JAL, JR Tokai team up to boost inbound tourist demand
TOKYO —
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai) have decided to team up to stimulate demand and boost visitor numbers to Japan, JAL said Friday.
From July 1, with support from JAPANiCAN.com - a JTB Group travel website for overseas travelers planning to visit Japan - passengers who purchase their air tickets to Japan through JAL’s international websites can navigate to a tour page where they can purchase a JR Shinkansen Tour to such destinations as Kyoto or Takayama by the high-speed railway trains well-known worldwide as bullet trains or shinkansen.
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15 Comments
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Kwaabish
If JR Tokai wants to help, it could start by allowing Japan Rail Pass users to use the Nozomi Shinkansens. The current limit of only Hikari and Kodama is relatively inconvenient compared to the frequency of the Nozomi in any given hour.
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ichinensei
I totally agree with the Nozomi comment. You cant take a train from Tokyo to Hiroshima without changing trains on the Hikari. So annoying. Also, there arent too many tourists anyways, so I dont understand why they cant let us on the Nozomi
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NeoJamal
They can help JAL by raising Shinkansen fares by 100%
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Kwaabish
Neo, how would that make coming to Japan attractive if the travel cost within Japan goes up? Plus, ANA has more extensive network of dometic routes, so that price hike would likely help ANA (or even Star Flyer, et. al.) more than JAL.
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bcbrownboy
Japan inc. should just forget it. The whole country is anti-tourist, and left in the China dust.
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NeoJamal
The what now?
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Fadamor
Neo, I'll take it one step further... How does raising the Shinkansen fares by 100% help JAL? Most people aren't going to go through the hassle of airport security just to go from Tokyo to Kyoto and points South.
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stirfry
the time to do this was 25 years ago. For tourists coming from north america and europe, for roughly the same flight time, there are much better plpaces to go...Thailand, HK, Singapore, Malaysia...what's better in Japan than those other places ? Sightseeing...nope...shopping...nope...eating...nope...beaches...nope
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pawatan
Sorry, I totally disagree. I've been to all those places (and lived in a few of them), and Japan is much better both as a tourist destination and especially as a place to live. Sure, Thailand and Malaysia beat Japan on beaches (well, you have to work at it with Malaysia, it's not like there's good beaches in KL or something) but Japan has much more to offer a tourist than HK or Singapore.
Once you've spent the 2-3 days shopping and seeing the sights in either of those, what left is there?
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JohnBecker
As someone who has traveled to Japan twice as a tourist, I can say that I never had any trouble coming up with things to see or do, or with getting there. Never a problem with the Tokyo subways, with the shinkansen, or even with a little streetcar-sized train bumbling through backyards to get from Matsumoto station to Ooniwa station on my way to the Japan Ukiyo-E Museum.
For my last visit, I got a 3-week JR Pass that was a bargain at about $520. I didn't mind using the Hikari trains; I just made sure I had a schedule and used it. Traveling from Hiroshima to Tokyo, I didn't feel it was a hardship to have to change trains in Osaka. I took the opportunity to buy a bento lunch right on the platform. (Sure, it's not gourmet food, but whatever.) Riding the rails in Japan is an endless pleasure for someone like me, who can't even consider using trains to get around in his home country (U.S.).
Japan is not anti-tourist. In the 5 weeks I've spent there over two visits (as a tourist), I've felt absolutely coddled. I never had a language problem, and I don't know much more than "sumimasen" and "...wa doku desu ka". Anywhere I went, I ran into people who were willing and able to help when I needed it. And they almost always spoke just enough English (or considerably more) to answer a question or help me get my bearings. When I was trying to find a particular shop somewhere between Ginza and Shinagawa stations, a flower shop manager who didn't speak any English at all walked me a block and a half to where I was going. And he was happy to do it. That's just one example of many, and that's one of the reasons why I love visiting Japan.
Anyone who thinks Japan is anti-tourist or has nothing to see or do is just wrong. I'm sorry that your "honeymoon" period has ended. Mine, thankfully, continues unabated.
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stirfry
@ patawan: we'll agree to disagree then..i've lived in sing, hk, bangkok, phnom penh, tokyo, and in my opinion tokyo is last on that list, and i mention that to anyone who's thinking of making a trip to asia
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bcbrownboy
JohnBecker - so nice to read your fresh comments. Cmon back.
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mrsynik
JR Tokai need to advertise in English on their website that they do run other trains besides the Shinkansen. I recently took a trip on the Hida that runs on the Takayama Main Line - a trip I would have found difficult to find if didn't live here and or didn't know enough Japanese to work out a timetable.
Agree totally about the Nozomi's and the passes. I use them semi-frequently to go to Kansai, and usually never have a problem finding a seat in Jiyuseki. Maybe just restrict them in heavy periods instead.
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Mittsu
Japan is may have lots to see or do, but it is not very tourist friendly and is wiildly overpriced for pretty poor service and amenities.
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Kwaabish
Mittsu,
My general thought is that for the pricing, the services are pretty good and there are plenty of amenities. Hotels are a prime example. I rarely have to pack anything when I stay at hotels in Japan and I get great service... and they absolutely refuse to accept any tips. (ryokans are different, I'll tip the girl who attends to the room, but again, very friendly and personalized service).
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