Osaka Considering New Tourist Tax

Above, a moat of Osaka Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The U.S. isn't the only country who has gone "tax crazy" these past several years.

The prefecture of Osaka is considering a new tax on tourists to make the region more attractive and investing in the region's tourism infrastructure. 

According to the South China Morning Post:

Another popular tourist destination in Japan is planning to introduce a new levy on foreign visitors, with the governor of Osaka prefecture vowing that the funds generated from the tax will be reinvested into the region’s tourism infrastructure.

Industry insiders and analysts broadly agree that an additional small daily levy would not place too much of a burden on travellers or put others off visiting Osaka – but they emphasise that the prefecture must keep its promise to plough those funds back into the tourism sector.

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura announced on Wednesday that he would set up a panel to consider the new levy in April and to examine the effectiveness of an existing accommodation tax.

To read more, go here. 

Japan's Miyajima Island Imposes Tourist Tax

Above, Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those wanting to visit the Itsukushima Shrine on Japan's Miyajima Island, they will have to pay a little bit more to do so.

A new tourist tax will be imposed on tourists heading there.

From the South China Morning Post:

A scenic island in southwestern Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture has started to impose a tax of 100 yen (67 US cents) on all visitors to rein in overtourism after a trip by the leaders of the G7 countries to the area triggered a travel rush there.

Authorities in Miyajima, home to the Unesco-listed Itsukushima Shrine, which appears to float on the waters of a narrow bay at high water, said the levy would be added to the ferry fare to the island.

They also said local residents, office workers, preschoolers and students on schools excursions were exempt from the tax that was expected to generate 300 million yen (US$2 million) in annual revenue for the city of Hatsukaichi, which oversees the tourist destination.

I visited Miyajima Island in 2004 with G-TOUR that was sponsored by G-FAN magazine. 

To read more, go here.

Japan Hit By Heavy Snowstorm

Above, Tokyo after a snowstorm in February 2014. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A "once in a decade" snowstorm has hit Japan this week. This reminds me of a similar weather event back in February 2014 when I arrived in Japan at the same time as a big snowstorm. It was another "once in a decade" snowstorm. I ended up being stranded between Narita Airport and Tokyo in a Keisei Line train in Chiba Prefecture for about 22 hours.

It didn't stop there, later in the week another strong snowstorm hit Japan. 

From Kyodo News:

A wide area of Japan is bracing for more heavy snow and strong winds Wednesday as the coldest air of this winter stays over the archipelago, with authorities warning of traffic disruptions due to frozen roads and high waves.

The weather agency forecast subzero temperatures in many locations from the northernmost island of Hokkaido to the Kyushu region in the southwest on Wednesday morning, with the mercury expected to drop to minus 3 C in Tokyo and minus 2 C in Osaka.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways plan to cancel more than 200 flights Wednesday and JR East will suspend bullet train service between Fukushima and Shinjo on the Yamagata Shinkansen Line in the northeastern Tohoku region throughout the day.

As for Tokyo this week, Kyodo News wrote:

On Tuesday, snowfall was observed in central Tokyo for the first time this season, while Fukuoka and Kagoshima, both in the Kyushu region, also saw snowfall as temperatures dipped below zero.

To read the full story, go here. 

Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji Gets A Makeover

Above, Kinkaku-ji in 2004, a year after its last makeover. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of Kyoto's most popular tourist attractions was recently given a makeover and is as shiny as ever.

According to the South China Morning Post:

The temple of Kinkaku-ji in the Japanese city of Kyoto has been given a major facelift, and without the eyesore of scaffolding and signs of ageing, the landmark’s famous golden walls are now shining again in full splendour.

In fact, it’s the first time in 18 years visitors will have been able to see the so-called golden pavilion in its full golden shine, according to the city’s tourism board.

Preservationists had decided that construction and maintenance work would have been less of a disappointment to visitors during the pandemic, which has seen tourism plummet in Japan.

Restoration workers have comprehensively renewed the roof with shingles made of waterproof Sawara cypress wood and also restored the two upper floors, as well as its iconic roof ornament, a golden phoenix.

Above, Kinkaku-ji in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

SouthI was last at Kinkaku-ji bit over five years ago. Previously, I visited it in 2004 (a year after its last makeover) with G-TOUR.

Artist Asya Lipovetckaia included Kinkaku-ji in her portrait of me in 2016.

To read more, go here.

Man Shoots Up Former United Pacific/Reliance Building, Kills Self

Above, the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. Photo by South China Morning Post.

Life is strange.

I just saw a story involving the Chinese Consulate office in Los Angeles. A man, a Chinese national, shot up the building before turning the gun on himself.

According to the South China Morning Post:

A man opened fire on the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life, police said. 

The man, a Chinese national, fired “multiple rounds” at the consulate building in the Koreatown neighbourhood, said Officer Mike Lopez, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman. 

The man, whose name was not immediately released, then fatally shot himself in his car outside of the building, Lopez said. 

Investigators said no one else was injured in the shooting.

What interests me in the story is that the Chinese Consulate occupies the building on Shatto Place where I began my career as an insurance claims adjuster with United Pacific/Reliance Insurance Companies. We occupied the first and third floors and the American Arbitration Association occupied the second floor.

I stopped by there a few years ago and chatted with the officials at the front desk.

To read more, go here.

 

Miyagi Tourism Video Decried As "Sexually Suggestive"

Above, the statue of Date Masamune at the site of Sendai Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A travel promotional video for Miyagi Prefecture has some female councillors up in arms.

According to the South China Morning Post:

Seven female members of the Miyagi prefectural assembly on Friday asked the governor of the northeastern Japan prefecture to remove a tourism promotion video it is using on the internet, claiming it portrays women as sex objects. 

The video, featuring a well-known model and actress in a kimono, showcases attractions and tourist spots in the prefecture but also contains some sexually suggestive scenes, including one in which the camera zooms in on her parting lips.

I saw the video (it is posted below) and I didn't see anything offensive about it. It spotlights Sendai (the statue of Date Masamune is featured) and Matsushima.

To read more, go here.

Here's the video (you be the judge):

Six Great Places To Visit On A Japan Rail Pass This Autumn Or At Any Time

Above, the pagoda at Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ideas for what, when, where and how to see Japan seems to come from many quarters.

The latest is from the South China Morning Post from Hong Kong. They have posted an article on what six places to see in Japan in two weeks on a JR Rail Pass, from Hokkaido on down to Kyushu during the autumn months.

They begin with:

There’s a lot you can see in two weeks from the comfort of a train seat – and what’s more it’s an efficient, easy, and affordable way to see the country’s four main islands.

To read what they recommend, go here.