Speaker 1: You're listening to a CNA podcast.
Speaker 1: This is the most watched video on Visit Japan's official
Speaker 1: YouTube page. It shows cherry blossoms, bamboo gardens, snow covered peaks,
Speaker 1: but to be honest, it looks like any other tourism
Speaker 1: promo out there. But what makes this 32nd clip stand
Speaker 1: out is that it has 67 million views. The global
Speaker 1: infatuation with Japan is not new, but it has been
Speaker 1: growing since the end of the pandemic, and this year,
Speaker 1: the countdown is on for this.
Speaker 1: In 2025, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, Japan will finally arrive.
Speaker 1: The World Expo opens its doors in mid-April. Organizers hope
Speaker 1: the event will draw more than 28 million visitors, but
Speaker 1: here's the thing. Japan is a country known for its contradictions,
Speaker 1: and that includes its tourism.
Speaker 1: It wants to welcome foreigners, but it's also struggling with overcrowding.
Speaker 1: I'm Teresa Tang. CNA's Japan correspondent Mico Ishida joins me today. Hi, Mitch. Hi,
Speaker 1: I've been to Japan once. I know only once, you know,
Speaker 1: what I remember, the food was good, locals were polite,
Speaker 1: it was fun. I liked it, but some people don't
Speaker 1: like Japan. They love Japan. They go back over and
Speaker 1: over again.
Speaker 1: Especially in the last few years, given the yen is
Speaker 1: so weak. As a local, do you understand the infatuation
Speaker 1: people have with your country? You know, what makes it
Speaker 1: so captivating?
Speaker 1: Well, Theresa, I do travel throughout Japan as a TV correspondent. Honestly,
Speaker 1: before I became a correspondent a few decades ago, I
Speaker 1: didn't find Japan so captivating. No, I basically thought Japanese
Speaker 1: food tasted too salty, soy saucy, lots of miso.
Speaker 1: But because, you know, I've been traveling for this job,
Speaker 1: I realized that the experience is different in every prefecture
Speaker 1: throughout Japan. There are 47 prefectures, the culinary experience, including
Speaker 1: the local catch, the fish, the kind of land, the climate,
Speaker 1: differentiates the kind of fruits, vegetables that are grown.
Speaker 1: And the landscape varies. Japan has its four seasons, cherry blossoms,
Speaker 1: the autumn leaves, you know, and as Japan is a
Speaker 1: volcanic archipelago, there are hot springs in most areas, and
Speaker 1: there are deep forests, the beautiful rivers, mountains, and the
Speaker 1: most iconic is Mount Fuji. There are historic structures, you know,
Speaker 1: one of the most famous are in the old capital Kyoto.
Speaker 1: With the UNESCO World Heritage Temples and Shrines and in 2024,
Speaker 1: a record 36.87 million visited Japan. That's 15.6% more than
Speaker 1: in 2019. That's the year when inbound tourists recorded the
Speaker 1: most pre-COVID-19 times. And of course the yen's depreciation has
Speaker 1: had a big impact too to help draw inbound tours
Speaker 1: last year.
Speaker 1: But you know, really up until 25, 30 years ago,
Speaker 1: inbound tourism was not vital for Japan's economy. Japan had
Speaker 1: enough domestic travelers with its huge population, but today with
Speaker 1: its declining population and a weaker manufacturing industry, except for the,
Speaker 1: you know, auto-making industry, tourism has emerged to become one
Speaker 1: of the most hopeful industries in Japan today. It sounds
Speaker 1: like there's something for everyone in Japan.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about the World Expo. Many governments believe it's
Speaker 1: one of the big 3 events that can elevate a
Speaker 1: country's visibility on the world stage, you know, the other
Speaker 1: two being the Olympics and the football World Cup.
Speaker 1: Japan has hosted all of those events 6 times for
Speaker 1: the Expo, and this is actually the 2nd time the
Speaker 1: so-called World's Fair has been in Osaka. And I know
Speaker 1: you attended in the past. Can you tell me what
Speaker 1: that experience was like? Yes, well, I did cover the
Speaker 1: Tokyo Olympic Games of the
Speaker 1: 02 World Cup. And as to the World Expo, I
Speaker 1: covered the 2005 IT Expo. My impression of that time,
Speaker 1: it was just so crowded. I was there 3 to
Speaker 1: 4 times, but I never saw the most talked about
Speaker 1: attraction at that time. The display of the real mammoth
Speaker 1: excavated from Siberia.
