Tourism Japan catering to the wealthiest of tourists

Japan's decades of deflation have created the image of Japan as an inexpensive destination, helping to draw overseas travellers before the pandemic. It is starting to cater more to well-heeled tourists willing to splash out on luxury goods and services that most Japanese would baulk at. And it seems that Japan's tourism industry still has an enormous growth potential: before the pandemic struck, the number of foreign tourists visiting France exceeded the country's population by 40%; in Spain, it was 80% higher. If Japan were to host overseas tourists at a similar rate to France, it would have - God forbid - more than 150 million foreign visitors annually.


Examples:

Spend a night at an ancient castle in Shikoku for 1.1m JPY.

When British travel agency employee James Kent was asked in mid-November last year to test an overnight stay at a Japanese castle, he wondered if any of his customers would actually pay for such accommodations. After all, the price tag was a hefty 1.1 million yen ($8,400) a night for two guests. Kent was greeted by the blaring of a triton shell horn and the beating of drums. A squad of armor-clad samurai saluted him and his party with gunfire, treating him them like the lords of the castle. "It was overwhelming," Kent said, tears welling in his eyes, recalling a scene like something out of a samurai movie. The castle, a restored wooden keep in Ozu, a town of around 39,000 on the island of Shikoku, is open to overnight guests -- provided they can shell out the cash. Despite the hefty price tag, 11 groups have booked stays from March to June. Two are from overseas. There are people waiting for a cancellation during cherry blossom season.

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We had a thread on Ozu Castle before:



Another example, sake-related. I find this - literally - hard to swallow:

Koichi Miyashita, senior managing director of Miyashita Sake Brewery, in the western Japanese city of Okayama, wanted to sell his company's premium junmai daiginjo sake, called Miyashita Estate, at airport souvenir shops. Last autumn, he approached shop operators about carrying his company's brew. The sake is priced at 100,000 JPY for a 720-milliliter bottle, excluding consumption tax. It is made from the Omachi brand of sake rice, which is grown in Okayama prefecture. The rice used in the sake is milled to just 7% of the original grain. The bit that remains after milling is far smaller than that used in standard junmai daiginjo sakes, which are milled to less than 50% of the original grain. The rice that goes into Miyashita Estate is milled down to the very heart of grain to ensure the purity of its flavor.

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Since last summer, Miyashita has received more calls from trading companies and other customers about products aimed at wealthy drinkers. The question on their minds: "Which is the most expensive sake?" A Chinese customer asked him whether Miyashita Estate could be put in crystal bottles if several thousand were purchased. Miyashita is seizing his chance to sell his pricey sake to foreign tourists, selling them on his company's exacting brewing techniques.


And luxury suites at Tokyo hotels:

Lodgings, too, are going upmarket. Palace Hotel Tokyo, located near the Imperial Palace, offers large suites for 280,000 JPY and above. This has helped raise the hotel's average room rate to its highest level since its reopening last December, following a renovation in 2012.

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Paywall alert:

Sounds like a good time to get into the business. As long as borders stay open.
I wonder what happened to our member who was giving custom Japan tours. Covid shut him down but I wonder if he's come back or moved on to something else.

Yes, I have been thinking of @KyushuWoozy, too. Let us know how you're doing.