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July 05, 2026
 

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TOURISM

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.
Shohei Ohtani and his pet dog made an appearance at last year's Sapporo Snow Festival — not in person but as some of the snow sculptures that make the event an international draw.
LIFE
Jan 31, 2026
How to enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival like a local
Snow, cold and crowds make Sapporo’s marquee winter event, running this year from Feb. 4 to 11, a must-see for travelers everywhere.
A Vietnamese worker picks tomatoes at a farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in 2018. Vietnamese comprised the largest percentage of foreign workers in Japan in 2025.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2026
Foreign workers in Japan reach a record 2.57 million in 2025
The total was up 11.7% from a year earlier and comes amid an acute labor shortage in the rapidly aging country.
While standard rooms at the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha may run you around ¥25,000 to ¥35,000 per night, more luxury suites like this one are available for travelers with yen to burn.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 30, 2026
Naha’s newest hotel is made from Okinawan culture — literally
Open from Jan. 30, the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha incorporates numerous elements of the island’s heritage, including remnants of the incinerated Shuri Castle.
The number of foreign passengers on international flights at Narita International Airport rose 3% from a year earlier to 2,108,313 in December, marking a record high for the month, the airport operator said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2026
Narita Airport sees record number of foreign passengers in December
The number of flights between the airport and China fell 18% to 2,122, however, following the Chinese government’s request for its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
‘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 plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Japanese police arrest nine over Sierra Leone-based special fraud
Japanese police have arrested nine individuals for their alleged involvement in a special fraud case using Sierra Leone as a base.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  
Japan’s princesses face life-altering legal revisions
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito, said in a 2022 news conference upon coming of age that she hopes to “spend a long time together” with her parents.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.

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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