Hiroshima Attraction Leads Japan in Rankings

With the internet and social media becoming an integral part of global travel -- especially in Japan where online bookings now rival those generated at brick-and-mortar travel agencies -- what are visitors from overseas saying online about their travels in Japan?

According TripAdvisor’s 2012 Rankings of the Top 20 Must-see Attractions in Japan by Foreign Visitors, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum ranks at the top of their selections. Said UpgradeMeNow in its review: “U.S. tourists to Japan should make every effort to include this on their trip.”

Ranked second is the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Kanagawa Prefecture. “A trip to Hakone will never be complete without a visit to Hakone’s Open Air Museum,” wrote reviewer daemonita.

The Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto Prefecture, made even more popular after being featured in the 2005 U.S. movie “Memoirs of a Geisha,” is third. “My absolute favorite site in Kyoto! It is amazing! It’s a paradise for photographers,” said another reviewer. Other rankings are as follow:

1. 4) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Miyajima (Hiroshima Prefecture)
2. 5) Iwatayama Monkey Park (Kyoto Prefecture)
3. 6) Kenrokuen Garden (Ishikawa Prefecture)
4. 7) Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu (Hokkaido Prefecture)
5. 8) Kinkaku-ji (Kyoto Prefecture)
6. 9) Todaiji (Nara Prefecture)
7. 10) Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto)
8. 11) Arashiyama (Kyoto)
9. 12) Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama (Gifu Prefecture)
10. 13) Nikko Toshogu Shrine (Tochigi Prefecture)
11. 14) Glibli Museum, Mitaka (Tokyo Prefecture)
12. 15) Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo Disney Sea (Chiba Prefecture)
13. 16) Naritasan Shinshoji Shrine (Chiba Prefecture)
14. 17) Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Okinawa Prefecture)
15. 18) Nanzenji Shrine (Kyoto Prefecture)
16. 19) Hakone Ropeway (Kanagawa Prefecture)
17. 20) Matsumoto Castle (Nagano Prefecture)

Five of the top 20 attractions are in Kyoto, underscoring the ancient city’s long-standing appeal among foreign travelers.

JATA ‘TABIHAKU’ 2013 to Soar in Scope, Size

Japan's largest travel fair, the JATA “TABIHAKU” Travel Showcase 2013 will run from Sept. 12 to Sept. 15 at the Tokyo Big Sight with the biggest total floor space ever, an increase of 33.75%.

The event -- focusing not only on promoting outbound travel but also in encompassing inbound and domestic travel

-- is designed to further boost overall tourism. Under this major umbrella, the event will consist of the following four functions: (1) the Travel Showcase; (2) International Tourism Forum, where industry experts will discuss the development of the tourism industry; (3) International Business Meetings for inbound and outbound sellers and buyers from all over the world and Japan to network and generate new business; and (4) Commendation Awards, given to companies, organizations and individuals with outstanding contributions, promotions and achievements in the travel industry in Japan.

In 2012, the JATA “TABIHAKU” welcomed some 708 companies and organizations from some 156 countries and regions, generating a total of 125,989 visitors, an all-time high record. With the event expanding from three to four halls and growing from 25,690 sq. meters in 2012 to a total of 34,360 sq. meters of floor space -- the largest ever in its history -- JATA anticipates the numbers of exhibitors and buyers as well as visitors to surpass those of the previous year.

In a departure from previous years, where events were in different areas of Big Sight, this year all programs -- from formal events, opening ceremonies, the International Business Meetings and Tourism Forum to the Travel Showcase -- will be centralized under one roof in the exhibition hall for enhanced cohesiveness.

An Asian Market Analysis, which will look at the tourism markets as well as the political environment in key Asian countries, will be introduced as a fixture of JATA International Tourism Forum from this year and in the years to come. Tourism leaders from various East Asian markets will be invited to this event.

This year “TABIHAKU” will expand business opportunities as well as offer more exhibitor booths for inbound tourism. With stepped-up promotions of Face-to-Face meetings with inbound businesses, participants will be able to gain more benefits. This will further build the three sectors of the travel industry: outbound, inbound and domestic.

