Korean tourists lead way in Japan
A ninja show at Nagoya Castle / Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Korean tourists have fallen in love with Japan.
More Koreans than Chinese visited Japan early this year, making up the largest share of foreign visitors, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said Sunday.
According to the JNTO, more than 1.5 million Koreans visited Japan in January and February, up 23.4 percent from the same period last year.
The total is about 30 percent of all foreign visitors (5 million).
Meanwhile, nearly 1.35 million Chinese visited Japan, up 18.3 percent from the same period last year.
In 2017, China made up the largest share of foreign tourists to Japan (7.35 million), followed by Korea (7.14 million). With the latest trend, Korea is expected to top the 2018 overall list.
Over the past few years, the number of Korean visitors to Japan has surged. Many find the neighboring country convenient to visit and culturally attractive.
Most travelers choose to visit big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, but increasingly they also visit many other smaller, lesser-known areas.