Japan among popular destinations for China travelers despite warning
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- Japan was among popular destinations for Chinese travelers during the five-day Labor Day holiday through Monday, despite an earlier warning by the Chinese Embassy in the country about violent crimes and incidents of food poisoning.
Chinese online travel agency Trip.com Group Ltd. said Japan ranked alongside South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia as a major overseas travel destination for Chinese holidaymakers.
In April, the embassy in Tokyo urged Chinese nationals to step up precautions regarding personal safety and food hygiene when traveling in Japan, citing indiscriminate killings that have occurred in some areas since last December, as well as an increase in norovirus infection cases.
On Tuesday, China's National Immigration Administration said inbound and outbound cross-border trips made during the holiday period totaled some 10.9 million, up 28.7 percent from the previous year.
The Chinese Culture and Tourism Ministry said the number of domestic trips made in China during the holiday period rose 6.4 percent from the previous year to 314 million.
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11 hours ago
Sesshū: The Master Painter Who Brought Chinese Styles to Japan
Sesshū (1420–ca. 1506) was a Japanese Zen monk and ink painting master. He was active around the same time as the Chinese Southern School painter Shen Zhou (1427–1509) and the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510). Amid the many works he produced in a variety of styles, his masterful late painting of Amanohashidate, completed with light brushstrokes like a preparatory sketch, gives a bird's eye view of the picturesque sandbar whose name can be rendered as 'Bridge to Heaven.' Amanohashidatezu (Picture of Amanohashidate), a national treasure. (Courtesy Kyoto National Museum) By contrast, the winter section of his Autumn and Winter Landscapes is a scene impossible in reality, semi-abstract in its overlapping rocks with strong outlines. Shūtō sansuizu (Autumn and Winter Landscapes), a national treasure. Autumn is on the right and winter on the left. (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum) Travel in China Born in what is now Sōja in Okayama Prefecture, Sesshū was raised from a young age at the temple of Hōfukuji and became a monk. After traveling to Kyoto, he studied under another monk and painter called Shūbun at the major temple of Shōkokuji. While his talent was recognized to some extent, his rough, powerful style did not match the delicate tastes of Kyoto intellectuals. Feeling himself at an impasse, in his mid-thirties Sesshū took a position under the daimyō Ōuchi Masahiro, whose territories extended over today's prefectures of Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. Masahiro was one of the country's leading daimyō, and his control of the port city Hakata brought him huge profits from trade with China and Korea. Imports included expensive paintings and artworks known as karamono (literally, 'Chinese goods'), which were quite different from the art that Sesshū had seen in Kyoto. As he studied from them, his admiration grew for their authenticity. Masahiro valued Sesshū not only for his painting but also as one of his representatives. When Sesshū was in his forties, Masahiro chose him as an adviser to Keian Genju, a Zen priest who headed the Ōuchi delegation of a trade and diplomacy mission to China. The three arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting were of central importance to cultured Chinese, and therefore essential to diplomacy and communication, whether as presents, part of entertainment, or to lighten the mood. Another important job for Sesshū meant taking on the equivalent role of a photographer today, depicting the Chinese scenery and people's appearance to convey back to Japan. He must also have selected Chinese paintings to bring home. Sesshū made great progress as an artist over the years he spent in China. When the delegation had an audience with the emperor, there were always first-rate paintings on display, and he could experience many different styles when purchasing artworks. At that time, the Zhe school was in fashion; it was characterized by a rough, energetic style, and allowed for idiosyncratic use of space. This was a good fit for Sesshū's talents, and he picked up techniques from the source like cotton soaking up water. His Landscapes of Four Seasons , completed as a commission while he was in China, has a tight composition that cannot be found in Japanese painting of the era. Sesshū was the only Japanese painter of his time to be recognized in China. Spring (right) and summer (left) from Shiki sansuizu (Landscapes of Four Seasons). (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum) Autumn (right) and winter (left) from Shiki sansuizu (Landscapes of Four Seasons). (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum) At the same time, Sesshū mastered realistic sketching of scenery by studying Chinese artworks. His Picture Scroll of Chinese Scenes , painted on the way back from what is now called Beijing, is a work of high quality that conveys a sense of having faithfully reproduced the landscapes he saw on his travels. Tōdo shōkei zukan (Picture Scroll of Chinese Scenes). (Courtesy Kyoto National Museum) Developing His Style While other artists went to China as part of delegations, they did not so consciously study and absorb the styles of painting they encountered. Some 26 years after returning to Japan, Sesshū was in his seventies when he wrote recollections on a landscape scroll, describing how he had learned artistic techniques from Li Zai in China and Shūbun in Japan. There are no similar long pieces written directly by other Japanese artists of the period. Haboku sansuizu (Broken Ink Landscape), a national treasure. (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum) As Sesshū writes in these reminiscences, while he adapted to Japan after his return, he also opened up his own artistic world. Like someone ordering a Cézanne-influenced work today, in Japan at that time, painters might be asked to create a work in the style of a particular popular Chinese artist, such as Xia Gui, a court painter active in the thirteenth century. Sesshū produced 12 paintings in the style of six famous Chinese artists, as we know from copies by painters in the Kanō school. It was a way of showing patrons what he could do, although he added his own individual touches, so it is clear from a glance that they are by Sesshū. His Autumn and Winter Landscapes and Broken Ink Landscape were developed based on pieces by Xia Gui and Yu Jian. Copies by Kanō Tsunenobu of paintings by Sesshū. Names of the Chinese artists he was imitating appear in the bottom right of each, from left to right: Xia Gui, Liang Kai, and Yu Jian. (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum) Growing Reputation The era helped Sesshū rise to prominence. When he returned to Japan in 1469, the country was in the midst of the Ōnin War of 1467–77. Japan's daimyō split into two armies, taking Kyoto as their battlefield, and the decade-plus of conflict became a major historic turning point. The daimyō who had previously lived in Kyoto, enjoying the capital's culture, returned to their domains after the war was over, where they had to provide their own culture locally. This led to a number of regional 'little Kyotos' arising. Yamaguchi was a classic example, and as its leading painter, Sesshū received many orders not only from the Ōuchi clan, but also from other samurai and monks, sometimes traveling to create artworks. Notably, Sesshū went on a major trip in 1481 at Masahiro's order, trekking from what is now Gifu Prefecture to the Noto Peninsula. He met with governors and other local leaders to convey Masahiro's wishes and also communicated with monks to gather information. His stories of experiences in China and the ink paintings he created on his travels won admiration and his reputation spread. He also made sketches of the places he visited, and in providing both these and the information he gleaned, he was important as Masahiro's 'eyes and ears.' Sesshū's own style, unbound by his Chinese influences, began to be recognized. A work like Autumn and Winter Landscapes followed Xia Gui, but the brushstrokes and composition were all Sesshū's own. A 16-meter scroll completed in his late sixties was a definitive example of Sesshū's style. This monumental work, presented to Masahiro, is filled with every imaginable landscape motif as it depicts the passing of the four seasons. The scroll's rendering of an idealized world and the eternal cycle of time even inspires a religious feeling transcending the laws of nature. While this is also based on a picture by Xia Gui, the rocks and trees are in the Chinese painter's manner, but the landscape is original with Sesshū. It would later become a kind of 'bible' for landscape paintings, and many artists would copy it. Detail from Sansui chōkan (Long Landscape Scroll), a national treasure. (Courtesy Mohri Museum) Building Originality In his seventies, Sesshū painted Eka danpizu (Picture of Huike Cutting Off His Arm), based on a Buddhist legend. Although it is an ordinary ink painting, Bodhidharma's clothes are rendered in dynamic brushstrokes with an unchanging thickness recalling that of a marker pen. In contemporary terms, the face has a graphic appeal, almost like that of a cartoon character. The picture takes inspiration from Minchō, another artist monk who was active in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with