Tourism Japanese fine dining attracts high-end travellers

Tokyo's culinary scene has garnered significant global recognition, highlighted by its 183 Michelin-starred eateries, including 12 with the coveted three-star rating, and its prominent position atop the 2023 Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, a highly-regarded annual ranking that attracts the attention of food enthusiasts. Despite this acclaim, most high-end restaurants remain inaccessible to most people, reserved for the affluent few, as the demand for abundant dining experiences surpasses the available offerings. Although international tourism to Japan plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has seen a robust resurgence, with the number of foreign visitors in 2023 nearing 79% of the all-time high recorded in 2019, totalling 25 million.

The Japanese government, anticipating a continued rise in tourism, prioritises quality over quantity to mitigate over-tourism challenges. In February 2023, it set a goal to reach a visitor spend of 200,000 JPY (USD129,300) by 2025, a milestone surpassed within just seven months. Additionally, regulations for private jet landings were relaxed in June, and the Japan Tourism Agency has identified 11 regional areas to assist in crafting offerings tailored for affluent visitors.

Most upscale eateries, however, are not interested in increasing their foreign clientele:

For clients who fall into the wealthy -- as opposed to the ultrawealthy -- category, however, getting reservations that coincide with their vacation dates can seem like a lottery. Some Michelin-starred restaurants are booked up for months -- if not years -- in advance, and they see little need to court overseas markets. [...] While top-ranked restaurants need not worry about filling seats, there are signs of reluctance to respond to inbound customers among all levels of establishments. An October 2023 survey of 1,000 people in the restaurant industry by the online reservation service TableCheck found that 22.6% did not want the proportion of overseas customers to increase, citing communication as the biggest concern. [...] "Overseas visitors can only stop by restaurants once -- they can't become repeat customers," says Mochizuki. "The reality is that there are still a certain number of restaurants that are thinking of attracting more Japanese customers and getting them to become regulars."

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The survey reveals a potential shift in the dining industry, as data from 7,000 restaurants reflects a recovery in reservations made by Japanese customers to 70% of the levels seen before the pandemic, with a slowing growth rate. In stark contrast, bookings by international patrons have surged, with December 2022 witnessing an almost threefold increase compared to December 2019. Additionally, over one-third of the surveyed restaurants wanted to welcome more foreign clientele.

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