A special area, known as Travel Bazaar, will be featured this year where travel products by travel companies will be available for sale on Sept. 14 and 15 in East Hall 6.

Japan Tourism by Numbers

Sky Tree Brings Tokyo to New Heights

Jutting some 634 meters above the ground, Tokyo Sky Tree opened May 22, 2012 and by the end of the year handled more than 4 million visitors from Japan and throughout the world.

It is the world’s tallest free-standing tower, and the second-highest in the world as a structure, after the Burj Khalifa, which stands 829.8 meters.

While built to relay television and radio broadcast signals, Sky Tree has become a big tourist draw, boasting two observation decks, one at 350 meters and another 100 meters higher.

At the base of the tower sits Sky Tree Solamachi, a large shopping, dining and entertainment complex, with more than 300 establishments, original shops and restaurants. Within the complex includes a large food market and food court. Also, it includes the Sumida Aquarium boasting over 10,000 sea creatures. Its 350,000-liter tank makes it the largest indoor tank in Japan.

Japan: A Culture of Convenience,From Vending Machines to ‘Kombini’

Japan is sometime described as a land of convenience because of the plethora of convenience stores (kombini) and automatic vending machines available.

According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there is a vending machine for every 23 people in Japan. In 2011, the latest year statistics are available, 5,084,340 vending machines nationwide generated 5.30 billion yen in sales.

Everything from beverages (including alcoholic), hot and cold foods to clothing, DVDs and made-in-Japan souvenirs are sold.

Soft drink machines totaling 2,146,600 in number pulled in 1.89 billion in sales, down 3.6% from the previous year due to the March 11, 2011 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear challenges.

While nearly all categories showed lower sales, vending machine-operated coin lockers boasted a 10.5% jump in sales.

The convenience store culture, or Kombini culture, also continues to surge, as more people rely on them for its 24-hour convenience as a one-stop shop for everything from daily necessities, hot and cold foods, magazines to fax-and-copier, bill-payment and shipping services.

A key to their success is the way they focus on marketing, catering to consumer needs, such as preparing warmer foods on cold days, or having umbrellas before it rains.

In 1974, there were 1,000 convenience stores, with the number climbing to 45,769 in 2011, according to the Japan Franchise Association.

Outbound Travel Tops All-time Count in 2012

Outbound travel surged to an all-time record of 18,490,638 in 2012, climbing 8.81%, despite a shaky final quarter. The old record of 17,818,590 was set 12 years earlier when Japan was seen as a major market of inbound tourism for many countries.

Japan continues to be a source of tourism for many countries though the focus now appears to have shifted to China, where outbound tourism is booming by double-digit figures. Asian and European destinations reported either record levels of Japanese visitors or the best showing in post-Lehman Brothers crisis since 2008, underscoring Japan’s long-standing role as a key tourism source market.

For example, Thailand, after several years of facing downturns due to political crises and flood problems, welcomed a record 1,371,253 Japanese visitors while Taiwan also celebrated with 1,443,009 arrivals from Japan, the second consecutive year of record highs.

South Korea, despite facing double-digit declines in the last quarter, boasted a new record of 3,518,791 visitors from its neighbor, also the second straight year of record levels.

Hawaii (1,439,669, +15.93%) showed its highest count since 2005, along with Guam, which handled 1,432,981 arrivals, up 15.40%).

The Nordic countries of Finland 176,936, +20.83%) and Iceland (30,903, +78.90%) both benefited from the ongoing popularity of the Northern Lights as they welcomed record numbers.

Spain recorded its third-highest count since the record-setting 1,228,190 (bednights) in 2000, reflecting its recovery from the impact of the Lehman Brothers downturn seen in 2009.

However, the last four months of 2012 posted negative figures due to the impact of the Japan-China and Japan-South Korea territorial disputes, undermining what would have been an even stronger year.

Overall traffic from Japan in the final quarter slipped 3.03% due to the disputes. The China-South Korea duo commanded some 38.05% or 7,036,991 of the 18,490,638 Japanese travelers that went overseas in 2012, an overwhelming share that can easily sway market growth.

