Number of overseas visitors to Japan declines

Wednesday 26th November, 05:07 AM JST

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Samuraiiki at 07:12 PM JST - 26th November

Duhh... What do you expect?
Samuraiiki at 07:14 PM JST - 26th November

I think somebody must publish a book about why you should not visit Japan and reasons for not buying Japanese goods. Translated to like all major languages. So that they feel the pinch.
outofmydepth at 07:34 PM JST - 26th November

somewhere, yesterday, i read that 53 percent of japanese dont want foreign tourists - they disturb the wa. hey, theyll take the money, though.
PleasureGelf at 09:28 PM JST - 26th November

Well, what do you expect when you treat visitors like lepers and criminals.

Some people will trash Japan for anything. Dudes, fingerprinting didn't scare off visitors to Japan, high airticket prices and strong yen did.
BlackFlag at 10:33 PM JST - 26th November

BlackFlag: I don't think I've ever been to a Japanese station that doesn't have a lift (elevator).

I can show you plenty, ride the chiyoda line
kokuryu at 04:52 AM JST - 27th November

I know that I cancelled my plans to visit Japan twice for this year already, and will probably have to cancel all plans for out of the US trips for next year as well too.
zaichik at 05:01 AM JST - 27th November

I broke my foot 9 years ago and it was then that I became aware of the lack of lifts and escalators in Japanese stations, not only in Niigata where I was living, but even in Tokyo and Kyoto, where I happened to visit while I was recovering. There has been a lot of progress with station upgrades since then, but I can believe that there are still many that are far from being "barrier-free".

However, I would imagine that the primary reason for the fall in visitors is, as others have suggested, the endaka situation - it's a good time to be living overseas and being paid in yen, but not a good time to be changing foreign currency into yen.
bdiego at 09:19 AM JST - 27th November

I have to back up LostinNagoya on the racial profiling for ID checks. I've been stopped 7 times in Tokyo, always at a JR station on a weekday when it's not rush hour. It was always me over and over, nobody else. My record was twice in 10 minutes at Gotanda.

To be fair, it's not just racial profiling. They also stop otaku and anyone carrying a large bag. Some otaku even have websites where they write "sorry" on paper and put it into their backpack, and have a friend photograph the confused policemen who find it during a search.

To me this isn't Japan being racist, it's the Tokyo mayor and his police force that's racist. I've been everywhere from Sendai to Fukuoka and never had this happen anywhere else. The stations were: Gotanda (multiple times), Ikebukuro, Yurakucho, and Ueno in 2006 and 2007. All the police were undercover, and one even assaulted me to stop me (I thought he was a bum asking for something and kept walking). Most Japanese are not racist, it's individuals like these and the mayor of Tokyo.

I came back to the States and researched, and found out that besides race, they profile on stereotypes like otaku. I assume they're looking out for bombs and illegal immigrants.

The moment they realized I was a tourist (I was always on my 1st or 2nd week in Japan on vacation), they completely lost interest in me and sometimes apologized. I found the best way to handle them is to immediately show them your passport - they aren't interested in Americans or tourists. Unfortunately my physical appearance isn't stereotypical American.

Excepting this one black mark, I have had very positive experiences in Japan. Anywhere except Tokyo, people bend over backwards to help you.
Proffessor at 02:45 PM JST - 27th November

Better countries to visit have sprung up world wide. The competition is getting tougher.
Osakadaz at 02:28 PM JST - 28th November

Japan is a delightful place with many fabulous experiences,but at the end of the day the Japanese people just do not speak English,Spanish,French,Chinese or Korean well enough to be a successful tourist destination in Asia.I say that with no bitterness at all.Most people will somehow get by,but if you find yourself with a big problem the lack of English speaking ability in Japan is going to be frustrating. Not so much so for Koreans and Chinese who can read some kanji,I would imagine.
ptolemy at 08:12 PM JST - 28th November

I think somebody must publish a book about why you should not visit Japan and reasons for not buying Japanese goods. Translated to like all major languages. So that they feel the pinch.

It would never be published the PC crowd in western nations would scream racism. Why would anyone come when 51% of J public polled said they worry about foreigners coming to Japan?

...but at the end of the day the Japanese people just do not speak English,Spanish,French,Chinese or Korean well enough to be a successful tourist destination in Asia.

Not to mention most don't want foreigners here to begin with even as tourists. It spoils uniquely unique Japan in their opinion.
Patrick Smash at 01:49 AM JST - 30th November

There are loads of reasons for this. I know people who won't visit because of fingerprinting, but I think that's a minor one. The strength of the yen, the price of Japan, and the lack of reasons to visit are the main ones. Japan needs to encourage tourism from within Asia, but there's not a lot to do, and many better places to visit at a better price.
elbudamexicano at 08:38 PM JST - 30th November

There are very nice Japanese, who like gaijins and then once in a while you have bad apples who probably met some rude, drunk Russians etc..and then said, AHA! All gaijins are barbarians! So please remember that when being a gaijin, here in Japan, try not to ruin it for the rest of us gaijins ok? I guess more Japanese, even the bad apples will have to like us sooner or later.
isthistheend at 12:52 AM JST - 1st December

I think the first thing the people here should do, but cannot is SMILE and say "Haro". Or simply just SMILE. That's enough! I remember getting in a train on the rush hour home, and everyone in the train was either sleeping or frowning. A foreign man had to sit across the aisle from his wife and children due to the crowd, but he just sat their smiling at his kids. It was such a contrast. Its almost like its ILLEGAL to smile here. I remember a story when a foreign ojisan winked and waved at the receptionist going into a company and was later reprimanded by the company he worked for not to do either from now on or he'd be removed from the job. And this is not just theo imagination of a demented foreigner. Recently, on the same train as mentioned above, one of those "local" lines off the main JR (good ruck on those trains), a native youngster got on with his parents, and immediately cried out "Minna san ga kowai desu". (Everyone here frightens me). I think this type of officially cardoned behavior takes the fun out of travel, which is to enjoy yourself while you spend your hard earned dough, no?
888naff at 02:09 AM JST - 3rd December

As Japanese are usually ranked the best visitors in other countries they visit, then visa versa Japanese might have some doubts about tourists that come to their country. Anyway I think it would be bad for Japan to become a tourist hotspot... it could spoil the place. Just look at examples in Europe where some towns are invaded by tourists without any care for how they behave or treat the place. We on holiday so lets get drunk and obnoxious and behave the hell we like.