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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, September 8, 2002

ONE YEAR, ONE NATION
Fewer visitors to Islands are Japanese

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

For years, the Japanese visitor was as much a part of Hawai'i as the lua'u — and thousands of Japanese visitors continue to arrive at the Islands every week.

But in the past year, closer forms of paradise that are better bargains have caught their eye. Some are simply traveling less as the Japanese economy continues to falter, and those who do still venture to Hawai'i are spending less.

While the primary changes reshaping the Japanese visitor market preceded Sept. 11, the attacks compounded the trends. And it is a shift that is significantly reshaping the state's $10 billion tourism industry and shows no signs of change.

Tomomi Watanabe, a 29-year-old flight attendant from Tokyo, recently arrived for her first vacation to Hawai'i, but she said the exchange rate — approximately 118 yen equaling one U.S. dollar — kept her from shopping more.

"That's one of the reasons Japanese don't come to Hawai'i," she said. "(Prices are) almost the same as Japan."

Travel from Japan also has been slow because some Japanese employees' summer bonuses, which are an important part of salary, were sliced in half this year, said Yujiro Kuwabara, general manager for tour planning and marketing for Japanese tour wholesaler JTB.

Many use their bonuses to pay money due on auto loans and home mortgages. "They didn't have money to travel," Kuwabara said.

Mayumi Fukuda, a 28-year-old visitor who came to Honolulu for her third trip to the Islands for a four-day vacation, said economic factors at home are a key factor in her vacation decisions these days. Another Japanese visitor, Naoko Yoshida, spent just $1,500 on her four-day tour package to the Islands, but noted that expensive packages are making a Hawai'i vacation more difficult.

In the early days after the Sept. 11 attacks, many Japanese stayed in Japan for vacations, said Masa Murakami, a 21-year-old from Osaka.

"They didn't go to any foreign country," said Murakami. Then, when they started traveling again, he said, they found that other destinations were cheaper.

"Hawai'i isn't different and new to many Japanese," said Chuck Gee, former dean of the University of Hawai'i Travel Industry Management school and an international tourism consultant. What's more, "the word 'sale' never really meant anything to them." Now, "When they do go on holidays they're really watching those pennies."

Mito Komatsu, a 23-year-old telephone company employee in Tokyo, recently arrived in Hawai'i for her first trip here since she was 7.

Though Komatsu said many of her friends are interested in traveling to Hawai'i, she said some have become more interested in traveling to China.

"Maybe they haven't gone to China before," Komatsu said. "They want to eat," and China is better for cuisine lovers, she said.

Satae Shinoda, a 60-year-old from Tokyo, said she visits Hawai'i every year and came recently for a 16-day vacation.

"I'm kind of kama'aina," she said. But she also said that when she first began coming to Hawai'i 30 years ago, "At that time I enjoyed very green plants and very beautiful flowers, more than now."

"Japanese people want to see more beautiful atmospheres — so I like Hilo very much," said Shinoda. "Hawai'i is very enchanting for us Japanese, but there are various places that people can go to ... people can enjoy beaches in Thailand and the Philippines."

She added: "It's very convenient now here, but Honolulu is just like New York and Tokyo."

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.