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July 02, 2026
 

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TOURISM

Tourists take a selfie at Banpo Bridge in Seoul in August last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 27, 2026
Chinese tourists picking South Korea over Japan for Lunar New Year amid visa ease
South Korea is on track to overtake Japan as the top destination for Chinese travelers during the upcoming holiday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Chinese tourist group is led by a tour guide in Tokyo's Asakusa sightseeing spot in November.
JAPAN
Jan 27, 2026
China warns citizens against Japan visits during Lunar New Year
The Chinese foreign ministry said nationals “face serious ‍security threats ⁠in Japan,” according to a statement it released.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture. The ride-hailing giant’s chief executive has made a bet on how it can finally grab a bigger piece of one of the world’s largest taxi markets.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2026
Uber’s quest to crack Japan leads through a rural hot-springs town
Since Uber entered Japan in 2014, the country, one of the world’s largest taxi markets, has remained a fortress, but the company is now making inroads in rural areas.
Japan saw more tourists last year than ever — and a new report suggests its popularity among travelers is only going to grow.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 24, 2026
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world’s top destination
According to travel planning outlet World Travel Index, the weak yen is a major factor in Japan’s enduring popularity with global tourists.
Tourists from abroad take souvenir photos in Sapporo's Susukino district, a popular sightseeing and entertainment spot, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2026
Japan has a tough road ahead to achieve 60 million visitor goal
Japan still needs to overcome mounting challenges to achieving its goal of 60 million annual visitors by 2030, although the number of inbound tourists topped 40 million for the first time ever last year with their consumption growing to around ¥9.5 trillion.
Sales for 2025 at convenience stores in Japan grew in June in particular, driven by strong demand for ice cream and beverages during scorching summer heat.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2026
Convenience store sales hit record high in 2025
Sales grew in June in particular, driven by strong demand for ice cream and beverages during scorching summer heat.
What appears to a heavily damaged body of a helicopter is seen inside the crater of Mount Aso in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 21, 2026
Sightseeing helicopter carrying three people goes missing in Kumamoto
Fire authorities received an emergency report apparently from a passenger’s smartphone at 11:04 a.m. The helicopter’s GPS signal was last detected near the crater of Mount Aso.
Supporters of Sanseito, which ran with a party platform of “Japanese First” in the Upper House election, during the party’s rally in Tokyo in July 2025
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2026
Will foreign-national policies return to the spotlight in the snap election?
So far, ruling and opposition parties scrambling to prepare for the sudden snap election in February have put foreign-national issues on the backburner.
Foreign visitors from the combined countries of Europe, the U.S. and Australia were up 22% year on year.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2026
Foreign visitors to Japan topped 40 million in 2025
Tourists, including droves from Asia and the U.S., continued to visit, as tensions with China failed to put a damper on the numbers.
The preserved merchant houses and storerooms of Obama's old merchant quarter hint at the economic (and culinary) role the town once played in supporting Kyoto to the south.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 17, 2026
At the origin of the ‘Mackerel Road,’ this seaside town fed Kyoto
Obama is a quaint coastal community today, but a visit grants a look at how it played a crucial role in stocking the pantries of Japan’s ancient capital.
Price increases for Tokyo taxis come amid a shortage of taxi drivers around the nation, which has been caused by the aging and retirement of drivers and a lack of people newly entering the industry.
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2026
Price hike eyed for Tokyo taxis
The transportation ministry plans to shorten the distance that passengers can ride taxis with the ¥500 base fare.
People visit a bookstore in Beijing on Dec. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 12, 2026
Novel concept: China’s spellbinding bookstores draw selfie snappers
While physical book sales have failed to bounce back in postpandemic China, some bookstores have become tourist hot spots for their photo opportunities.
The New York Times placed Nagasaki 17th on the list of "52 places to go in 2026."
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
Nagasaki and Okinawa make New York Times’ list of ‘52 places to go in 2026’
The New York Times put Nagasaki in 17th place on a list it has released every year since 2005, and Okinawa was 46th.
The Japan Tourism Agency will consider reviewing its guidelines on the private lodging business law as early as fiscal 2026 to set standards for local governments to issue administrative punishments to minpaku operators who fail to address problems.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2026
Japan to work on addressing problematic minpaku lodgings
Demand for minpaku services, which rent out vacant rooms in houses and condominiums mainly to tourists, is growing alongside a rise in tourists to Japan.
The Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings said duty-free sales across its domestic stores fell 14% in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
China travel curbs hit Japan duty-free sales in December
Prolonged geopolitical tensions with Beijing are now weighing on Japan’s retail sector.
A welcome drink of locally produced milk served in a hotel lobby
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2026
Come for the sushi, stay for the tamagoyaki
From “tamagoyaki” cooking classes to the promotion of local milks, industries are tapping in to increased popularity.
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and then-U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel visit Daiwa Sushi restaurant at Toyosu Market in Tokyo in Jan. 7, 2025.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 4, 2026
The very best is on the menu for business travelers flocking to Japan
From around the world they come, staying at Japan’s luxury hotels and dining at the most acclaimed restaurants as travel agencies and hotel operators work to cash in on the trend.
The 36+3 tourist train offers a unique way of traveling the full breadth of Kyushu.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 3, 2026
Seeing Kyushu slowly aboard the 36+3 tourist train
Named for the island’s status as the world’s 36th largest, the train offers a slower way to see some of the region’s rural treasures.
A cliff in Hawaii. A Japanese tourist has died in the Island of Hawaii after jumping from a cliff into the ocean.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2025
Japanese tourist dies after diving into sea in Hawaii
Kan Ogoshi, 26, did not surface after jumping from a cliff into the ocean in the southern part of the Island of Hawaii on Sunday afternoon.
An image of an integrated resort to be constructed on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2025
Japan to begin selection process for new casino resort sites
Under the integrated resort implementation law, up to three locations can host integrated resort facilities, leaving two slots available.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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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