Japanese tourism booms on the back of weakened yen as foreigners visit in record numbers

From the slopes of Mount Fuji to the temple streets of Kyoto, tourists are cramming Japan's prime sightseeing spots, puzzling their way through Tokyo subways, and splashing out cash on cosmetics, sushi and hi-tech toilet seats.

The cheap yen, easier visas and other initiatives are luring foreign travellers eager to stretch their budgets and see some Unesco World Heritage sites, bringing in welcome cash as well as myriad complications.

Tourism was among many Japanese industries that limped through more than 20 years of sluggish economic growth as locals tightened their belts and most foreigners stayed away, scared off by tales of US$200 melons and other scandalous prices.

The boom offers new business opportunities but brings challenges. Investment in infrastructure has lagged, and many working in the services industry are unused to dealing with foreigners, including the hundreds of mostly Chinese cramming into the elegant Ginza flagship shop of cosmetics and skin care company Fancl.

"We need more staff who can speak foreign languages, especially Chinese," said Noriko Fukazawa, director of Fancl Ginza Square. Staff are learning one phrase of Chinese and one of English a day, she said.

Wednesday's phrase was: "Please put your bags over here," in Chinese.

Visits by Chinese slowed after the 2011 nuclear disaster and a 2012 revival of tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.