A record-high number of people in Japan are expected to take trips during an upcoming spring break. But they’re expected to spend less, amid economic uncertainty.Major travel agency JTB estimates that nearly 24 million people will head for domestic and overseas destinations from late April to early May.The figure is up 0.3 percent from a […]
Japanese officials plan to increase foreign language signage at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to help visitors from abroad.Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono made the remarks on Wednesday. He was visiting the site to see how well the facility is prepared for foreign visitors.Government officials plan to attract more international tourists to the palace by […]
The Kyoto Imperial Palace has opened to the public for its annual spring showing.About 850 people lined up before its opening at 9 AM on Wednesday. The palace was the official residence of Japanese emperors for more than 500 years until the late 19th Century.Visitors are usually required to get advanced permission to enter, but […]
Japan’s largest expressway bus terminal opened at the south exit of East Japan Railway Co.’s Shinjuku Station in central Tokyo on Monday. The terminal, used by 118 bus operators, connects 39 prefectures from Aomori to Fukuoka. The number of daily bus arrivals and departures reaches up to 1,625, the biggest number in Japan. The Land, […]
The proportion of students in Japanese public high schools who have achieved certain English proficiency levels has fallen short of a government target, according to an education ministry survey disclosed Monday. As of Dec 1, 34.3% of third-year senior high school students had a “pre-2” grade or higher in the “Eiken” Test in Practical English […]
The newly-renovated feudal-era Himeji Castle was the most popular fortress destination in Japan last fiscal year.More than 2.86 million people visited the castle in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, in the 12 months ending in March.The most popular destination previously was Kumamoto Castle in southwestern Japan. Foreign tourists to Himeji Castle accounted for over 306,000 visitors. […]
Revelers carried giant phalluses through the streets of Kawasaki on Sunday to worship the humble penis and fertility in one of the world’s most unusual festivals. Size matters at the Shinto Kanamara Matsuri, where groups of locals parade three heavy phalluses around the city — the biggest as tall as a full-grown man. Giggling festival-goers, […]
The number of foreign students enrolled in Japan rose 13.2% in 2015 from the year prior, with a dramatic increase in students from Vietnam and Nepal, according to data from the Japan Student Services Organization out Thursday. According to JASSO, an independent administrative body affiliated with the education ministry, 208,379 foreign students were enrolled in […]
A 15-year-old high school boy drowned Sunday after the boat he and three former classmates were aboard capsized in a moat surrounding Takada Park in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, where hundreds of people had converged to view cherry blossoms in full bloom. Hikaru Iguchi disappeared at around 6:15 p.m. A teenage witness said the four were rocking […]
The Japanese government is introducing 15 symbols to mark police boxes, hotels and other facilities on foreign tourist maps.The Geospatial Information Authority responded to complaints that some Japanese symbols are difficult for foreigners to understand because they are different from those used overseas.The national mapping body made the move as Japan gears up for the […]
