Travel in Japan
Discover Japan - Travel in Japan
WANTED: 10 Million Tourists!
The emergence of Japan on the international stage in the form of animation and movies, and the explosion in popularity of Japanese cuisine and culture around the globe has been largely responsible for the record number of foreign tourists coming to Japan. Unfortunately the 5.34 million foreigners who visited Japan in 2002 was less than a third of the 16 million Japanese who traveled abroad during the same year. To address this imbalance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2003 launched the "Visit Japan Campaign" and declared its objective - increase the number of tourists to 10 million by 2010.
Yokoso
If this is your first trip to Tokyo - yokoso! This means "welcome," and is the Japanese way of inviting you to their home, Japan. Your first stop will be the capital city of Tokyo, home to over 12 million people and many fascinating and mouthwatering sights and smells. There is something for everyone in this throbbing Asian metropolis and the heavenly food is not the only attraction that will whet your appetite.
Many tourists visit the well worn tracks of Hakone (where Mt Fuji is nearly located), Kyoto and Nikko. Did you know there is world class skiing to be enjoyed in Nagano, wild adventure sports in Hokkaido and superb diving experiences to be enjoyed in Okinawa?
To prevent you from mixing your sumo and sashimi, geisha and kaisha, The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) is here to give you a helping hand. This very useful organization has been at the leading edge of promoting Japan to the world through various activities overseas and tourism promotion activities in Japan. JNTO operates Tourist Information Centers (TIC) and Tourist Information Offices throughout Japan for foreign visitors, consolidates reception facilities for visitors, and promotes international conventions and trade fairs.
Their website is easy to navigate and jammed full of useful information, travel tips and regional guides that are certain to prove invaluable. You can search for a wide range of accommodation all over Japan by room type, price and location. If you want to sample the delights of Japanese cuisine but are not quite sure what that strange looking food on your plate is, JNTO's 'EATING OUT' guide offers ample information ranging from dish descriptions to where to eat, to how to eat and drink in ways that will not offend the locals.
Want to travel? Getting around is a breeze - Japan has one of the worlds most efficient and highly developed transportation systems in the world. Need a timetable? What's that? Trains in many city stations arrive every few minutes so there's no need to wait long. JNTO's website will help you plan your trip so you won't get lost. If that wasn't enough, JNTO can provide you with Goodwill Guides who take
overseas tourists to local sightseeing spots all over Japan free of charge.
Meet the Japanese at home-Home Visit System in Japan
Your most memorable experience in Japan could well come from meeting local people who can interpret the meaning of their customs and lifestyle. There are many ways to get in touch with the local people, but visiting a family would undoubtedly be the best because home life is the most illustrative aspect of traditions of a certain country. This is particularly true in Japan where the family has long been the core of the development of its culture and tradition.
The Home Visit System, designed to offer you as the foreign visitor a chance to visit a Japanese family at home, has been operated in 13 cities including Narita, Yokohama, Nagoya, Otsu, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Kurashiki, Okayama, Hiroshioma, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki. In these 13 cities, there are about 800 families in total, voluntarily receiving foreign guests into their homes for visits without any
monetary compensation. English is spoken by most of the host families and some of the family members also speak French, German and other languages.
One closing thought - Do you want to know why Japanese people are so slim? Ahah! You'll have to stay for a few weeks and find the answer for yourself.
JNTO: http://www.jnto.go.jp
Visit Japan Campaign: http://www.vjc.jp/
Yokoso Japan: http://www.japanwelcomesyou.com/cssweb/
(From October Issue 2004)
