The popularity of Japanese tourism continues to grow in China. The number of Chinese visitors to Japan from January to November increased by 14% year-on-year to 8.88 million, approaching the 10 million mark for 2019. However, the pace has slowed in comparison to 2014-15 due to competition from other countries in Asia and Europe. When Chinese tourists were interviewed about their travels to Japan, the chief complaints were the difficulty in making hotel reservations and that the tax refund procedures are too complicated.

"Tour group in front of Kaminarimon, Senso-ji" by Andrea Schaffer is licensed under CC 2.0 

"The Lunar New Year Japan Tour has almost sold out," stated a representative of Guangzhou International Travel Agency in Guangdong Province in southern China during an interview with the Nikkei. In China, the 2020 Lunar New Year holiday begins in late January, but many people booked their trips in October. The most popular destination for this year has been Osaka.

■ Visits to the Kansai Region Increasing

The number of visitors from China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong) has been steadily increasing in recent years. There was a decrease around the year 2012, when large-scale anti-Japanese demonstrations continued over the Senkaku Islands, but the number of Chinese visitors began to grow again in 2014. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), it was 8.38 million in 2018, more than tripled from 2.4 million in 2014.

Japan is a popular vacation destination among Chinese tourists alongside Thailand. Chinese tourists have come to visit not only Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hokkaido but also Kyushu and Shikoku for a wide range of reasons, but mainly because flights are relatively cheap and they want to experience the unique Japanese culture. In the past, the majority of visitors came from Beijing and Shanghai, but in recent years those from southern China, namely Guangdong, have led the pack.

Despite the impressive numbers, overall growth in the number of Chinese visitors to Japan is slowing, and competition for Chinese tourists is intensifying. Lately countries such as Thailand and Vietnam have been focusing on attracting Chinese tourists. For this reason, Japan has also stepped up its efforts to woo the Chinese, with both public and private organizations. The Japan National Tourism Organization opened an office in Guangzhou this December. This is the organization's third location in mainland China, after Beijing and Shanghai. The plan is to strengthen the dissemination of Japanese tourism information in southern China and extend support to travel agencies.

image via public domain

Japan Travel Bureau's local subsidiary in Guangzhou, JTB Guangzhou, has begun providing full-scale support for visiting Japan since 2018 and is increasing the number of seminars that convey the know-how of attracting customers to tourism-related companies such as hotels and inns in Japan. When Akiji Tsujimoto, president of the JTB, surveyed Chinese tourists who visited Japan, overall they were satisfied with their experience but did come across some problems.

Liang, a 29-year-old woman who works in finance in Foshan, Guangdong, traveled to Kyushu with her friends in February 2008 and said, "Japanese hotel websites are hard for foreigners to use." She planned to go to Mount Aso and enjoy the hot springs. However, to make a reservation at the hotel site would have required her to register a Japanese phone number and address, which she did not have. She was left unable to book a hotel and stated: "It can be difficult to find accommodation in rural areas."

Chen, a 31-year-old woman who works for an IT company in Guangzhou, plans to travel to Tokyo and Hokkaido with her family during the Spring Festival of 2020. She said that the visa process was too complicated, "It was difficult to submit all of the required information for the visa. It was much easier to get a visa to Korea,” she stated.

■ Cultural Differences Lead to Confusion

Chen, a 31-year-old man who works in Chengdu, visits Japan two or three times a year for sightseeing. Although he was satisfied with his trip, he was disappointed with the transportation options. "Trains are virtually the only means of transportation for foreign tourists because taxis are too expensive. There are also too many types of trains, such as JR, subway, regular, limited express, and semi-express, making it difficult to know which train you're supposed to catch. There are many Chinese tourists but few signs in Chinese to help us."

Some complaints arise from differences in lifestyle. In China, it's the norm to drink hot tea instead of cold tea when eating. Chen, a 28-year-old woman who works at a pet hospital in Guangzhou, traveled to Tokyo and Hokkaido in mid-December, but said, "There was no hot tea at restaurants, so I brought my own hot water in a bottle and carried it with me."

"Japanese sign" by shankar s. is licensed under CC 2.0 

A 20-year-old woman working in Shanghai, who asked not to be named, stated, "There are no forks in the cup noodles!" Chinese instant cup noodles usually have a plastic fork inside the cup, but by the time the woman realized the difference in Japan, it was too late; alternatively, she was forced to fabricate chopsticks with two toothbrushes from her hotel room. Other complaints were that there are too few trash cans on the street and you don't know which container you should use to dispose of your trash.

Chinese tourists account for about 30% of all foreign visitors to Japan. Excessive reliance on China can be a risk, but efforts to capture growing demand are essential. 2020 will see Japan once again host the Olympic Games. If Japan wants to maintain its growing spot as a top tourist destination its vital for Japan to cater not only to Chinese tourists but all potential visitors that are eyeing a trip to Japan in the coming years.

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