Job Discussion Forums

[matador]

Just wondering really, I notice that places such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc always push themselves on TV, in magazines, etc with glossy advertising campaigns to attract tourists.

Japan does not (as much...).

I agree Japan is more expensive than other countries...but other `expensive' countries such as US, Australia, UK, etc all seem to push themselves a lot more than Japan.

At the same time there seems to be a HUGE amount of marketing to encourage Japanese people to vacation in Japan.

Is it that Japan does not want a lot of foreigners tramping around their country or am I misreading this?

[nonsmoker]

In my opinion, the Japanese tourist bureau is aware of the fact that Japan has a certain 'natural allure' that will attract foreigners. Why spend money on advertising if people will come anyway? Just my 2 cents.

[furiousmilksheikali]

I think you could be right, matador. I am not sure exactly why Japan is so poor at marketing itself as a tourist destination but it is.

I know a woman who works for Japan's tourist board and she also says that it is either run incompetently or deliberately underplays its tourist potential. She once asked me "Do you know the 'Yokoso Japan' campaign?" I said that I did but didn't think much of it. "Do you think people abroad will have heard of it?" I said I doubt it very much. "Do you know the name of the Malaysia campaign?" I said, yes everyone knows that. "Exactly".

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

I think it's because less rich countries make a huge percentage of their gross budget from tourists from rich countries. Japanese people are some of those tourists, and the goverment wants to keep them here.

Japan, OTOH, has tonnes of rich people (And because Japan has an ageing population, an increasing percentage of those people are free much of the time) within its borders and also recognizes that it can actually be a lot harder for foreign tourists here than in other countries, because the average English level here is so very low compared to that of other countries.

Your list of other rich countries are all English speaking ones, and it is assumed that people study English and therefore will be able to function to some degree as travellers in English speaking countries. It is assumed people do not study Japanese, and that because Japanese is often written in tiny little pictures instead of anything that can be looked up easily in a cheap bilingual dictionary, it can be very, very difficult for people to travel in Japan. In Thailand, you can get by with English alone.

[nonsmoker]

[furiousmilksheikali]

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[JimDunlop2]

Now I'm going to have the "Malaysia -- truly Asia" song stuck in my head all day.

No, seriously... I just think that Japan doesn't really want/need the tourism or tourist dollars. They pay it lip service at best. You will find that many of the poorer countries, where a dollar actually makes a pretty big difference are really going to go after tourism as a viable industry.

As far as Japan goes, we're talking about a country that has hosted many important international events... Right now, I can think of: Olympics, FIFA World Cup, World Expo, just to name a few... But still, Japan seems to be no more "internationalized" than it was decades ago.

So to answer the question, no... I don't think Japan really IS a tourist destination. And if they want to make it one, they've got a long, long, long ways to go.

[JaredW]

Being a teacher in California I come across people (especially students) that say that they want to go to Japan. As another poster said, Japan has a natural allure. The anime culture among young kids is big here, and they want to go for that reason. And many adults ask a lot of questions when I tell them I lived in Japan for a couple of years.

However, a lot of people have reservations to travel to Japan because of a fear of the language, getting lost, and not knowing what Japan has to offer. When people choose Paris, everyone wants to see the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower. When people choose England, it's Big Ben, Parliament, and the castles in Scotland. China has the Great Wall. But, people don't know what Japan has to offer.

[seanmcginty]

Though I don't necessarily agree with everything he writes, I think Alex Kerr summed it up best when he pointed to Japan being just a really ugly country as the reason why it isn't much of a tourist destination.

I love Japan, but I have to admit that it is an ugly country. The cities are grey and crowded, most of the traditional architecture has been obliterated and the natural beauty has been submersed in concrete. If I had to choose a holiday destination, Japan would rank pretty low on my list just for that.

[kdynamic]

Japan is expensive and next to impossible to travel in as a tourist not knowing the language. Unless you have a very specific reason to come here, why would you when you can go to dozens of places in Asia that are cheaper, more beautiful, have better weather, are friendlier, and are infinitely easier to get around in as a traveller because they have people who speak English and services catering to the tourist industry?

Even the best Japan has to offer is not as good as the alternatives in other Asian countries. For big cities, high tech, etc, go to Taiwan, Singapore, etc. For history and big castles and stuff, China. Okinawa's beaches will never compete with Thailand, etc. Even if you're looking for karaoke, purikura, maid cafes, anime, and video games, you can do it all cheaper in Seoul than Tokyo.

The reason why Japan doesn't take the steps it needs to in order to attract tourists are basically economic. As someone said, Japan doesn't need the tourist dollars.

Japan is a desination for international events like conferences, sporting events, the world's fair, etc. It's also, of course, a hub for business travellers. But as far as tourism goes they are lightyears away from being a realistic major destination.

[Nismo]

[southofreality]

There's a decent-sized group of 'part-time' tourists here. They're mostly 20-something and young-at-heart 30-something men and women who 'teach' English for a year and then split.

[matador]

Japan SHOULD be at least a second tier tourist destination: Safe, clean, efficient, good service, etc. (Spend a week in Shanghai and you will realize how important those things are!).

I do not think its a major priority for the Japanese govt. They do (as previously mentioned) pay it lip service...but thats about it.

Manufacturing...research and development...these are the priorities.

Malaysia truly asia....

[japanman]