Japan to Make National Parks Friendly to Foreigners

Tokyo, Aug. 23 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans to make national parks in the country more friendly to foreign visitors by introducing the essence of "omotenashi," or hospitality, toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Jiji Press learned Saturday. The Environment Ministry will seek 2.5 billion yen for related measures under the government's fiscal 2015 budget, informed sources said. According to a 2013 survey by the Japan Tourism Agency, about 40 pct of foreign tourists to Japan said that they want to visit places with rich natural environment or scenic spots the next time they come to the country. As the government aims to raise the annual number of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million by 2020, the Environment Ministry sees an urgent need to make the 31 national parks in the country more enjoyable for foreigners. Specifically, the ministry will show signboards and pamphlets at national parks in multiple foreign languages, make staff fluent in foreign languages available and replace Japanese-style toilets with Western-style ones, the sources said. In response to an estimated increase in tourists from Muslim countries, the ministry will consider establishing worship facilities at national parks, according to the sources. The ministry also plans to launch an online campaign to promote the attraction of national parks and arrange national part tours for foreigners toward the Tokyo Olympics, the sources said. END