Record Number of Visitors to Japan in 2007

Last year the number of visitors to Japan hit a record high of 8.3 million, a 13.8% increase on 2007 visitor numbers.

Mt. Fuji

The rising euro and Chinese yuan, along with years of flat or slipping prices in Japan, means Japan is now more affordable for many to visit than it ever has been in the past. Japanese pop culture has also attracted new visitors to Japan. Young tourists are flocking to Harajuku to see and buy the latest in Japanese youth fashion and to Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, now considered a mecca for fans of Japanese manga comics and anime films.

Travellers from Asia accounted for about 70 percent of total visitors to Japan last year. Record high tourist numbers were seen from South Korea, at 2.6 million, and China with 943,000 visitors. Visitors from France were also the highest-ever, which JNTO said was helped by the publication of several guidebooks on Japan, including the Michelin guide to dining out in Tokyo, the first on an Asian city by the renowned French publication.

UK visitors to Japan in 2007 were up 2.5% to an all-time high of 221,945. This is considered to be due to a number of factors including: British airlines reducing their Japan fares; the pound being very strong against the yen throughout 2007; the F1 at Fuji Speedway in September attracting a high number of Europeans, particularly British car enthusiasts; and the bi-annual Tokyo Motor Show in October which also drew a high number of British car enthusiasts.

http://news.seejapan.co.uk/newsarticle.cfm?issueid=128&articleID=947&fm=1

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