This is the first entry of our multi-part series on marketing Japan to affluent foreign tourists. We will look at this topic from a number of perspectives and give considerable attention to a recently opened “Luxury Collection Hotel.” We will also, on occasion, make use of our characteristic and somewhat unconventional sense of humor, but the points made herein are meant to be taken seriously.
Prior to Japan’s shutting down for COVID, the tourists were entering the country in significant numbers. Not surprisingly, this was trumpeted by the mainstream media as a wonderful development, as indeed it was, in many respects, but it left us feeling a bit uneasy, as some of the inbound were attracted to the country by its “Cool Japan” image. One of us here at drinkingjapan.org occasionally refers to this cohort as the “manga and ramen set.” Now there is nothing wrong with comics or noodles, of course, nor with their devotees, bless their souls, but what is hot today may be ice cold tomorrow, and we’re not referring to ramen here. Anybody out there in the market for a pet rock? Didn’t think so.
Instead, we have long emphasized the importance of attracting tourists who have the time and resources to stay in the country longer and to travel to places outside the usual tourist destinations of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, and Kyoto. A number of years ago, a book was published entitled Japan: It’s Not All Raw Fish by Don Maloney. Indeed, it’s not.
Note: We have addressed this topic less extensively in some previous blog entries. Interested readers may want to read “Confluence: Hirosaki, Music, Apples, and Gastronomic Tourism,” which we uploaded on May 9, 2023.
Drinking Japan 