Japan's Road to a Mega Tourist Destination
NISHIKAWA Megumi / Journalist
March 25, 2014
Last fall, some friends from France visited Japan for the first time. The couple – a lawyer and his wife – spent a week touring Kyoto, Osaka, Setouchi and Tokyo. I invited them for dinner in Tokyo and asked them about their impressions on the positive and negative aspects of Japan.
While I wasn't surprised to hear them mention cleanliness, hospitality and politeness as some of the positive aspects, I found it interesting that they also pointed out the "Japanese penchant for appreciating nature." The well-to-do couple had tried to reserve a first-class hotel in Kyoto, only to find the rooms were all booked. According to their guide, this was because of the autumn foliage season. "We discovered that the Japanese actually travel just to admire the autumn colors," they said. Come to think about it, the French do not have the habit of mobilizing en masse in spring or fall to appreciate natural beauty.
As for the negative aspects, they cited the difficulty of finding the right address. With address in hand, the couple had apparently gotten close to the Japanese restaurant they had in mind but could not find the exact location. Passersby were no help, either. In the end, they had to call the restaurant to come fetch them. Indeed, unlike the United States or Europe, where street addresses are inscribed on street signs, it is no easy feat for a foreigner to arrive at the right location in Japan based only on the area name and street address.
The couple also noticed that the Japanese avert their gaze to avoid eye contact, where it would be normal in Europe to smile at each other. "At first, we thought we must have done something offensive," they said. When I explained that the Japanese feel it is impolite to look directly into another's eyes, they were surprised by how cultures could differ even among Asians, because while they were in Shanghai the Chinese had returned their gaze with a smile.
We have entered an era of global mega-tourism, in which countries compete fiercely for tourists. As a broad-based industry, tourism has a substantial ripple effect on the economy, and each country is doing its best to attract tourists.
Last year, Japan received 10.36 million foreign visitors, the greatest number yet. However, 10 million is far too few for a country with the world's third largest economy. While France may be in a class of its own with 82 million visitors - amounting to 1.3 times its population, Japan ranks far below countries such as the U.K. and Germany, which enjoy 30 million visitors each. It even takes second billing to South Korea, which has less than half of Japan's population yet enjoys 12.18 million foreign visitors.
Why has Japan lagged so far behind in its government policy on tourism? For one, tourism involves all government agencies, and dynamic policy is only possible when strategies are formulated and pursued in a cross-sectional manner that transcends organizational divisions. Japan's vertically-segmented administrative system has not allowed for flexible collaboration.
Japan has also been lacking in the idea of developing tourism as a pillar of industry. Although it relaxed visa requirements for nationals of some Asian countries, much more work must be done to ease travel by foreigners. For example, Japan could create an enticing system for young people on low budgets who love to travel, offering them bargain deals on railway transport, lodging and entry into museums, etc.
Furthermore, Japan has sat complacently atop its wealth of tourist assets for too long. Atout France, a semi-private agency for promoting tourism, has overseas offices in 35 locations around the world. These outposts regularly collect advice on "what France should do to make people want to visit France" and on "shortfalls in French tourism policy" from a panel of advisors made up of journalists, travel companies and experts in each country, and provide feedback to their headquarters in Paris. Such is the ongoing effort that has rewarded France with 80 million visitors. However numerous a country's tourism assets may be, without an active effort people may come once but never become repeat visitors.
Whether Japan can attain its goal of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020 depends entirely on whether it has the will to overcome its shortcomings.
Megumi Nishikawa is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
While I wasn't surprised to hear them mention cleanliness, hospitality and politeness as some of the positive aspects, I found it interesting that they also pointed out the "Japanese penchant for appreciating nature." The well-to-do couple had tried to reserve a first-class hotel in Kyoto, only to find the rooms were all booked. According to their guide, this was because of the autumn foliage season. "We discovered that the Japanese actually travel just to admire the autumn colors," they said. Come to think about it, the French do not have the habit of mobilizing en masse in spring or fall to appreciate natural beauty.
As for the negative aspects, they cited the difficulty of finding the right address. With address in hand, the couple had apparently gotten close to the Japanese restaurant they had in mind but could not find the exact location. Passersby were no help, either. In the end, they had to call the restaurant to come fetch them. Indeed, unlike the United States or Europe, where street addresses are inscribed on street signs, it is no easy feat for a foreigner to arrive at the right location in Japan based only on the area name and street address.
