop sightseeing areas in line with the Abe administration’s target of boosting tourism to 20 million visitors a year by 2020. 

“Undiscovered Japan” divides Japan into 12 new tourism zones that foreigners are yet to fully discover. The project encourages officials in each of these zones to improve the quality of tourism in all sectors and actively provide information in English and various other languages to attract new tourists. The project further aims at reviving these small cities, that have for a long time been surviving in the shadows of Japan’s large cities and tourism sites.

I visited once such zone, Niigata, back in 2010. It was interesting to see the countryside and mountains while on the shinkansen while traveling from Tokyo and Niigata.

It will be interesting to see if this project will be successful in drawing tourists into these zones.

To read more, go here.

Improvements Japan Can Make To Attract Foreigners

Above, the Niigata City Performing Arts Center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It boggles my mind at how some people are afraid to visit Japan due to language and other alleged barriers. Some of those fears are a bit overblown.

I have visited Japan seven times since 2001 and never had any difficulty in navigating around the country or even ordering food at a restaurant. Besides, there's always someone around who can assist.

Japan Today has an article by RocketNews 24's Casey Baseel on what Japan need to improve on in order to attract more foreign visitors. Sure, there is some room for improvement, but Japan is not as difficult as some people think. (Well, that's my opinion, anyway.)

As you may be able to tell, I do have some disagreements with the central premise that Japan is a difficult country for foreigners.

The article begins with:

TOKYO —Japan’s National Tourist Organization recently released its statistics on the number of overseas travelers who visited in the country in 2014, and we’re proud to say that 13,413,467 of you came to visit. That number represents almost a 30% increase from the number of foreign tourists Japan received in 2013, and a whopping 60% jump compared to 2012. 

Still, Japan only ranks 27th globally in its ability to draw travelers from abroad, making it eighth in Asia, behind world No. 22 Korea and No. 4 China. 

So what’s holding Japan back from becoming an even more popular international travel destination? RocketNews24’s non-Japanese staff put our heads together, and after getting over the initial pain from our foreheads violently colliding, came up with the following list of areas Japan could do better in that foreign travelers would definitely appreciate.

 To see what improvements Japan can make, go here.

Mayors Unite To Promote Localities At Olympics

Above, the Hakusan Shrine in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Not wanting to be left out of reaping the benefits of the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, municipalities have banded together to plan to draw visitors to their regions.

According to The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun):

The heads of 310 cities, towns and villages across the nation have launched an association aiming to utilize the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as a chance to vitalize regional areas. 

Isato Kunisada, the mayor of Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, who proposed founding the association, assumed the role of its president. Initially, about 70 municipalities were expected to join the association, but that had jumped to 310 by the time the association held its first general meeting on Wednesday, as more municipalities were drawn to the idea of jointly promoting local specialties and other tourism resources.

To read more, go here. 

Japan Regions Court Tourists With New Guide To Specialty Shops

Above, the Bandai Bridge in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Just as Atlanta is different from New York City and the Mid-West is different from the Deep South in the U.S., different regions in Japan differ from each other.

When tourists go to Japan, they generally visit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and, maybe, some outlying areas of those cities.

Some local governments in different regions of Japan would like to change all that and have tourists visit their areas. They have taken a step in that direction.

According to Kyodo News:

Eighteen local governments and the Japan Center for Regional Development have put together an English brochure on their "antenna shops" in Tokyo selling local specialties in the hope that foreign tourists visiting them will be encouraged to travel to their regions. 

Accompanied by photos of local traditional foods offered at those shops, the brochure includes maps of Tokyo's posh Ginza district and other areas where the shops are located, as well as information about WiFi connections. 

More detailed information about the shops in English, Chinese and Korean can be accessed online by scanning QR codes in the brochure on smartphones.

I have gone out of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto and have ventured into Kyushu in the southwest, the Tohoku region in the northeast and Niigata on the Sea of Japan side of the main island of Honshu. I enjoyed venturing out into different areas of Japan and seeing first-hand the differences each presented.

To read more, go here.

Latest Blog Post Pick-ups

The fine folks at The Japan Daily picked up three of yesterday's blog posts for sharing with their readers.

They are:

To read The Japan Daily, go here.

10 Must See Places In Niigata

Above, inside of a Niigata city tour bus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Four years ago, I took an excursion to Niigata, Japan for a couple of days. I wanted to see the Sea of Japan (sorry, South Korea) side of Honshu.

