On Apr 30, 10:35 pm, mtfes...@netMAPSONscape.net wrote:
> Declan Murphy <declan_mur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > I've seen some improvements in central Japan. Towns like Nagahama in
> > Shiga, Matsumoto in Nagano, Takayama in Gifu have quite a few foreign
> > tourists and are attracting more domestic tourists as well. It used to
> > be unusual to see foreign tourists in any place that didn't have a
> > shinkansen line. It seems to a degree to come down to whether various
> > local agencies and organisations (chambers of commerce etc) can get
> > their acts together. There is national funding involved, but local
> > entrepreneurship holds the key.
>
> One nice thing about the situation is that if you're in an area like that,
> the locals expect you to speak Japanese. Nobody's once told me (in Japanese)
> "Sorry, no English".

I think that pretty much largely happens only in Sapporo, Tokyo, Kyoto
and Hiroshima. No prizes for guessing why.

> > > You'd really think they'd figure a way to make money on the the sometimes
> > > spectacular landscape in Japan, but all they promote is Tokyo.
> > Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Niseko would be some examples of recent
> > investments. Though a lot of that investment has been driven by
> > overseas investors, especially from Australia.
>
> There they go again; those imperialist furriners spoiling the land of the
> Stagnant Yen.

There's been a little bit of friction.