Sesshū incorporating his own 'Zen' in a form of expression that transcends what is considered common sense in ink painting. In his eighties, Sesshū traveled to Amanohashidate in what is now the north of Kyoto Prefecture; this was his last long 'business trip.' His picture of what is traditionally considered to be one of Japan's Three Scenic Views seems to be copied from nature, but there is actually no location from which it appears like this. Sesshū based his sketches on what he saw at ground level, creating a scene from an imaginary viewpoint. In some respects, it is very accurate; a similar landscape can be seen by helicopter today. While it is a common perspective today, among his Japanese contemporaries only Sesshū painted a bird's eye view. This work also faithfully reproduces holy Buddhist and Shintō sites, and recalls Hanghzhou's West Lake in China. In fusing Japanese and Chinese painting traditions, it can be seen as a culmination of Sesshū's work in a different sense than his Long Landscape Scroll . After this, he returned to Yamaguchi, which was where he probably was when he died around 1506. Sesshū's genius lies in how he continued to construct new worlds rather than remaining in any particular style. Among his portraits, Picture of Plum Blossoms and Jurōjin , featuring one of the seven gods of fortune, has a strong Chinese atmosphere, while Portrait of Masuda Kanetaka is in the Japanese tradition, but with a greater realism. Yet he was not simply painting at a whim. While following the styles of his predecessors, he developed his own distinctive approach. This is in the East Asian tradition of both learning from the past and bringing forth new ideas, to slowly build toward originality. Sesshū succeeded brilliantly at doing so. Baika jurōzu (Picture of Plum Blossoms and Jurōjin), at left (Courtesy Tokyo National Museum), and Masuda Kanetakazō (Portrait of Masuda Kanetaka) (Courtesy Sesshū Memorial Museum). Sesshū was also highly influential on later Japanese painters, including those active in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries like the Kyoto artist Hasegawa Tōhaku, who called himself Sesshū V, and Unkoku Tōgan, who started a school of painting in Yamaguchi. The Kanō school, which was backed by the Tokugawa shogunate to become dominant in Japanese art, revered Sesshū as the originator of Chinese-style painting in Japan, with Kanō Tan'yū in particular following him in ink painting. Indeed, no Japanese through history producing an ink painting landscape could possibly be unaware of Sesshū, who is rightly considered a gasei , a 'saint of painting.' (Originally published in Japanese on March 25, 2025. Banner image created based on Sesshū gazō [Portrait of Sesshū] by Tokuriki Zensetsu. Courtesy Tokyo National Museum.)
Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Nikkei Asia
Latest on Chinese in Japan
TOKYO -- More Chinese are migrating to Japan than ever before, with many driven by a "search for freedom." The easing of requirements for obtaining visas has made it possible for wealthy and middle-income Chinese to more easily move to Japan, and the number of Chinese residents in the country is expected to exceed 1 million in 2026. But what does "search for freedom" mean, exactly? For many, it's better educational opportunities. In interviews by Nikkei, Chinese people said they were unhappy with the stifling atmosphere and anxiety they found in China, noting how fierce the competition is for entering universities there. "We want to bring up our children in a better educational environment," one person said. "In China, graduating from a university does not lead to finding employment," noted another. Takadanobaba, a neighborhood in Tokyo, has become a hub for preparatory schools specializing in university entrance exams for Chinese people who dream of finding employment and living in Japan after graduation. Song Jiaying, 19, is one of them. This spring, she gained admission to the prestigious Hitotsubashi University. "I like Japan's atmosphere of freedom," she said. "I'm no longer thinking of returning to China." Song is no exception. Chinese students already make up large percentages of foreign students at leading universities in Japan, representing as much as 70% at the University of Tokyo. Liu Yanming, 50, migrated to Japan two years ago for his son, an elementary school student who likes soccer. He was attracted by Japan's educational environment and did not hesitate about moving. "In China, studying is really hard," he said. "But in Japan, both study and soccer can be done with pleasure and in a balanced way." Jin Xin, 46, who runs a restaurant in China's Liaoning province, looks forward to emigrating to Japan. His wife is already in Japan and has been making efforts over the past year to prepare for the family's migration.
