HIBUYA, JAPAN » Ayako Kosuge and Naoko Saito lined up for more than an hour to buy bread from the world’s first Le Pain de Joel Robuchon in the new Hikarie Shibuya retail and entertainment complex.
"We made sure that we were first in line, because everything’s gone by lunchtime," Saito said.
That the women were willing to wait to drop $31.39 on designer bread in Shibuya’s first major retail development in a decade speaks volumes about the path that Japan’s post-tragedy economy is taking.
More than 2.2 million people visited the complex in its first month, said Kohji Tsuchiya of the Shibuya Hikarie Operation Department of Tokyu Corp. "I think there is some sense of people being tired of saving their money," Tsuchiya said.
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, Japan has focused on driving reconstruction and recovery. Government goals include achieving a real growth rate of about 2 percent.
The successful opening of Hikarie Shibuya sends a message to Japan that the economy is strengthening, Tsuchiya said.
"The Japanese economy has been stagnant for some time," he said. "Now, the opening of not just this building but also of Sky Tree, the world’s tallest building, and another complex called Diver City in Odaiba is making Tokyo a more attractive place to visit."
Yuko Hanzawa, who wheeled a suitcase through Hikarie Shibuya on a recent trip, was living proof of Tsuchiya’s theory. "I flew in from the Ooita prefecture," she said. "I wanted to check out Hikarie and see the Sky Tower. I think they will both be major tourist stops."
The new construction, some of which was delayed after the disaster, is a symbol of Japan’s recovery and revitalization, said Mamoru Kobori, executive director of the marketing and promotion department in the Japan National Tourism Organization. Airline improvements are another positive sign, Kobori said.
All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have returned to health and along with Hawaiian Airlines have recently launched new routes at a time when the Japanese government has open-sky agreements in place with 14 nations, he said.
The Japanese government is targeting very aggressive tourism goals for its future, said Shuichi Kameyama, director of the International Tourism Promotion Division for the Japan Tourism Agency.
The government has set a goal of bringing 18 million international visitors to Japan by 2016, Kameyama said. The country also aims to double the number of international conferences held from the 741 that it attracted in 2010, he said.
"Tourism demand has been and will be expanding especially in southeast and northeast Asia," Kameyama said.
At the same time, the country hopes to increase its own international tourism by growing the number of Japanese travelers who go overseas as unofficial ambassadors from under 17 million in 2011 to 20 million by 2016, he said.
And while Hawaii is the most popular overseas destination for Japanese people, Kameyama said, visitors from Hawaii to Japan only account for about 2 percent of U.S. inbound traffic.
"Hawaii people have already extended money and emotional support. The next thing to do is come visit Japan," he said. "We will welcome you."
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About this series: Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers recently traveled to Japan as part of the Foreign Press Center/Japan Fellowship Program. During her time there, Schaefers examined Hawaii-Japan connections as the nation continues to recover from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