China showed a 4.67% growth in the first three quarters but saw it plunge 27.16% in the final quarter, ending the year with 3,518,200, down 3.81%. Meanwhile, South Korea had a 19.60% surge during the same three quarters but saw numbers fall 23.12% in the final quarter. A strong early performance helped overcome the deficit to help arrivals climb to a record 3,518,791, up 6.98%.

With widespread news exposure of anti-Japan protests in China, consumer demand for travel to China weakened, prompting airlines to either downsize operations or cancel flights from Japan.

Travel agents, facing waves of cancellations, began promoting travel to other destinations, including those in Asia, away from the hotspots.

Looking beyond the territorial disputes affecting outbound travel (also inbound travel to some extent), still for most destinations recognize the untapped potential of the Japanese market as the number in 2012 represents only 14.59% of Japan’s 126.65 million population.

Did You Know?

- Japan is ranked 20th in the world along with India in the combined total number of annual leave and public holidays its workers have in a year at 26 days. Russia is ranked first with 40, followed by Italy and Sweden both with 36, then Finland, France, Norway and Brazil, all with 35. In contrast, Canada and Mexico, both receive the lowest amount of holiday allowance, with workers receiving 15 and 13 days, respectively, according to research by Hotels.com's 2013 release.

- Kansai Airport in Osaka will handle 712 weekly international flights during the 2013 summer schedule (four fewer than in 2012), with 179 connecting to South Korea and 201 to China.

- The most popular purpose for Japanese traveling overseas in 2012 was to "eat good food," according to the AB-Road Research Center, commanding a share of 50.3%. This was higher than in 2011 (47.2%) and 2010 (48.6%). This could attest to the popularity of food and dining magazines, including the annual Michelin Tokyo Restaurant Guide, which awarded a total of 32 restaurants in the country its top accolade of three stars. In Japan, there are 32 three-star restaurants, more than France, which has 25. There are around 160,000 restaurants in Tokyo, compared with about 40,000 in Paris.

- Of APAC countries, Japan generates 45% of the total US$70.6 billion generated through online travel sales, according to PhoCusWright. In Japan, the estimated online travel sales reached US$29 billion, of which 37% were for airlines, 34% for lodging and 17% for Shinkansen services.

- Japan Airlines had the largest number of air seats on international routes from Japan with a 13.10% share (95,933 a week) during the winter 2012-2013 season. It was followed by All Nippon Airways' 11.21% (82,087) and Korean Air's 8.22% (60,153). In all there were 732,172 seats available each week on 4,946 flights. Of that, 1,253 were for bound for China.

- Narita Airport, which handles about 44% of all Japanese travelers heading abroad, projects it will accommodate some 37 million passengers (outbound, inbound and domestic combined) passing through its facilities by the year 2015, up from the estimated 33.86 million in 2012.

Calendar of Events

April 19-May 12: Hiroshima. The National Confectionary Exposition is the largest confectionary fair in Japan, held once approximately every 4 years in various locations throughout Japan. Along with passing the history and culture of confectionaries along to the next generation, it also serves in promoting the confectionary industry and related industries, and invigorating the economy of the host area. Venue: Grounds of the Former Hiroshima Municipal Baseball Stadium, Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center and surrounding areas.
http://www.kashihaku2013.jp/en/

April 26- Sept. 16: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama.The Great Japan Beer Festival 2013 is currently held at five different venues on five different dates in Japan, offering the public an alternative to mainstream beers from huge breweries. There will be more than 120 different craft beers to sample at each festival location, some of which cannot be found anywhere else.
http://www.beertaster.org/index-e.html

April 26-28, Tokyo MidTown Hall
June 1-2, Tokyo, Ebisu Garden Hall
July 13-15, Osaka, Kyosera Dome, Sky Hall
Aug. 3-4, Nagoya, Nagoya International Congress, Shirotori Hall
Sept. 14-16 Yokohama, Osanbashi Hall at Yokohama Port