According to Washington Post, on June 29, snapping up four Japanese luxury Seiko watches as if they were cheap chocolate souvenirs, a 36-year-old Chinese tourist plunked down $4,500 in cash at a glitzy store in downtown Tokyo. "One is for me, and the other is for my father. The rest are for my friends," said Li Jun, a computer businessman from Shanghai. No Buddhist temples or tranquil rock gardens for him. Li and his wife were in Japan on a single-minded mission: shopping。
For years, Japanese auto and electronics companies have been expanding in China as its economy boomed to offset slow growth at home. But now, Japan's languishing economy is getting a lift from hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists who are eager to flaunt their newfound wealth by purchasing brand name goods。
Last year, a record 481,696 Chinese tourists visited Japan, up nearly 20 percent from 2007, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. While it's difficult to measure the precise impact of Chinese tourist spending, it is warmly welcomed by Japan's struggling retailers. "Chinese are the saviors for us. I've never seen any foreign tourists spend as much as Chinese," said Takeshi Araki, a salesman at an electronics retailer in Tokyo's bustling Akihabara electronics district。
As Japan's population ages and declines, the world's No. 2 economy will become increasingly dependent on such consumer spending from those who live outside the country — and Tokyo knows it. "The Chinese economy is booming, and China's demand for overseas travel, especially among wealthy people, is about to explode," said Kouichi Ueno, chief official of the international tourism promotion division at the government-run Japan Tourism Agency。
For Chinese tourists, shopping is the most popular activity while in Japan. Zhang Qin, a 31-year-old tourist from Beijing, said the No. 1 appeal of Japanese products was their perceived superior quality. She bought four Japanese digital cameras worth 560,000 yen ($6,300). While similar products can be purchased in China, Zhang said she was wary of fakes. She said she hadn't visited any tourist attractions during her five-day trip to Tokyo. "I am too busy with shopping," Zhang said。
Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district is getting a boost from the influx of Chinese shoppers, too. "Chinese people don't go window-shopping in Ginza. They are in Ginza to buy, and they go for brand-name products." said Masatoshi Nitta, manager at the sales division at the Ginza branch of Mitsukoshi department store, one of Japan's most respected brands. "Chinese are not shy about showing off their wealth. For them, buying high-end merchandise in Ginza itself is seen as a prestigious thing," he said。