The low yen alone can’t explain the fever

KIM HYUN-YE
The author is a Tokyo correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo.

In Asakusa, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo, a new kind of tourism has emerged — “fake tourism.” In a 90-minute tour that costs 2,800 yen ($19), the guide offers completely false information. At a crossroads, for example, the guide would say, “In the Edo period, all roads led to Asakusa, and there were 87 lanes. As I find a new road every time I come here, I get lost even today.” According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the tour was originally designed for April Fools’ Day, but it delivered great humor. 1,100 people already reserved the tour until July.

Travel to Japan is in full swing. Everywhere I go, it is crammed with tourists. According to the Japanese government’s tourism bureau, more than 25 million foreign tourists visited Japan last year and 2.68 million people came in January this year. At this rate, the number is expected to recover to the pre-pandemic level of over 31 million visitors. Some attribute the tour boom to the low yen, but industry insiders say, “Not necessarily so.” One of them says, “Tourism is an industry that makes people who haven’t been somewhere want to visit at least once, and those who have been there want to visit again,” and the recent boom in Japan fits the definition.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been displaying fascinating videos on the facade of its office building every night. The purpose of the project is to turn the big building made with tax money into a tourist attraction. After 30 years of redevelopment, Azabudai Hills finally opened last year, attracting tourists to the new landmark in the heart of Tokyo. It is natural that visitors flock to new attractions constantly popping up in Japan. In Tsukiji Market, dubbed the “kitchen of Tokyo,” it is easy to find foreigners happily paying 5,000 yen for a skewer of high-end Japanese beef steak. At Senkyaku Banrai, a new attraction recently opened in Toyosu, people eagerly buy strawberries, priced at 600 yen per piece. The strawberries, named Kotohime, are a new breed created by a young farmer in 2021.

There is also a complaint about tourism pollution, but the warmth brought by tourists is spreading to small cities. As famous tourist destinations are crowded, more and more people want to visit places with fewer tourists, triggering a virtuous cycle boosting local economies. This is why we should not just watch the popularity of tourism in the neighboring country.