Despite the challenges faced by the country with its labour shortage and economic performance, Japan being a well-known tourist destination, continues to draw in an increasing number of tourists from all over the world, especially that there are upcoming major events starting this year up until the first half of next year.
And with that, the government and its stakeholders continue to drive harder in achieving innovations that could help the country better facilitate the events to be had within a few months’ time. 
Rugby World Cup Expected to Draw Over 500,000 Tourists in Japan this Year
With barely seven months left until the opening of the Rugby world Cup, organizing committee CEO Akira Shimazu shared that the number of foreign fans expected to show up for the event has by far exceeded their expectations, as shared in a report by Japan Today.
During his speech at the Foreign Press Center Japan in Tokyo, Shimazu revealed that the upcoming World Cup will see around 500,000 tickets sold to foreign fans alone who will be visiting the country, including Kamaishi, a city which is looking to make a comeback from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
While majority of the foreign arrivals from last year were from neighbouring Asian countries, the Rugby World Cup will enable Japan to showcase its attractions to first-time visitors.
The much-anticipated tournament which will run from September 20 to November 2, will see 20 teams battle it out in 48 matches across 12 cities from the country’s northern main island of Hokkaido to Kyushu in the southwest.
The 2015 edition of the World Cup hosted by England drew in over 2.4 million spectators at its venues, in addition to some 4 billion TV viewers from all over the world, according to local organizers.
Shimazu was quick to downplay Japan’s rising popularity due to the event, explaining that this year’s tournament should not be compared to previous editions because the goal is to make a ground-breaking tournament to date.