Will travelers be impossible to travel to local Japan in 10 years?

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (4) Table of Contents 1: Correlation between accessible railway stations and the number of overnight stays 2: Making accessible railway stations after increasing the number of travelers 3: Reasons why foreign travelers do not travel to local areas 4: Positive impacts of using regional railways by foreign travelers 1: Correlation between accessible railway stations and the number of overnight stays There is a high correlation between the rate of steps eliminated at railway stations and rail travel. In prefectures where the rate of steps eliminated at railway stations is low, the share of rail travel is also low. In contrast, the share of rail travel is high when the rate of steps eliminated at railway stations is high. There is also a relationship whereby the share of overnight stays (the share of overnight visitors traveling for tourism purposes by prefecture, 2019) is lower when the rate of steps eliminated at railway stations is low. Rate of steps eliminated at stations by prefecture and share of the number of overnight stays by prefecture SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan Tourism Agency read moreWill it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (4)

29May, 20232023年12月2日

Accessible tourism

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (3)

By ninjakotan

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (3) Table of Contents 1: Accessibility at regional railway stations 2: Reasons for delays in making local railway stations accessibility 1: Accessibility at regional railway stations Accessibility of large passenger facilities in Japan (railway stations, bus terminals, ferry terminals, and airports) is steadily progressing: in passenger facilities with an average of more than 3,000 passengers per day, the rate of steps eliminated at the end of FY2020 is 95.1%, the rate of guidance blocks for the visually impaired is 97.2%, and the rate of accessible toilets is 92.1%, approaching 100%. Accessibility in passenger facilities with more than 3,000 passengers per day (%) SOURCE: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism However, only 50% (4,734 out of 9,379) of all railway stations in Japan have ‘steps eliminated’ at the end of FY2021. Regarding the percentage of ‘stations with steps eliminated’ by prefecture, 22 prefectures (47% of the total) have less than 30%. The low rate is particularly noticeable in rural areas, such as Yamaguchi, Kagoshima, and Aomori prefectures, where the percentage is 17%, 19%, and 20%, respectively. The proportion of stations with stepsread moreWill it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (3)

26May, 20232023年12月2日

Accessible tourism

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (2)

By ninjakotan

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (2) Table of Contents 1: Current situation of passenger bus operators 2: Discontinued passenger bus routes 1: Current situation of passenger bus operators A passenger bus is a bus that carries an unspecified number of passengers. Passenger buses include express buses and sightseeing buses that run between cities, but this section discusses passenger buses. The number of passengers declined by 19% between 2003 and 2019. This situation is similar to regional railways. Number of passengers carried by passenger buses (million) Source: Nihon Bus Association Due to a decline in the number of users and other factors, regional passenger bus operators continue to lose money, with the proportion of loss-making operators consistently exceeding 80%. Percentage of loss-making passenger bus operators Source: Nihon Bus Association 2: Discontinued passenger bus routes These difficult conditions have led to the continued closure of regional passenger bus routes, as well as regional rail routes. Between 2010 and 2020, 13,845 km of routes (an average of 1,259 km per year) were closed. In the same period, rail routes were closed down for a cumulative total of 407 km, so itread moreWill it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years? (2)

23May, 20232023年12月2日

Accessible tourism

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years?(1)

By ninjakotan

Will it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years?(1) Table of Contents 1: Introduction 2: Current status of regional rail operators 3: Ageing rolling stock and infrastructure of regional rail operators 4: Discontinued railway lines 1: Introduction In our four-part series, we describe the plight of regional rail operators and passenger bus operators on the main routes for travel to rural areas of Japan. Most operators are losing money, and if the current situation continues, the closure of rail and bus routes may accelerate and make it impossible to travel to rural areas of Japan by public transport. The first article discusses regional railways, the second passenger buses, the third accessibility of regional railway stations, and the fourth measures to promote travel to the regions. 2: Current status of regional rail operators Regional railways refer to railway lines other than Shinkansen, conventional main lines, and urban railways. Of these, small and medium-sized private railways and semi-public corporations are referred to as regional railway operators, of which there were 95 as of 1 April 2022.76 of the 95 companies had operating losses in the railway track industry in FY 2019. The proportion of losses isread moreWill it be impossible for travelers to visit local Japan in 10 years?(1)