Japan rolls out red carpet for Indian tourists

The Indian traveller is going places, and Japan is his hot new destination. An eight-and-half hour flight for a fare of just Rs29,000, a hassle-free multi-year, multiple-entry visa for just Rs460, bullet trains with passes priced way lesser than Eurail services and A-list hotels that cost less than other Asian alpha cities — Japan has all the ingredients that go into the making of a superb international holiday for the Indian tourist, and the rising numbers from Mumbai alone are a testimony to its increasing popularity.

Come March 27 and Japanese airline ANA will launch a brand new 787 Dreamliner for its Mumbai-Tokyo daily direct schedule. Buoyed by the big demand and bigger potential, ANA is pressing a custom-made Boeing into service on the sleep-in-Mumbai, wake-up-in-Tokyo route. "From the full-flat bed that suits the needs of Indian flyers and staggered seats to ensure aisle for everyone in Business Class, to a comfortable Economy cabin in the wide-bodied plane and even Jain meals onboard, the new plane will reflect a lot of research and feedback that we have got from our Indian flyers," says Tsuneya Katagiri, general manager - Mumbai office, ANA, adding that the attractive fare of just Rs29,000 is part of the promotional campaign to create awareness about the airline — and Japan as a destination, especially in the MICE and tourist segment.

As a destination, Japan is not only a developed nation in terms of service and technology, but it also offers everything for every tourist — art and culture, music, shopping, architecture, cuisine, bio-diversity and a unique blend of modern and well preserved historical aspects. "In 2015 alone, we welcomed nearly 20 million tourists, registering a growth of about 47% over the previous year," says a spokesperson of Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO), adding that as many as 87,000 Indians visited Japan in 2015, a growth of 18.2% over 2014.

Going by trade experts, the number of tourists to Japan is expected to witness a sharp rise this year. "On one hand, the Schengen region has made bio-metrics compulsory this year and is charging almost Rs5,500 for a short-term visa, and on the other, Japan is issuing a five-year visa for less than Rs500. And while the average 8-hour flight to Europe is priced around Rs40,000, the fare to Japan is almost 30 per cent lesser," says Gopal Das, CEO of Quick Visa Services, adding that these two factors alone are likely to make a lot of Europe-bound travellers to look East towards Japan, not to mention the recent bonhomie between prime minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, that has generated much mutual interest among both the countries in trade and tourism.