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Gods of fortune? Chinese travellers in Japan
on 2010-06-04 (61 reads)

A regular feature by Teru GAMOĦĦĦĦEnglish adaption by Leonie SticklandĦÏ
'1400 Chinese tourists swarm on Kagoshima's Tenmonkan shopping precinct!'

This was truly sensational news, reported even in nationwide network television newscasts and chat shows. It happened in late March this year. Even though Tenmonkan admittedly is the biggest shopping street in all of southern Kyushu, its businesses must have felt as if all their Christmases had come at once: it would have been a real windfall to have such a number of people descending upon them at the same time, with the latter being residents of a country now renowned for having the biggest spenders in the world. It was not a one-off occurrence, either-there is apparently the possibility of it happening about once a month.
     The visitors were passengers on a cruise-an incentive trip for sales outlets organised by a major manufacturer of electric bicycles in the Chinese city of Suzhou. The designated shopping area sported signboards and banners emblazoned with such phrases as the Chinese for "Warm welcome," and its atmosphere was entirely oriented towards the Chinese. By 'designated shopping area,' I mean that the group was not allowed to stray beyond its bounds, and it seems that willing volunteers from the precinct served to shepherd and police the crowd.
     Even if each visitor spent a conservative estimate of 100,000 yen, that would mean gross takings of 140 million yen in less than two hours. In actual fact, one interviewee had bought ten digital cameras, but responded as if it had been nothing remarkable. So, what products were popular among those Chinese? According to Yodobashi Camera, the aforementioned digital cameras were in top place, and watches costing about 10,000 yen each, apparently for souvenirs, came second. In third place were mainly Western brand-name suitcases and bags, while electric rice cookers were fourth, and health and medical equipment fifth. Previously, popularity was focused principally on electrical appliances, but this has recently changed to fashion products, cosmetics and the like.
     Debit cards linked to bank accounts are what support this enormous purchasing power. They are convenient because if the shoppers' account balance is sufficient, they can buy things just by signing their name. Recently, the cards have become usable at supermarkets and convenience stores, too. The turnover is astronomical, reportedly amounting to 45 trillion yen.

Impressed by a Japan with reserve and simplicity!
Such shoppers are truly gods of fortune for Japan, which is gasping for breath due to its recession, and their custom is courted everywhere by signs spelling out an explicit welcome to Chinese people, yet not all aspects have been positive.
     For instance, the package tour prices are so low that Japanese travel companies and parties on the receiving end are screaming. At 5,000-something RMB, the all-inclusive cost of a typical five-night, six-day package originating in Beijing or Shanghai is tantamount to dumping, with the Japanese land operation component being only 40,000 yen with which to tour Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. 		Naturally, the hotels are just a tad above business hotels, and the first and final nights have to be spent at cheap hotels near the airport. Being a resident of Narita, home to Tokyo's main international airport, I once was puzzled at Chinese tourists shopping at my unremarkable local supermarket, but now I understand the reason.
   Considering that the budget for meals is only 1000 yen or less for lunch, and up to about 1400 yen for the evening meal, the menu can offer nothing fancy. As a result, travellers go home complaining that Japanese hotels are cramped and shoddy, and the food is bad. They have the negative impression that despite Japan being an advanced nation, it is not so great after all. This is the fatal flaw of cut-price group tours, but when it is a matter of Japan being a country where sightseeing visitors nearly all depend on such packages, there is no shortage of experts and intellectuals who recognize this as a problem in various senses, and ring the alarm bells.
    Nonetheless, there is an increasing number of Chinese people who say that they want to go to Japan, and according to Nielsen China Outbound Travel Monitor, a survey conducted last year, Japan was ranked Number 4 in terms of countries that people wanted to visit, tying with France. First to third places went to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, so in real terms Japan would be Number 1 among foreign countries, I suppose.
     When Chinese are asked what places they would like to see, and what has impressed them, it is not rare for their answers to differ from what Japanese people expect-farmhouses nestled in the countryside, for example:  massive tile-roofed houses, standing in spacious grounds surrounded by trees; or the fact that there is a lot of greenery, not only in undeveloped woodlands, but also in urban areas. 
     As for cars, not surprisingly, Japan gets a high appraisal as an advanced nation. Drivers maintain a proper distance between cars on expressways, and on city streets they seldom sound their horns. Additionally, even when people buy just one drink or a pack of cigarettes, they are politely thanked by the vendor.
     With their hopes pinned on the world-leading purchasing power of the Chinese, Japan's mass retailers have begun an aggressive public-relations campaign in China proper. A chain called Biccamera has handed out coupons in the subway and convenience stores in Beijing and Shanghai, and the Matsumoto Kiyoshi pharmacy group has attempted market penetration through a free newspaper.
     While being the 'moneybags of the world,' Chinese travellers are not so favourable in regard to manners. I need not elaborate, as everyone knows what I mean. Among many, there is one example of truly unpardonable behaviour that I would like to introduce here.
     It took place at a certain famous restaurant in Paris. Though the dress code stipulated jackets and ties, a group flouting the rule-guide and all-barged its way in and sat down, regardless. An observer would surmise that the guests were Communist Party cadres, so the local Chinese guide escorting them did not dare to say anything. I wish that they would confine to their own country the arrogance and disorder that stems from misuse of the mantle of authority.

              


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