Speaker 1: Yes, in Siberia, but I missed it. The queue was
Speaker 1: just too long. I was not there to actually cover
Speaker 1: the mammoth, but to cover the Singapore pavilion and some
Speaker 1: high-tech displays. I do remember seeing robotic vehicles. I think
Speaker 1: I've tried some of them. The most memorable coverage was
Speaker 1: a joint concert by Japan's pop queen, Yumi Matsutoya and
Speaker 1: Singapore's singer Dick Lee celebrating um SG 40 at that time.
Speaker 1: And actually the 2005 IT Expo played a vital role
Speaker 1: to promote the three R's to reduce, reuse, and recycle,
Speaker 1: you know, that was a memorable time back then. Visitors
Speaker 1: are reported to have become more active with energy saving
Speaker 1: due to their visit to reduce, reuse, and recycle. So
Speaker 1: the expo had impact on people's attitude and it's hoped
Speaker 1: the coming expo will have an impact too.
Speaker 1: And that was two decades ago, and now 20 years later,
Speaker 1: you've been given a media preview of the 2025 edition.
Speaker 1: What do you think people are going to be the
Speaker 1: most excited about? Is there a centerpiece to all of this?
Speaker 1: Is there a mammoth this year?
Speaker 1: Well, let me give you a big picture of the
Speaker 1: 2025 Osaka Expo. The main theme is designing future society
Speaker 1: for our lives. Now, when you are there, you notice
Speaker 1: a big wooden structure surrounding the expo sites called Grand Ring.
Speaker 1: That's the centerpiece and it's regarded the world's biggest wooden
Speaker 1: structure with a circumference of 2 kilometers. It's built using
Speaker 1: Japan's traditional wood building technology, um, similar to that used
Speaker 1: to build Kyomizu Temple in Kyoto, which is a World
Speaker 1: Heritage site.
Speaker 1: Now, if you walk under it, it can help shield
Speaker 1: you from the rain and from the sweltering summer heat
Speaker 1: in Osaka. You can walk on top of the ring,
Speaker 1: and from there, not only can you catch a bird's
Speaker 1: eye view of the expo site, you can see the
Speaker 1: city of Osaka and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Now,
Speaker 1: media here highlight the planned display of an object from Mars.
Speaker 1: It's believed to be part of a meteorite.
Speaker 1: And it was discovered in Antarctica by Japanese who were
Speaker 1: therefore on their expedition. And those who who remember the
Speaker 1: 1970 Osaka Expo might recall seeing the rock of the moon,
Speaker 1: you know, so the concept is kind of similar. We
Speaker 1: are not still informed enough to be excited about the
Speaker 1: whole expo, but we do know that there'll be Japan's
Speaker 1: anime singer.
Speaker 1: Ado, um, who will be part of the opening concert
Speaker 1: we hear Osaka's local orchestra will perform often. A flying
Speaker 1: car could be operated during the time we hear of
Speaker 1: an AI support for those with uh visually impairment.
Speaker 1: Including the exhibition of the most advanced medical and healthcare products.
Speaker 1: There will be, you know, other than the anime singer,
Speaker 1: actual anime, manga, Japan's dialects and dying language, including the
Speaker 1: Ainu language and a wide variety of experiences.
Speaker 1: and displays are expected and organizers hope visitors to the
Speaker 1: 2025 Osaka Expo will go home thinking about how to
Speaker 1: save lives, empower lives, and connect lives and those are
Speaker 1: the sub themes of the expo.
Speaker 1: Yeah, interesting you brought up I knew. I remember we
Speaker 1: did a podcast on that, right? One of Japan's dying languages. Mitch,
Speaker 1: as with any massive event, there are going to be challenges,
Speaker 1: no exception here. One thing people are hung up on
Speaker 1: is the ticket booking system. What's the big deal?
Speaker 1: Well, 14 million tickets went on sale from the end
Speaker 1: of November, but just a little more than half had
Speaker 1: been purchased as of the end of January.
Speaker 1: Now those uh tickets were purchased mainly by companies according
Speaker 1: to reports. The problem seems to be the fact that
Speaker 1: tickets are not open ended. You have to book a
Speaker 1: specific date and time and actually I posed this ticket
Speaker 1: issue to the secretary general of the international body of
Speaker 1: the World Exposition, Mr. Dimitri Kurante. So let's hear from him.
