Foreign tourists spend twice as much as locals
A weak currency and a global pop-culture obsession have turned Japan into a luxury playground where international visitors outspend residents by two to one.
The streets of Tokyo and the trails of Hokkaido are seeing a massive shift in who holds the purse strings. While local spending remains cautious, foreign tourists are now injecting twice as much cash into the economy per person. This surge is led by South Korean travelers, many of whom cite a desire to visit locations seen in music videos or media from the 'K-wave' cultural movement.
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