My visit to Niigata was confined to the city. I visited Hakusan Park, an art gallery and visited their community center to see a photographic exhibit. I also took their bus tour of the city.

Tsunagu Japan has posted an article on "10 Must See Places In Niigata." Had I seen this or a similar article four years ago, I would have extended my stay and ventured out into other areas of the prefecture.

Maybe I'll return there in the future and check out the places listed.

The article begins with:

The long and narrow country of Japan is divided into what are called the 47 prefectures, but are actually 43 prefectures, 2 urban prefectures (Osaka and Kyoto), one territory (Hokkaido), and one metropolis (Tokyo). 

Each area has their own unique nature, with their own good characteristics and peculiarities. 

Of course, when you talk about sightseeing in Japan, places like Tokyo and Kyoto are famous, but other than that there are plenty of sightseeing areas to go to. 

Among those is Niigata prefecture. 

Niigata Prefecture is divided into 4 geographical areas, Joetsu, Chuetsu, Kaetsu and Sado region. Niigata prefecture is long and thin, and it has the third-largest area next after Nagano prefecture in Japan. 

This time, we would like to introduce the recommended 10 must see places which is surely mentioned in the sightseeing map in Niigata.

Since my visit, the city opened the Niigata Manga Animation Museum. That's one of the places I would like to see should I go back.

To see what Niigata prefecture has to offer, go here.

Japan's Business Hotels Targeting Foreign Guests

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

Japan's business hotel operators see opportunities in the current surge of foreign tourism. Several operators are upgrading their current hotels or building new ones to meet the expected demand as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gets nearer.

According to Nikkei Asian Review:

TOKYO -- Japanese business hotel operators are trying to attract more foreign guests by upgrading their facilities or building new ones. 

Greens, which operates 50 business hotels nationwide under the Comfort Hotel brand through a franchise agreement with a U.S. company, will open its first new hotel in five years this autumn. 

TKP, a company that leases conference rooms, plans to open 10 business hotels by 2017, mostly in urban areas. 

Kyoritsu Maintenance, operator of the Dormy Inn chain of business hotels, will in fiscal 2015 set up a new hotel brand that takes traditional Japanese aesthetics as its theme.  

Another company, Fujita Kanko, will in April begin fully renovating the main building of its flagship Shinjuku Washington Hotel.

I've stayed at a Dormy Inn in Niigata in 2010 and at a Washington Hotel In Nagasaki in 2007. Both were nice places to stay and their prices were very reasonable.

To read more, go here. 

What's A Torii?

Above, toriis near Hakusan Park in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People just getting interested in Japanese culture who have visited Japan for the first time or have seen pictures of torii gates may wonder, What's a torii?

Above, a torii at Lake Ashi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I've been to Japan seven times and I have seen torii gates of different sizes at many places.

But to answer the question what a torii is, here's what Wikipedia says:

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred (see Sacred-profane dichotomy). The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon represents them on Japanese road maps. They are however a common sight at Japanese Buddhist temples too, where they stand at the entrance of the temple's own shrine, called chinjusha (鎮守社, tutelary god shrine) and are usually very small.

The photos that accompany this blog post are just some of the torii gates that I have seen.

The most famous torii gate is the one at the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima.

Above, the torii gate at the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Rocket News 24: "Why Is Japan Such An Unpopular Tourist Destination?"

Above, a tourist information office at Niigata Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Until the past few years, Japan has been rather lackadaisical about promoting itself as a tourist destination. In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Japan has accelerated their efforts to make the country more tourist-friendly.

That, and other factors have made Japan an "unpopular tourist destination" for foreigners. Compared to other Asian nations, Japan lags far behind in popularity.

Rocket News 24 has posted an article analyzing this. They begin with:

You would think that a country like Japan, rich as it is in both traditional culture and technical innovation, as well as plenty of weird and wacky things you’ll never see elsewhere, would be a huge hit with tourists. But as it turns out, Japan is actually not such a popular destination for people traveling abroad. Join us after the jump to find out why.

Some of the other reasons cited in the article could be intimidating to a foreign visitor, but I personally never had any difficulty. The so-called "language barrier" has never been a problem for me. There are plenty of guidebooks on Japan to study (and bring along) before going. Also, there are racks of maps and guides in English and other languages in virtually every hotel lobby, train or subway station and at tourist information centers.

To read the full article, go here.