this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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Humanities & Cultures

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As Japan’s economy adapts to a tourism boom, so does daily life (theworld.org)
submitted 2 weeks ago by alyaza@beehaw.org to c/humanities@beehaw.org
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Tourism numbers are sky-high in Japan. The country saw record numbers of travelers throughout 2024, and government officials are hoping to see the numbers double by 2030. But workers are in short supply. So, to adapt to the tourism boom, Japan is turning to everything from robot hotel receptionists to contactless restaurants.

These robots and screens aren’t meant to be a gimmick, or to show off the country’s tech niche. Rather, they’re a symptom of Japan’s unique economic situation. The country is facing a declining birth rate and an aging population, with the latest government figures showing that people 65 years or older account for nearly 30% of Japan’s population. To fill the consumption gap, the country is working to lure in tourists. And with fewer workers, the country is turning to more automated systems for backup.

“Japanese society, in the long term, is shrinking,” said Masamichi Ishikura, a deputy director at the Japan Tourism Agency. “So, we need to bring in more tourism to revitalize the local economies.”

To do so, the country is partnering with content creators on social media platforms like TikTok, with videos about experiences you can only get in Japan. And the push is working.

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[–] melp@beehaw.org 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I personally have been traveling to Japan for 22 years. My first trip I was 23. If that dates me. Sigh...

Anyway, when I first went was before the smartphone. And a lot of signage and a lot of the population didn't really have a lot of English available. Getting around was a fun challenge. But we got stuck in a couple train* stations and lost a few times in the cities.To combat that I took two semesters of Japanese. So, then when I'd go I could read and speak enough to get by.

Fast forward to the Olympics and now there's English signage pretty much everywhere and Google maps gets you places and there are apps for gaijin to find anything they want based on their geolocation. Also the kids who grew up during that time picked some English up. It's a pretty friendly place to travel as a tourist now. This last trip we took last year I've never seen so many non-Japanese people between Hokkaido and Honshu. I was wondering how they were handling the influx.