Speaker 1: It's true that people have to buy one and then
Speaker 1: book a reservation slot, and that also could mean that
Speaker 1: people are delaying their purchase until they're ready to book
Speaker 1: that actual slot, whereas in previous expos you bought a ticket,
Speaker 1: you went any day that you wanted. And adding to that,
Speaker 1: I do hear that Osaka governor is demanding that the
Speaker 1: organizers simplify the ticketing system. Otherwise, you know, it will
Speaker 1: also be a big problem to the government of Osaka
Speaker 1: who will have to perhaps handle the deficit if ticket
Speaker 1: sales are bad.
Speaker 1: I was also reading a news report from Japan that
Speaker 1: described the Osaka World Expo as quote, an event that
Speaker 1: few even want. That sounds pretty bad. What do you think?
Speaker 1: What are locals telling you? Well, actually, you know, before
Speaker 1: I went to Osaka to cover the Osaka Expo preview,
Speaker 1: when I told my friends in Tokyo about it, they
Speaker 1: were like, uh.
Speaker 1: Is it actually happening? So that's the kind of reaction
Speaker 1: you get in Tokyo, you know, there's not much interest.
Speaker 1: They don't hear much about it. Then I thought, OK,
Speaker 1: if I actually go to Osaka, the reactions, you know,
Speaker 1: by the people there might be a little bit different
Speaker 1: and we might be able to start a good conversation
Speaker 1: on the excitement building up towards the Osaka Expo. So
Speaker 1: I went there, asked around.
Speaker 1: OK, let's hear a comment from an Okonomiyaki restaurant owner
Speaker 1: Tomoharu Fukuda to hear what he says.
Speaker 2: I do not yet feel any excitement or have any expectations.
Speaker 2: I've never met anyone who said they wished to attend
Speaker 2: or has purchased a ticket.
Speaker 1: Well, and I've been speaking to other local residents and
Speaker 1: out of all the residents I spoke to, just one
Speaker 1: taxi driver told me that he's already bought tickets and is.
Speaker 1: Encouraging fans to purchase tickets to support Osaka. The cost
Speaker 1: to host the Expo is rising. Its initial budget was
Speaker 1: 125 billion yen. It's now expected to double. And the
Speaker 1: taxi driver said that he was afraid that, you know,
Speaker 1: Osaka will have to carry the burden of the deficit
Speaker 1: if people don't support. But if you actually look back
Speaker 1: at past expos in Japan, excitement took time to build up.
Speaker 1: This was.
Speaker 1: The case in Osaka 1970, also IT 2005. The fundamental
Speaker 1: problem currently is the limited information on what the visitors
Speaker 1: can expect. But once the expo kicks off, the local
Speaker 1: and international media are likely to cover extensively according to organizers,
Speaker 1: and they think that ticket sales will start to pick up. Now,
Speaker 1: the aim is to attract 28 million visitors during half
Speaker 1: a year.
Speaker 1: That seems to be modest figure when you compare it
Speaker 1: to the 1970 Osaka, which in the end attracted more
Speaker 1: than 64 million. And you know, that was a record breaker,
Speaker 1: and that number was not broken until 2010 Shanghai Expo.
Speaker 1: Here's the funny thing though, Japan, on the one hand,
Speaker 1: they want to rev up tourism, they want to get
Speaker 1: those visitor numbers up for the World Expo.
Speaker 1: But on the other hand, over tourism has also become
Speaker 1: a problem, particularly in the country's three most visited cities.
Speaker 1: We're talking Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, ironically, the venue of
Speaker 1: the World Expo. How bad is this over tourism in
Speaker 1: the country, Michio? OK, well, I live in Tokyo and
Speaker 1: it's pretty congested in the main part of Tokyo and
Speaker 1: the main cities, but I've
Speaker 1: Seen a horrible um footage of congestions in Kyoto going
Speaker 1: viral on social media, so congested tours can't even move
Speaker 1: off railway tracks, disrupting public transportation. In the past we've
Speaker 1: been hearing of GEICO and Michael, which the international community
Speaker 1: call a Geisha. They were being chased by tourists who
Speaker 1: desire photos with them, but you know, GECO and Michael
Speaker 1: is still professionals.