a day ago
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building an Observation Deck Trendsetter
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was completed in 1990 and towers over Shinjuku. Its Main Building No. 1, standing 243 meters tall, was the tallest structure in Japan at the time. Each of the main building's twin towers features an observation deck on the forty-fifth floor, 202 meters up, that is open to the public free of charge. Now a well-established Tokyo landmark, the building has welcomed a cumulative total of around 55 million visitors to its observation areas over the past 35 years. While the annual number of visitors temporarily dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic to 150,000 in 2020 and 70,000 in 2021, it rebounded sharply to reach 1.6 million in 2024. A panoramic view of the capital with Tokyo Skytree visible in the distance, as seen from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. (Courtesy the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) The North Tower's observation deck includes a space where visitors can enjoy light meals and drinks while taking in the view. In the evenings, it can also be rented out for private events and parties. Meanwhile, the South Tower's deck features a public piano; artist Kusama Yayoi supervised the design, and anyone is welcome to play on it. A public piano designed under the supervision of artist Kusama Yayoi. (© Ogawa Hiroo) Most visitors are not from Tokyo, with foreign tourists now vastly outnumbering those from Japan. While visitors from Asian countries such as China and South Korea began to spike in the 2000s, recent years have seen an increasingly diverse crowd, with travelers arriving from Europe, Latin America, and beyond. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Main Building No. 1 has become a well-known landmark. (© Ogawa Hiroo) Long Lines of International Tourists When visiting one of the observatories in April for this report, a long line had formed on the first floor of the building where visitors register for entry. A sign indicated that there would be a 45-minute wait. In the past, guests could head straight up with little delay, but the recent surge in popularity is remarkable. A long line of people waiting to take the elevator to the observation deck at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. (© Ogawa Hiroo) A sign displaying the current wait time for entry to the observation deck. (© Ogawa Hiroo) Since fiscal 2011, volunteer interpreters have been stationed at the observation decks, offering guidance in English, Chinese, and Korean. One of the female volunteers commented, 'Recently, we've been seeing a noticeable increase in visitors from Europe,' as she busily assisted the steady flow of foreign tourists. One such visitor, Uyanbi from France, is a frequent guest. He has already visited the observation deck seven or eight times, often coming to Japan with his Japanese wife on family visits. A self-described Japan enthusiast, he praised the view from the deck, saying, 'Even compared to places like Yokohama's Landmark Tower or Tokyo Skytree, the view from here is absolutely stunning.' Tourists enjoying the view from the observation deck. (© Ogawa Hiroo) Ciro Pizzi, visiting Japan from Italy for the second time, said he had discovered the observation deck through a video-sharing site and had been looking forward to the visit. He was busy snapping souvenir photos with his phone. For foreign tourists, access without charge to such a panoramic view is an enormous draw. Many interviewees echoed the same sentiment: 'It's hard to believe you can enjoy such an amazing view for free.' Promoting Understanding of Government As the main office of the vast Tokyo metropolitan government, the building does not inherently require a free observation deck. So why include a space that is not directly tied to administrative duties? 'The idea was to help people who visit the building feel a sense of connection to Tokyo while enjoying the view, and in doing so, deepen their understanding of the city and its government,' explains Hiratsuka Kenji, manager of the building's Facility Maintenance Section. It is common for local governments across Japan to make their offices relatively open and accessible so that residents can feel more comfortable engaging with public administration. This culture of openness, which has long been taken for granted by the Japanese public, underpins the idea of building observation decks and making them freely available. Ishida Jun'ichirō, a professor at Mukogawa Women's University and an expert in Japanese architectural and urban history offers additional insight. 'The old Tokyo government building in Marunouchi featured a plaza where Tokyo residents could gather,' he explains. 