The couple also noticed that the Japanese avert their gaze to avoid eye contact, where it would be normal in Europe to smile at each other. "At first, we thought we must have done something offensive," they said. When I explained that the Japanese feel it is impolite to look directly into another's eyes, they were surprised by how cultures could differ even among Asians, because while they were in Shanghai the Chinese had returned their gaze with a smile.
We have entered an era of global mega-tourism, in which countries compete fiercely for tourists. As a broad-based industry, tourism has a substantial ripple effect on the economy, and each country is doing its best to attract tourists.
Last year, Japan received 10.36 million foreign visitors, the greatest number yet. However, 10 million is far too few for a country with the world's third largest economy. While France may be in a class of its own with 82 million visitors - amounting to 1.3 times its population, Japan ranks far below countries such as the U.K. and Germany, which enjoy 30 million visitors each. It even takes second billing to South Korea, which has less than half of Japan's population yet enjoys 12.18 million foreign visitors.
Why has Japan lagged so far behind in its government policy on tourism? For one, tourism involves all government agencies, and dynamic policy is only possible when strategies are formulated and pursued in a cross-sectional manner that transcends organizational divisions. Japan's vertically-segmented administrative system has not allowed for flexible collaboration.
Japan has also been lacking in the idea of developing tourism as a pillar of industry. Although it relaxed visa requirements for nationals of some Asian countries, much more work must be done to ease travel by foreigners. For example, Japan could create an enticing system for young people on low budgets who love to travel, offering them bargain deals on railway transport, lodging and entry into museums, etc.
Furthermore, Japan has sat complacently atop its wealth of tourist assets for too long. Atout France, a semi-private agency for promoting tourism, has overseas offices in 35 locations around the world. These outposts regularly collect advice on "what France should do to make people want to visit France" and on "shortfalls in French tourism policy" from a panel of advisors made up of journalists, travel companies and experts in each country, and provide feedback to their headquarters in Paris. Such is the ongoing effort that has rewarded France with 80 million visitors. However numerous a country's tourism assets may be, without an active effort people may come once but never become repeat visitors.
Whether Japan can attain its goal of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020 depends entirely on whether it has the will to overcome its shortcomings.
