Autumn in Kyoto. Photo by El Fotopakismo.
SEOUL — AS ASIAN ECONOMIES SWIRL in a hot mess tipped off by the collapse of Wall Street’s monoliths, Japan is looking to travelers in hopes of stimulating local business. Backpackers and camera-toting gawkers may not save the Nikkei, but if the island nation achieves its goal of 20 million visitors annually by 2020, that can’t hurt.
To achieve such ambitious figures, the government announced yesterday the launch of the Japan Tourism Agency, according to the Daily Yomiuri. The agency is to serve as a directive towards breaking down “bureaucratic sectionalism” and attracting visitors by easing screening procedures. The Daily says that latter bit may create friction with the country’s National Police Agency and Justice Ministry.
Japan’s visitors totaled 8.35 million in 2007. The year before, the country ranked seventh in Asia in terms of overseas tourist arrivals.
United States citizens can visit Japan without a visa for a period of 90 days for tourism purposes only, and travelers must have an onward/return ticket. Visitors from the States who have old-fashioned passports should still be admitted under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which South Korea recently joined. Japanese and Korean citizens, however, must have chip-embedded documents.
Important fun-fact? Citizens of VWP-member countries still require a visa if entering the U.S. via land or sea port, according to a Q&A from Korea’s Donga Daily.
