Shizuoka TaaS Travel, Accompanies You in Japan
"The Meaning Behind Mount Fuji Being a World Cultural Heritage Site"Insights on Interviews to Inbound Tourists on YouTubeSince the end of COVID-19 in 2023, the number of inbound tourists from overseas has been increasing rapidly. In 2024, the number of visitors reached 36.87 million, surpassing the previous record of approximately 31.88 million in 2019. Furthermore, in the first half of this year up to June, the number exceeded 21.51 million, and is expected to surpass the government's annual target of 40 million. Thanks to this, the number of taxi charter arrangements handled by Shizuoka TaaS Travel Co., Ltd. at Shimizu Port is also increasing smoothly.In order to learn English that is necessary for on-site sales activities, I often watch interview videos of inbound tourists uploaded to YouTube. The typical questions from the interviewers are why people choose Japan as their travel destination and what are their impressions of the country. In many of the videos, the interviewers generally talked about how people are influenced by Japanese anime and other things from a young age, people’s dream about coming to Japan, and their impressions of Japan and that its culture and people are wonderful.Of course, they may be paying lip service to the Japanese interviewer, but looking at their expressions while answering the questions, it doesn't seem like they're intentionally trying to please him. In particular, the words polite, ordered, calm, and respectful are almost uniformly used when describing the Japanese.As for society, it is also rated as clean and safe. As a Japanese, it is nice to hear such positive reviews from people overseas, but on the other hand, there are also negative reviews, such as "the lost 30 years," and predictions that Japan's GDP will be overtaken by India in 205 and will fall to fifth place, and that its per capita GDP will be 38th.Being said this, why do inbound tourists esteem so highly of Japanese society, culture, and people despite the economic downturn that followed the collapse of the bubble economy? Recently, perhaps because of this oneextreme example, there has been a phenomenon known as "Japan Loss," where tourists who return to their home countries after a trip to Japan are overcome with a sense of loss and want to "go back" to Japan. Furthermore, in the United States, the word "weeb," which means "Japanese home," has become popular, and the number of foreign people who live in Japan and aspire to live in Japan is rapidly increasing.What on earth is going on? As a travel business that welcomes inbound tourists, including cruise ships, we must be fully aware of Japan's highly regarded society and history, as well as the values that are underlying and work to further enhance that reputation.ＭＴ．ＦＵＪＩPORT（SHIMIZU）This subheading is displayed on the itinerary of the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium, which frequently calls at Shimizu Port. In other words, Shimizu Port is displayed as MT. FUJI PORT SHIMIZU, which shows just how important Mount Fuji is to foreign ships. In fact, passengers on foreign ships, not just this cruise ship, say they want to see Mount Fuji first when they disembark. The global fame of Mount Fuji seems to have such an impact that it has even led to ports of call being renamed.It can also be said that Shimizu Port, as the starting point for Mount Fuji, is the reason why more than 100 cruise ships call at the port each year. For this reason, we are truly grateful. However, as a writer, I feel that the culturalsignificance of Mount Fuji, a symbol of Japan, is not being fully promoted to inbound tourists.Mount Fuji is a towering, free-standing mountain, has its perfect conical shape captivating the entire world, and yet , there may be few people in the world who do not know its name and appearance until now. So, passengers on cruise ships calling at Shimizu Port will also "first think of Mount Fuji". In fact, Mount Fuji is not a "World Natural Heritage Site" due to its magnificent natural beauty, but a World Cultural Heritage Site that is both an "object of worship" and a "source of artistic inspiration." Mount Fuji has long been an object of worship due to its majestic and awe-inspiring appearance. At the same time, it is an active volcano, and has repeatedly erupted on a large scale, making it a feared destination.As many Japanese believe thatMount Fuji is a mountain where gods reside, and in order to appease and worship these gods, Sengen Shrine was built by order of the Emperor from the Heian period, and became known asSengen Hongu Taisha Shrine. Furthermore, Mount Fuji became a training ground for Shugendo, a fusion of mountain worship and Buddhism (esoteric Buddhism), and during the Edo period, it became the object of worship known as Fuji-ko, which spread to the common people.The spirituality of the Japanese people, which is appreciated by many inbound tourists, is based on a historical accumulation of Shintoism, which is about being one with nature and has a belief on eight million diverse gods, and another, Buddhism, which is based on self-cultivation.Although we would like inbound tourists to feel and appreciate Mount Fuji and Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine (Fujinomiya City), which enshrines Mount Fuji as its sacred object, as one of the symbols of Japanese culture, unfortunately we do not believe that this is currently the case. Or rather, it might be better to say that I myself have not reached that level of understanding. Even if I could explain it on a knowledge level, I feel that it would be difficult to gain that level of empathy from inbound tourists without laying down a moredeep, imaginative re-experiencing of Mount Fuji’s deep-seated cultural significance to attainthe resulting emotions and realizations the same of my own.Experience Kyoto's Fushimi Inari ShrineRecently, while on a business trip to Kansai, I went alone to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, which is often cited by inbound tourists as the most memorable place in Kyoto. There were a lot of foreign visitors there, including some foreign women wearing kimonos, who were heading to the top of Mount Inari. The mountain path to the top is 4 kilometers one way, making it 8 kilometers as a round trip. I decided to try to reach the top as well, but, embarrassingly I gave up after reaching the halfway point at Yotsutsuji. At this point, my legs started to tremble, and I worried that if I reached the top, I wouldn't be able to get back. I regretted my lack of regular exercise. Apparently, there are tens of thousands of torii gates to the top, and this firsthand experience gave me a real sense of the faith and historical accumulation of the ancient people. Kyoto, like Mount Fuji, is a treasure trove of Japanese history. While the negative effects of overtourism have been pointed out in Kyoto, thisis still essential for people to get to know more about Japan as a country.However, not just in Kyoto, but in any tourist facility, especially a historical one, the level of understanding and empathy of tourists will depend on the extent to which the guide, as a storyteller, pays attention to the history of the facility. This also calls into question the guide's own deep understanding and pride about Japanese culture.From Chartering a Taxi to Exploring the Sightseeing - Japanese ExperienceShizuoka TaaS Travel is currently running package tours and is also focusing on training guides. When we see customers returning from a private charter at Hinode Pier, they are delighted with what a great experience they had, shaking hands with the guide and some even hugging each other. I think this is a clear indication of the guides' dedication and the quality of their hospitality all throughout the sightseeing services offered.If given chance , we would like to ask YouTubers to create interview videos of our customers and explore ways to improve the quality of inbound tourists' experiences in Japan. (September 23, 2025)
