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Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

cnn.com

1–10 of 136 posts

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#2
> blah blah blah

> The cost of travel is also a consideration.

> The yen is at its weakest in decades, and many Japanese workers haven’t had a raise in 30 years.

> Less disposable income means young people may be more inclined to stay at home or explore nearby locations

Sure, there are some other valid points, but it's pointless to talk about traveling abroad if you don't even have the money.

Being an island nation with many hours of flight to any destination not in SEA doesn't help.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#3
Anecdotally from friends, I'd say the top three reasons are:

* Lack of money

* Lack of time off from work

* Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#5
post #3

Anecdotally from friends, I'd say the top three reasons are: * Lack of money * Lack of time off from work * Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.

> Lack of English skills

if only there was some way to remedy this.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#6
post #5
post #3

Anecdotally from friends, I'd say the top three reasons are: * Lack of money * Lack of time off from work * Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.

> Lack of English skills if only there was some way to remedy this.

Countries that want Japanese tourists could learn Japanese?

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#7

> blah blah blah > The cost of travel is also a consideration. > The yen is at its weakest in decades, and many Japanese workers haven’t had a raise in 30 years. > Less disposable income means young people may be more inclined to stay at home or explore nearby locations Sure, there are some other valid points, but it's pointless to talk about traveling abroad if you don't even have the money. Being an island nation w…

I don’t think that explains everything.

In many other countries “the $Foo is at its weakest in decades, and many Foo workers haven’t had a raise in 30 years” means young people will be more inclined to emigrate and that isn’t happening in Japan, AFAIK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_diaspora#Americas: “The Japanese diaspora has been unique in the absence of new emigration flows in the second half of the 20th century”)

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#8
post #3

Anecdotally from friends, I'd say the top three reasons are: * Lack of money * Lack of time off from work * Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.

Isn't the "Lack of English skills" easily solved with the plethora of translator devices and apps these days? About a decade+ ago (I think 2010-11), I remember a woman who sat next to me after Narita, traveling "to explore India."

She carried a tiny device the size of a typical compact (make-up thing for person who wants/needs to make up). She had no idea about English but can communicate via her device and it was pretty good at that time. I was pleasantly surprised and amazed by that. Imagine translator devices/apps ten years hence.

Re: Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’

#9
post #3

Anecdotally from friends, I'd say the top three reasons are: * Lack of money * Lack of time off from work * Lack of English skills, making travel abroad intimidating. In previous generations this was counteracted by bus tours with Japanese guides, but those are seen as lame by the younger generations.

id probably add to that: Lots of hostile neighbors. Korea/japan (both koreas) relations aren't great, netiher are russia nor china. Meaning you gotta fly a long long way to get anywhere. Similar to how there are many people from american midwest whove never been abroad.

living in europe all my life, almost everyone has been abroad here, but much much fewer have ever left europe, which is essentially what japanese people would have to do to go anywhere that doesnt view them with suspicion

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