Travel

Local Leaders Push for Shinkansen Linking Osaka and Yamaguchi

OSAKA, Feb 10 (News On Japan) - Local government leaders have gathered to discuss efforts to bring the long-envisioned San’in Shinkansen, which would connect Osaka and Yamaguchi, closer to reality.

The workshop was organized by a municipal council comprising 52 local governments across two prefectures and five regions, with participation from national lawmakers.

The proposed San’in Shinkansen would link Osaka with northern Kyoto and Hyogo before extending to Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. However, despite its designation as a basic plan in 1973, the project has seen no progress for more than half a century.

During the session, Kyoto University professor Satoshi Fujii delivered a lecture, presenting estimates that the integration of the San’in Shinkansen with the Hokuriku Shinkansen could significantly enhance accessibility and generate economic benefits for Japan’s western coastal regions.

The municipal council aims to push the national government for swift implementation of the project.

Source: KTV NEWS

Kyoto Raises Lodging Tax as Peak Travel Season Begins

Kyoto City significantly raised its lodging tax from March 1st, increasing the maximum charge per person per night from 1,000 yen to as much as 10,000 yen, in a move aimed at tackling overtourism and funding the preservation of cultural assets, even as questions remain about its impact on visitors and the local economy.

Foreign Visitors and Ex-Rescuer Pull 80-Year-Old Woman From Hakuba Crashed Car

A former emergency responder and foreign tourists worked together to rescue a woman in her 80s who was trapped inside an overturned light vehicle in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture.

Tokyo Metro Begins Touchless Ticket Gate Trial

Tokyo Metro and Toshiba have launched Japan’s first demonstration test allowing passengers to pass through ticket gates without touching them by using their smartphones’ Bluetooth function.

Himeji Castle Hikes Admission Fee for Non-Residents

The admission fee for the World Heritage-listed Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, was revised on March 1st for the first time in 11 years, introducing a dual pricing system that significantly raises costs for visitors from outside the city.

Australian Girl, 8, Dies After Snowmobile Overturns in Hakuba

An eight-year-old Australian girl died after a snowmobile overturned in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, at around 11 a.m. on February 28th, with authorities investigating the cause of the accident.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Travel NEWS

Imperial Hotel Kyoto to Open in Central Gion

The Imperial Hotel Kyoto is set to open on March 5th in the heart of Gion, one of Kyoto’s most renowned districts, with the interior unveiled to the media on March 2nd ahead of its debut.

Himeji Castle Hikes Admission Fee for Non-Residents

Tourists in Japan Flock to Capsule Toys and Food Replicas

As the number of foreign visitors to Japan continues to rise, two uniquely Japanese cultural phenomena — food replicas and capsule toys, known as gacha — are drawing growing attention as unexpected tourist attractions and potential new souvenir staples.