Speaker 1: And it's they're not there for tourists, but they work
Speaker 1: as Gateo and Michael at restaurants and offer services to
Speaker 1: their customers and we do hear there are signs, um,
Speaker 1: put out calling for a band of paparazzi in the area.
Speaker 1: There's some local authorities deciding to put a huge shield
Speaker 1: to cover the peak of Mount Fuji and Mount Fuji
Speaker 1: has been attracting a lot of tourists the past few years.
Speaker 1: Been overcrowding this convenience store known for its majestic view
Speaker 1: of Mount Fuji. So that cover up of Mount Fuji
Speaker 1: has been happening. But then I've, I've been hearing that
Speaker 1: visitors have been piercing holes on that cover so that
Speaker 1: they can get a shot of Mount Fuji. So well
Speaker 1: that's still going on. And in Kamakura, which is the
Speaker 1: old capital of Japan near Tokyo, there's a site with
Speaker 1: a magnificent view of the sea.
Speaker 1: And the railway, which was the model for a famous animation.
Speaker 1: I think it was slum dunk. Tourists reported to be
Speaker 1: blocking the roads there, the traffic and leaving litter. But then,
Speaker 1: you know, I'm talking about all these negative impact of
Speaker 1: over tourism. There's an area in Osaka which I saw
Speaker 1: has revived due to the inbound tourism. So it's not
Speaker 1: all bad, you know, with a lot of tourists coming
Speaker 1: to Japan.
Speaker 1: You don't necessarily want to discourage foreigners from visiting, but
Speaker 1: you do want to safeguard the country's integrity and its
Speaker 1: popularity as well. And one way is to make it
Speaker 1: more expensive to travel to Japan.
Speaker 1: Can you tell us how that's working? Tokyo was actually
Speaker 1: the pioneer of slapping hotel tax since 2002. It's a
Speaker 1: very small 100 yen for accommodation that costs 10,000 to
Speaker 1: 15,000 yen a night, which is about maybe 70 to
Speaker 1: 80 US cents, and 200 yen for above 15,000.
Speaker 1: Now other Japanese cities and towns have decided to follow suit. Kyoto,
Speaker 1: which is the extremely popular old capital, has decided to
Speaker 1: set even higher hotel tax from March 2026. It's 10,000 yen,
Speaker 1: maybe about $80 US dollars for accommodation fee of more
Speaker 1: than 100,000 yen.
Speaker 1: This is regardless of whether the person is uh from
Speaker 1: Japan or a Japan resident or from overseas. Now what
Speaker 1: Kyoto has done is it wants to prevent visitors from
Speaker 1: um traveling commuter buses. There have been reports of residents
Speaker 1: could not get on commuter buses to go to school
Speaker 1: to work because of over tourism.
Speaker 1: And uh tourists, you know, um carrying their huge luggage
Speaker 1: on commuter buses. So there are now buses for tourists
Speaker 1: traveling to tourist sites. As to another site in Himeji,
Speaker 1: famous for Himeji Castle World Heritage sites, it wants to
Speaker 1: raise admission fee from 1000 yen to maybe double or
Speaker 1: triple from 2026 targeting non-Himeji residents.
Speaker 1: Not as prefectural museums used to waive admission fee for
Speaker 1: inbound tourists in hopes of attracting more from overseas, but
Speaker 1: they plan now to charge everyone from this April. Now
Speaker 1: local authorities will need some time to determine whether these
Speaker 1: attempts will be effective to bring more funds to the
Speaker 1: cities and not to discourage people from traveling to these areas.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was reading about tactics, not just monetary that
Speaker 1: Japan has been trying out and this has actually been
Speaker 1: going on for a decade or more. One strategy is diversion.
Speaker 1: We're talking about getting tourists to head to maybe less
Speaker 1: visited destinations, also straight up just banning tourists from certain
Speaker 1: private alleys or areas where they cause a nuisance. What
Speaker 1: has been the most effective do you think?
Speaker 1: We have to really wait and see, but this Lunar
Speaker 1: New Year, there seems to be some bright prospect in
Speaker 1: diverting tourists other than to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, where
Speaker 1: the concentration of tourists is so high. Now, according to
Speaker 1: travel agent KK Day, which is
Speaker 1: Based in Taiwan and Japan, they say that there's a
Speaker 1: rising number of inbound tourists in particular from Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Speaker 1: and Korea traveling to northeastern Japan or to Yamagata Miyagi
Speaker 1: and even Fukushima, which many were in the past because
Speaker 1: of the, you know, crippled nuclear plant be decommissioned there.
