Reports of cherry blossoms blooming continued to arrive from across Japan on March 24th, with Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture declaring the nation’s earliest full bloom, marking the long-awaited start of the spring viewing season.
Animal cafes offering close interaction with a wide range of animals beyond dogs and cats are rapidly increasing in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, particularly along Takeshita Street, where a surge in inbound tourism is driving demand and even creating venues where nearly all customers are foreign visitors.
A long-held perception that overnight highway buses are inexpensive but exhausting is being challenged, as a regional bus operator in Japan moves to redefine long-distance travel with the country’s first fully flat sleeper seats.
The Imperial Palace’s Inui Street opened to the public for its annual spring viewing on March 21st, drawing around 18,000 visitors under clear skies as cherry blossoms began to bloom across Tokyo.
A surge in fuel prices is set to hit travel demand during Japan’s major holiday period, with airlines across Asia moving to raise fares and impose higher fuel surcharges, while in Japan, domestic carriers are maintaining current surcharge levels for now but are expected to implement significant fare increases from June onward, particularly during the peak summer travel season.
A deer believed to have come from Nara Park has remained in a park in central Osaka, prompting city officials to urge residents to keep their distance as they monitor the situation.
Cherry blossoms bloomed in Tokyo on March 19th, arriving five days earlier than the seasonal average and marking the start of the spring season in the capital.
Hakuba Village in Nagano Prefecture, long regarded as a mecca for skiing and snowboarding and crowded with inbound tourists during winter, has faced a persistent challenge in attracting visitors during the quieter summer months.