April 10, 2024

Night Tour for Inbound Tourists

JTB, a leading travel agency in Japan, announced that they started offering evening tours to inbound tourists in partnership with Asahi Breweries in March 2024. The company plans to organize 10 to 15 tours per season, totaling about 50 per year. The tours focus on themes such as "traditional performing arts" and "boats, " mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kansai region. This initiative is expected to create demand for nighttime tourism, which is considered a weakness in Japan.

The company plans to expand its product range to cater to the affluent market. As a part of this plan, they conduct a night tour of cherry blossom viewing spots in Asakusa and Sumida River in Tokyo, which are carried out on a rickshaw. The cost for two people is 25,000 yen.

In February, HIS started offering karaoke plans for tourists who visit Japan, knowing that they would look for things to do at night. HIS has partnered with Dai-ichi Kosho, which operates the "Big Echo" karaoke restaurant, to provide exclusive karaoke experiences at six stores in Tokyo. The plans include all-you-can-drink beverages starting at 2,500 yen per hour and a penlight that can light up in 15 colors and be collected from the reception desk. The hourly rates for these plans start at 4,400 yen.

The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry has identified a lack of evening activities in Tokyo. Their report shows that the "nighttime economy" has a significant economic value in cities such as London (3.7 trillion yen) and New York (2.1 trillion yen) and could create job opportunities.