Speaker 1: But you know, tourists seems to be attracted to the
Speaker 1: mesmerizing snow we're seeing, playing in the snow, experiencing hot
Speaker 1: springs and you know, that area is not so congested yet,
Speaker 1: you know, compared to, for instance, Hokkaido or Nagano Prefecture
Speaker 1: is known for hosting the winter.
Speaker 1: Games in the past and we've been hearing that all
Speaker 1: Nippon Airways is offering free domestic flights to travelers from China,
Speaker 1: transiting in Japan to encourage them to travel to the countryside. So, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, the attempts to divert travelers has started.
Speaker 1: Post-pandemic tourism has surged, like we talked about off the top,
Speaker 1: and Japanese officials say they have a long-term goal of
Speaker 1: 60 million annual visitors by the year 2030.
Speaker 1: Before we go, Michio, for those listening who may be
Speaker 1: on their way to your country, maybe for the Osaka
Speaker 1: World Expo, what can they do to be good tourists? Well,
Speaker 1: you know, um, basically, the Japanese people like to follow
Speaker 1: the rule. They want visitors to do the same. For instance,
Speaker 1: you know, I've seen on social media.
Speaker 1: Uh, residents hushing a foreign visitor talking on her mobile
Speaker 1: phone on a commuter train, because you're not supposed to
Speaker 1: talk on your phone on the commuter train. You have
Speaker 1: to be, you know, I mean, you can chat, but
Speaker 1: you know, with your friends, but they think it's a nuisance.
Speaker 1: And even the train operators tell people on the trains,
Speaker 1: don't talk on your phones. I've seen neighborhoods putting up
Speaker 1: signs asking tourists not to drag their luggage on wheels
Speaker 1: during bedtime. Now trash is another issue here in Japan.
Speaker 1: In Tokyo, for instance, if you walk around, there are
Speaker 1: limited trash bins. So the etiquette is to take waste
Speaker 1: back with you. If you do um take back uh
Speaker 1: waste with you, you have to separate them in your neighborhood,
Speaker 1: you know, uh, whether they're pet bottles, cans, newspapers, magazines,
Speaker 1: combustibles or non-combustibles. It's probably a nuisance to uh force visitors,
Speaker 1: but that's how things work here in Japan.
Speaker 1: And the Japanese in general don't like food wasted. If
Speaker 1: you go to a buffet, they expected you to take
Speaker 1: what you can finish. And you know, overall, good manners
Speaker 1: is so important in this country. And having said that,
Speaker 1: I have witnessed many foreign tourists here who are well mannered.
Speaker 1: They are seen queuing politely in front of popular shops
Speaker 1: and restaurants, enjoying Japan.
Speaker 1: And it appears that many, you know, of those who
Speaker 1: have been here before uh actually like how Japan is orderly,
Speaker 1: and not so, you know, noisy, and so they're back.
Speaker 1: And that's been the case of my many international friends
Speaker 1: who visit me here in Tokyo or the rest of Japan.
Speaker 1: And I hope you come and visit me someday, not
Speaker 1: just once but twice, 3 times. I would love to.
Speaker 1: It sounds like a beautiful country, one that I have
Speaker 1: not explored thoroughly enough. Thank you for those great tips
Speaker 1: as well and you know, talking about the Osaka World
Speaker 1: Expo pavilions, they still need to be built, tickets still
Speaker 1: need to be sold, but one thing's for sure, that
Speaker 1: World Expo is going to be a big story for
Speaker 1: Japan this year, and I'm really looking forward to your coverage, Michi.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, Teresa.
Speaker 1: And a reminder to our listeners, you can find Mico's
Speaker 1: reports on YouTube and also on CNA.Asia. There are TV
Speaker 1: episodes of CNA Correspondent every Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. Singapore,
Speaker 1: Hong Kong time. I'm Teresa Tang, and the team behind
Speaker 1: this week's episode is Sai Yain, Clara Ong, Christina Robert,
Speaker 1: and Craig Dale. A new episode drops next Wednesday. Join
Speaker 1: us then. Bye for now.