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July 10, 2026
 

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TOURISM

Rising prices are making Japanese consumers more frugal, slowing the recovery of domestic tourism despite record per-trip spending and strong inbound travel.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2026
Recovery stalling in Japan’s domestic tourism
The annual tourist figure was around 600 million before the COVID-19 pandemic but tumbled below 300 million in 2020, when an emergency was declared over the pandemic
The Department of Homeland Security ​is "making tough but necessary workforce and resource ​decisions" ‌and prioritizing the "general traveling population" at entry points, The Washington Post cited Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as saying in a statement.
WORLD
Feb 22, 2026
U.S. to pause two key travel programs amid shutdown, report says
The PreCheck and Global Entry programs that speed airport security checks for some travelers would be temporarily suspended from Sunday.
Arrivals from China shrank 61% in January from a year earlier, the Japan National Tourism Organization said on Wednesday, citing a shift in the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday and warnings against travel to Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Chinese tourist decline fuels first drop in visitors to Japan since pandemic
Arrivals from China shrank 61% in January from a year earlier, compared with a 45% decline in December, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
From 2026, applicants in Japan without residence cards will generally be barred from taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in the country.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Tourists no longer allowed to take JLPT in Japan from 2026
The change was driven by problems linked to overseas applicants using Japanese addresses without permission or submitting invalid phone numbers.
Japan’s passport is among the world’s most powerful. Still, according to the Foreign Ministry, as of 2024, the total number of valid passports stood at about 20.77 million out of a population of 123 million.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2026
Japan’s inbound tourism booms as outbound travel lags
Passport ownership remains low at 16.8% of the population, and outbound travel and study have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Yamanashi and eight other prefectures hope to strengthen cooperation with India in fields such as tourism, corporate expansion, education and culture.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2026
Nine prefectures set up framework to boost ties with India
In a joint declaration, the nine prefectures said they will call on other prefectures to join the framework and advance initiatives that will help deepen engagement with India.
A float with people dressed as characters from "Peter Pan" is seen as people attend the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
Looking for Disney magic elsewhere: Canadians lead declines in travel to U.S.
President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war, threats to seize Greenland, and immigration enforcement efforts have made the U.S. a less desirable destination, travel agents said.
The woman behind the Lost Filipina blog says typical social media fame interests her much less than the hikes she continues to map out.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 16, 2026
Off the beaten feed: Comprehensive site steers hikers in Japan past social media noise
English-language guides to hiking Japan’s many mountains can be scarce, but one Filipina resident has taken it upon herself to map out the country’s many trails.
Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture is pictured crowded with inbound tourists in June 2025.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
Japan to subsidize measures to ease airport congestion
The transport ministry is considering subsidizing costs for expanding passenger walkways at airports and increasing baggage conveyor belts
The Kongo family’s residence and workshop in the Taisho Era, photographed about a century ago.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Feb 9, 2026
What keeps Japan’s 1,000-year-old companies alive?
Across religion, hospitality and the arts, the country’s oldest institutions show how craft and continuity can endure.
A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 9, 2026
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
A spate of new businesses operated by non-Japanese residents is bringing new vitality to the seaside town of Ito with cultural events, art classes and more.
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with its view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossom trees and a five-story pagoda, may still see a spike in visitors in spring even with the cancellation of a cherry blossom festival in the city.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2026
Mount Fuji cherry blossom festival canceled due to overtourism
The city of Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, said “the quiet lives of local residents are threatened.”
A ski resort in Niigata Prefecture on Saturday. A month of heavy snowfall has drawn renewed interest to Japan’s ski resorts from Americans and other overseas visitors in search of fresh powder.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Japan ski areas see bumper season as heavy snow draws visitors
Some ski resorts are experiencing their best snow depth in more than a decade.
Visitors to the Sapporo Snow Festival take pictures on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Sapporo Snow Festival opens with 210 sculptures
The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival, which runs until next Wednesday, is expected to attract over 2 million visitors, with free admission.
Japan Airlines' passenger revenue from its China routes in December was ¥1 billion ($6.4 million) lower than projected, and about ¥300 million short at affiliate Spring Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
JAL says passenger revenue in December was 20% short for China routes
The drop was attributed to Beijing advice to Chinese citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
A 22-year-old Australian woman has died after her backpack got caught on a ski lift, which left her suspended in midair after attempting to disembark at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, a popular ski destination in Nagano Prefecture, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2026
Australian woman dies after backpack buckle gets caught in Japan ski lift
A buckle from her backpack got caught in the lift chair, which led to her being suspended in midair after she attempted to disembark at a resort in Nagano Prefecture.
Tourists with their suitcases wait for a train in Osaka.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
Japan’s duty-free sales fall further as China tensions linger
Arrivals from China plunged 45% to 330,000 people in December, even as overall foreign visitor numbers for 2025 hit a record high — topping 40 million for the first time.
The historical townscape in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, has been approved for tourism subsidies.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2026
Japan to boost aid for town development using historical resources
The tourism ministry intends to provide subsidies to a wide range of municipal governments working on projects including renovating old buildings and preserving traditional events.
Ski fields in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, which rose to national prominence during Japan’s 1980s and early 1990s ski boom and hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics, remain central to the village’s winter economy.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 2, 2026
In Hakuba, getting the tourism balance right
As tourism surges, a ski town in Nagano Prefecture weighs economic revival against rising costs, crowds and cultural clashes.
A Japanese police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 31, 2026
Chinese advised not to visit Japan after robbery
The embassy issued the advisory on social media and said that it has asked Japanese police to resolve the robbery case as soon as possible.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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