'Such open spaces reflect a public mindset rooted in the fact that government buildings are constructed with taxpayer money, and therefore should serve as shared spaces for the community.' As municipal buildings have grown taller over time, he adds, observation decks have naturally come to take on that role of a public gathering space. The Rising Height of Government Buildings According to Professor Ishida, the legal foundation that paved the way for the construction of taller government buildings was a revision to Japan's Building Standards Act in 1963. Before the amendment, building heights were capped at approximately 31 meters, a limit rooted in the prewar shakkanhō (traditional Japanese units of measurement), where 100 shaku equaled roughly 31 meters. This restriction was commonly referred to as the 100- shaku rule. With the repeal of this height limit, developers were free to build taller structures to meet the demands of Japan's booming postwar economy. As land prices soared and the need for more efficient land use intensified, high-rise buildings began to flourish. One iconic example was the completion of the Kasumigaseki Building in 1968, which stood around 147 meters tall and captured nationwide attention. The trend of high-rise municipal buildings began with the Iwate Prefectural Office Building, completed in 1965. However, the end of the 100- shaku rule didn't immediately trigger a wave of high-rise construction among municipalities. Many local governments lost their original buildings during World War II and rebuilt them during the postwar recovery period—such as Tokyo's previous metropolitan office, completed in 1957. As a result, most municipalities' buildings were relatively new when the law changed, and they did not begin considering large-scale rebuilds until the late 1980s into the 1990s. Over time, government responsibilities expanded, leading to a growing accumulation of administrative documents and records that needed to be stored. In densely populated urban centers, surging land prices made it increasingly difficult to secure additional property for expansion. These pressures made vertical development the more practical solution over a horizontal sprawl, especially in major cities. A Must-Have Feature? Across the 23 municipalities of central Tokyo, plans to rebuild or relocate municipal offices began in the 1990s and continue to this day. In 1996, Nerima completed its new office building—a 21-story tower standing approximately 93.8 meters tall. In 1999, Bunkyō followed suit with a 28-story, roughly 142-meter-tall building, the tallest among the 23 municipalities. Nerima's is the second tallest. Both facilities include observation decks that are free to the public, although the Bunkyō building is currently closed for renovations until December 2026. A staff member from Nerima's General Affairs Division explained the aim was to attract more visitors by offering sweeping views that include Mount Fuji and Tokyo Skytree. The Nerima municipal office, nestled within a residential neighborhood. A restaurant operates on the observation floor. (© Ogawa Hiroo) In May 2024, Setagaya began using its new East Wing, which features an observation lobby on the tenth floor. While not a high-rise by modern standards, 'there are no tall buildings nearby, so it offers a panoramic view of Setagaya's cityscape,' notes Yamaji Hiroshi, section chief of the municipality's facilities management division. When it opened, the lobby hosted a popular panel exhibition on Guri and Gura , a beloved picture book series by the late Nakagawa Rieko, an acclaimed children's author and honorary resident of the ward. The Setagaya municipal office. With no tall buildings nearby, the observation lobby offers distant views of landmarks like Mount Fuji. (© Ogawa Hiroo) Government officials may assume that by adding appealing features like observation decks to their buildings, they can strengthen their connection with residents, but the reality is not so simple. In practice, relatively few facilities are actively used as event spaces for residents. Instead, these areas tend to function more like tourist attractions, and in some cases, they fail to attract even tourists. Nevertheless, a sense of bureaucratic conformity seems to prevail: whenever a municipality rebuilds its office, it increasingly treats an observation deck as a must-have feature. Professor Ishida cautions against such copycat tendencies. 'Government buildings aren't rebuilt often. Just because other municipalities are doing it doesn't mean you should follow suit. Officials need to think carefully: what does their community truly need? Is an observation deck really necessary? These are questions that must be considered from a long-term perspective. Gaining the support of residents and the local assembly should be the first priority,' he emphasizes. While more municipalities are adding observation decks to their buildings, only a handful like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building have succeeded in drawing large crowds and making meaningful contributions to local outreach or tourism. Municipalities would do well to seriously consider how to utilize these spaces effectively. Otherwise, they risk letting a valuable resource go to waste. (Originally published in Japanese on May 13, 2025. Banner photo: Tokyo night view from the Metropolitan Government Building observatory. Courtesy the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.)