Megumi Nishikawa is Expert Senior Writer on the Foreign News Desk at the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
観光大国・日本への道
西川 恵 / ジャーナリスト
2014年 3月 25日
昨秋のことだが、友人のフランス人弁護士夫婦が観光で初来日した。京都、大阪、瀬戸内、東京と回る１週間の旅。落ち合った東京で夕食に招き、日本のいい点、悪い点をたずねた。
いい点。清潔、親切、丁寧は予想通りだったが、「日本人の自然をめでる姿勢」になるほどと思わされた。裕福な夫婦は京都で高級ホテルを予約しようとしたが、すべて満室。ガイドに理由を聞くと紅葉シーズンだからという。「日本人は紅葉を鑑賞するためにわざわざ旅行すると知った」と夫婦。そういえばフランスには春や秋に、自然をめでるために大移動する習わしはない。
悪い点。「住所を探せない」。夫婦は目当ての日本料理店の住所を持って近くまで行ったが見つけ出すことができず、通行人に聞いても分からない。結局、店に電話して迎えに来てもらった。確かに道路に番地が記されている米欧と違い、町名と番地で場所を探し当てるのは外国人には至難のワザだ。
もう一つ。「目が合っても背ける。欧州では目が合えば互いにニッコリほほ笑むのに。最初は我々が不愉快なことでもしたかと思った」。日本人には目を見合うと失礼だという思いがあるとの説明に「上海では中国人はニッコリ笑い返してきた。同じアジアでもそんなに文化が違うのか」と夫婦。
世界的にメガ・ツーリズムといわれる観光の大競争時代が始まっている。裾野の広い観光産業は経済への波及効果も大きく、各国は外国人呼び込みに力を入れる。
昨年、日本は訪日外国人数が１０３６万人と過去最大となった。しかし世界第３位の経済大国として１０００万人はまだ余りに小さい。人口の１・３倍の８２００万人が訪れるフランスは別格としても、英国やドイツの３０００万人にもはるかに及ばない。人口で半分以下の韓国にさえ人数（１２１８万人）で後塵を拝している。
日本はなぜ観光行政が立ち遅れたのか。一つは、本来、観光はどの役所にも関係し、組織の仕切りを越えて横断的な横串を刺すところで観光戦略を立案・展開してこそダイナミックな観光政策が可能になる。それが縦割り行政によって有機的な連携がなされてこなかった。
観光を産業の柱に据えるという考えも乏しかった。査証（ビザ）の取得条件を幾つかのアジアの国で緩和したが、外国人が訪れやすくするための仕掛け作りは不十分だ。例えばお金はないが、旅行の好きな若者が立ち寄りたくなるようなシステム（鉄道、宿泊、美術館などの格安利用）だ。
さらに日本は豊かな観光資源を抱えながら、その上にあぐらをかいてきた。フランスの半官半民の観光推進機関の仏観光開発機構（Ａｔｏｕｔ Ｆｒａｎｃｅ）は世界35カ所に在外事務所をもち、その国のジャーナリスト、旅行業者、識者に諮問委員になってもらい、「フランスに行きたいと思わせるためにフランスがすべきこと」「フランスの観光政策で足りない点」などを定期的に提言してもらい、本部に上げている。この努力があっての８０００万人なのである。いくら観光資源を持っていても、あぐらをかいていては１回は来てもリピートはない。
２０２０年に訪日外国人２０００万人の目標達成は日本の弱点克服にかかっている。
（筆者は毎日新聞社専門編集委員。）
いい点。清潔、親切、丁寧は予想通りだったが、「日本人の自然をめでる姿勢」になるほどと思わされた。裕福な夫婦は京都で高級ホテルを予約しようとしたが、すべて満室。ガイドに理由を聞くと紅葉シーズンだからという。「日本人は紅葉を鑑賞するためにわざわざ旅行すると知った」と夫婦。そういえばフランスには春や秋に、自然をめでるために大移動する習わしはない。
悪い点。「住所を探せない」。夫婦は目当ての日本料理店の住所を持って近くまで行ったが見つけ出すことができず、通行人に聞いても分からない。結局、店に電話して迎えに来てもらった。確かに道路に番地が記されている米欧と違い、町名と番地で場所を探し当てるのは外国人には至難のワザだ。
もう一つ。「目が合っても背ける。欧州では目が合えば互いにニッコリほほ笑むのに。最初は我々が不愉快なことでもしたかと思った」。日本人には目を見合うと失礼だという思いがあるとの説明に「上海では中国人はニッコリ笑い返してきた。同じアジアでもそんなに文化が違うのか」と夫婦。
世界的にメガ・ツーリズムといわれる観光の大競争時代が始まっている。裾野の広い観光産業は経済への波及効果も大きく、各国は外国人呼び込みに力を入れる。
昨年、日本は訪日外国人数が１０３６万人と過去最大となった。しかし世界第３位の経済大国として１０００万人はまだ余りに小さい。人口の１・３倍の８２００万人が訪れるフランスは別格としても、英国やドイツの３０００万人にもはるかに及ばない。人口で半分以下の韓国にさえ人数（１２１８万人）で後塵を拝している。
日本はなぜ観光行政が立ち遅れたのか。一つは、本来、観光はどの役所にも関係し、組織の仕切りを越えて横断的な横串を刺すところで観光戦略を立案・展開してこそダイナミックな観光政策が可能になる。それが縦割り行政によって有機的な連携がなされてこなかった。
観光を産業の柱に据えるという考えも乏しかった。査証（ビザ）の取得条件を幾つかのアジアの国で緩和したが、外国人が訪れやすくするための仕掛け作りは不十分だ。例えばお金はないが、旅行の好きな若者が立ち寄りたくなるようなシステム（鉄道、宿泊、美術館などの格安利用）だ。
さらに日本は豊かな観光資源を抱えながら、その上にあぐらをかいてきた。フランスの半官半民の観光推進機関の仏観光開発機構（Ａｔｏｕｔ Ｆｒａｎｃｅ）は世界35カ所に在外事務所をもち、その国のジャーナリスト、旅行業者、識者に諮問委員になってもらい、「フランスに行きたいと思わせるためにフランスがすべきこと」「フランスの観光政策で足りない点」などを定期的に提言してもらい、本部に上げている。この努力があっての８０００万人なのである。いくら観光資源を持っていても、あぐらをかいていては１回は来てもリピートはない。
２０２０年に訪日外国人２０００万人の目標達成は日本の弱点克服にかかっている。
（筆者は毎日新聞社専門編集委員。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