appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Bloomberg

The spending power of Chinese tourists in Japan is so impressive there’s a special word for it: bakugai, or explosive buying.
While the soaring yen this year has threatened to curb their enthusiasm, the latest figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization show that 731,400 Chinese visitors flocked to the country in July, a monthly record.
What also emerges from a detailed look through tourism data is the growing importance of young women travellers, the popularity of Japanese cosmetics, and waning sales of electronic goods as the quality of Chinese-made products improves.
“Chinese consumers are starting to buy electronic goods domestically,“ said Yoko Hayano, a senior consultant at JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co. in Tokyo.

The stronger yen and higher customs levies faced by Chinese tourists when they go home may reinforce this trend.
Also behind this shift in buying patterns is a large number of women travellers in their 20s and 30s, who accounted for more than 40 per cent of all Chinese tourists in the second quarter of this year, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
More than half of Chinese tourist come in on trips of four to six days and travel the so-called golden route that links Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Special buses for Chinese tourists on ‘explosive shopping’ trips to Japan are causing traffic headaches in Tokyo
“It used to be the common notion among us Chinese that Japanese electronics are superior, but I think Chinese products are just fine nowadays,“ said Liu Yi, a 36-year old housewife from Hubei Province. “It’s Japanese cosmetics and health-care supplements that are very nice,” said Liu, as she lined up for opening time outside the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district.
As incomes keep rising in China, Japan can count on its larger neighbour remaining the key to the health of its tourism industry.
Liu, who was on her first visit to Japan, travelled with her daughter and mother-in-law. If statistics are any guide, they may be back.


BTS comeback drives record 2.06 million tourists to South Korea

Hong Kong’s high-value tourism pivot makes sense for the city

Chinese flight bookings rise by 20% ahead of April holiday break despite soaring airfares

China’s airlines add 2,900 flights to Europe as Russia access pays dividends

Chinese tourists

Chinese tourists set another record in changing shopping in Japan

A group of Chinese tourists carry shopping bags and suitcases in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015. Japan's economy contracted last quarter as consumers and businesses cut spending and exports tumbled, putting pressure on the prime minister to return his focus to Abenomics. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg ORG XMIT: 571032921

Chinese tourists carry suitcases packed with purchases during their bulk buying, also called as 'Bakugai' in central Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA