世論 What Japan Thinks

A recent survey from the Nippon Research Center looked at tourism to Japan. It was part of an omnibus survey, with another six topics covered, but none of the others directly related to Japan.

Demographics

The exact date of the survey was not reported, but 5,000 people were interviewed by both face-to-face and internet-based questionnaires. There were exactly 50:50 male and female, 28.0% between 15 and 29, 28.0% in their thirties, 28.0% in their forties, and 16.0% in their fifties. There were 370 people selected from each of the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenyang, and 210 people from each of 15 other cities.

I’m surprised by Mount Fuji being so high in the list, but perhaps it is the only place most people can recall, just as everyone would say “The Great Wall” about China. It’s also a surprise to see both Osaka and Nagoya outdoing Tokyo, although if you add up all the areas of Tokyo…

Research results

Q1: Have you ever been abroad? (Sample size=5,000)

	Yes	No
All N=5,000	17%	83%
Male N=2,500	18%	82%
Female N=2,500	17%	83%
Twenties N=1,400	18%	82%
Thirties N=1,400	17%	83%
Forties N=1,400	17%	83%
Fifties N=800	17%	83%
Beijing N=370	21%	79%
Shanghai N=370	20%	80%
Guangzhou N=370	32%	68%
Chengdu N=370	12%	88%
Shenyang N=370	18%	82%
Up to 3,000 yuan/month N=1,238	13%	87%
Up to 5,000 yuan/month N=1,465	15%	85%
Up to 8,000 yuan/month N=1,111	17%	83%
Up to 10,000 yuan/month N=493	19%	81%
More than 10,000 yuan/month N=693	28%	72%

Q2: Where have you been abroad to? (Sample size=5,000, multiple answer)

South-East Asia	4%
Japan	3%
South Korea	3%
Europe	3%
North America	2%
South Asia	1%
Oceania	1%
South America	0%
Africa	0%
Other	5%
Nowhere	83%

Q3: Would you like to visit Japan in the future? (Sample size=5,000)

	Yes	Perhaps	Perhaps not	No
All N=5,000	25%	19%	19%	37%
Male N=2,500	24%	17%	19%	40%
Female N=2,500	26%	20%	19%	35%
Twenties N=1,400	32%	22%	18%	28%
Thirties N=1,400	24%	20%	20%	37%
Forties N=1,400	23%	16%	20%	41%
Fifties N=800	19%	16%	19%	46%
Beijing N=370	28%	23%	17%	32%
Shanghai N=370	36%	20%	17%	28%
Guangzhou N=370	26%	22%	20%	32%
Chengdu N=370	20%	18%	24%	38%
Shenyang N=370	29%	21%	17%	34%
Up to 3,000 yuan/month N=1,238	24%	17%	16%	43%
Up to 5,000 yuan/month N=1,465	21%	19%	20%	40%
Up to 8,000 yuan/month N=1,111	26%	19%	22%	33%
Up to 10,000 yuan/month N=493	25%	21%	20%	34%
More than 10,000 yuan/month N=693	31%	21%	19%	29%

Q4: In which season would you like to visit Japan? (Sample size=2,179)

Spring (March to May)	41%
Summer (June to August)	14%
Autumn (September to November)	13%
Winter (December to February)	7%
Any season	26%

Q5: What would you like to do or see in Japan? (Sample size=2,179, multiple answer)

Eat Japanese food	47%
Go sightseeing in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka	46%
Visit a hot springs onsen	44%
Experience nature in the mountains, plateaux, seaside, etc	39%
Visit cultural sites	30%
Go shopping	30%
Go to Disneyland, other leisure facilities	28%
Experience, learn about traditional culture	27%
Visit World Heritage sites	25%
Do sports	18%
Go to museums, aquariums, zoos	17%
Ride the bullet train	16%
Visit Japanese corporations	16%
Business activities	12%

Q6: Where would you like to go to? (Sample size=2,179, multiple answer)

	All	Male N=1,024	Female N=1,155
Mount Fuji	56%	55%	57%
Osaka	33%	34%	33%
Nagoya	32%	30%	34%
Kyoto	32%	31%	32%
Tokyo Disneyland	26%	22%	29%
Kobe	22%	19%	25%
Kusatsu Onsen	19%	17%	20%
Tokyo Tower	17%	17%	17%
Hiroshima	17%	21%	14%
Sapporo, Otaru	17%	17%	16%
Beppu Onsen, Yufuin	16%	14%	18%
Ginza	16%	14%	17%
Shinjuku, Kabukicho	15%	16%	14%
Yokohama	15%	15%	16%
Ito	14%	12%	16%
Okinawa main island	13%	14%	13%
Nara	13%	14%	12%
Sendai, Matsushima	12%	13%	12%
Kagoshima	12%	13%	12%
Nagasaki	12%	13%	11%
Asakusa	12%	11%	12%
Nikko, Toshogu	10%	9%	11%
Akihabara	10%	11%	8%
Miyazaki	10%	9%	10%

Q7: When travelling to Japan, where would you get information from? (Sample size=2,179, multiple answer)

	All	Male N=1,024	Female N=1,155
Physical travel agency	35%	34%	36%
Travel agency web site	31%	33%	29%
Travel magazine, guide book	30%	27%	33%
Word of mouth from friends, family	30%	27%	33%
Word of mouth web site, bulletin board	26%	29%	24%
Newspaper column, television program	26%	27%	25%
Travel agency pamphlet	18%	18%	17%
Japan destination, lodgings, etc web site	9%	8%	10%
Japan Tourist Board facility in China	8%	9%	7%
Japan Tourist Board web site	7%	7%	7%
Nowhere in particular	6%	6%	6%

Q8: Why can’t you go to Japan? (Sample size=those unable to go, multiple answer)

Tour cost is expensive	42%
Can’t speak Japanese	37%
Cannot travel independently, only in tours	25%
Difficult to obtain a visa	19%
Japan prices are high	18%
Security deposit cost is high	17%
Don’t know which travel agency is best	13%
Cannot travel around freely at the destination	8%

Q9: Why won’t you go to Japan? (Sample size=those unwilling to go, multiple answer)

Don’t like Japan	47%
Can’t speak Japanese	28%
Don’t really know much about Japan	15%
Japan prices are high	12%
Security deposit cost is high	10%
Not interested in travel itself	9%
Cannot travel independently, only in tours	9%
Difficult to obtain a visa	8%
Tour cost is expensive	6%
There’s nowhere in Japan I want to visit	5%