Society

Travel agency H.I.S. sees sales plunge 80% in Nov.-Jan. quarter over virus

Mar 16 (Japan Times) - Major travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Monday its sales plunged 80.5% to Y38.86 billion ($356 million) in the November-January quarter from a year earlier due to a sharp decrease in travel demand caused by the continuing novel coronavirus pandemic.

H.I.S. logged an operating loss of Y11.68 billion and a net loss of Y7.98 billion in the three months through January, as the virus hit the tourism industry hard.

Governments around the world have restricted the entry of travelers at their borders in a bid to contain the COVID-19 disease, while the Japanese government suspended its nationwide travel subsidy program, aimed to help the tourism sector, on Dec. 28 due to a resurgence of virus infections across the country.

H.I.S. saw its domestic travel upbeat in November and December thanks to the Go To Travel campaign. But sales dived when the program was halted and another state of emergency declared by the government in January in the Tokyo metropolitan area and some other prefectures.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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