Streets in South Korea (Image from the Internet)
According to South Korea's Seoul News, the number of people traveling between Japan and South Korea has also increased significantly as governments have eased restrictions on entry and exit. In January this year, the total number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea was 434,429, an increase of 430.8% year-on-year. Among them, Japan had the largest number of tourists, accounting for 15.4%, or 66,900, about 57 times more than in the same month last year.
Korean cuisine (picture from the Internet)
However, on March 9, Japan's online media "Money Post" exclaimed when reporting on the "Korean tourism fever" in Japan: "Japanese tourists are frightened by the high prices in South Korea!" Money Post, in a report titled "Korean tourism popularity has revived, cheap profits are a thing of the past," said that most Japanese regret the current "big change" in South Korea's price situation compared to before the pandemic.
Seaview of Jeju Island (picture from the Internet)
The article first analyzes the reasons for the surge in Japanese visits to South Korea, saying: "Due to the soaring aviation fuel surcharge and the depreciation of the yen, more and more people are reluctant to travel to Europe and the United States. Korean tours, which are free of financial burdens and can be "traveled with bags" at any time, are becoming increasingly popular. ”
Korean dance (picture from the Internet)
According to A, a 41-year-old female office worker in Japan, who asked not to be named, she had been to South Korea in November last year. At that time, except for the Gangnam area of Seoul, where plastic surgery clinics were concentrated, Japanese people were hardly seen on the streets and at airports. But when I went to Korea late last month, before 7 a.m., there was a long queue at the Korean check-in counter at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
South Korea's shopping street (picture from the Internet)
According to A, the Japanese were in a difficult position as the yen continued to fall and became less and less valuable. Because the won is also falling, I think it should be better to go to South Korea to spend, but in fact it is not the same thing. The most surprising thing is shopping in Korea, I thought that wallets and perfumes of famous Western brands would be cheaper in Korean duty-free shops, but after searching online, I found that it was not as cheap as buying in Japan. Even local cosmetics in Japan are much cheaper online than in Korean duty-free shops.
On the afternoon of March 10, the daytime temperature in Seoul rose to 22 degrees. Visitors donned short-sleeved clothes. (Image from the Internet)
A said that after the new crown epidemic, he could finally travel overseas, and he wanted to go to South Korea for a "retaliatory consumption", but he never got his wish. Perhaps she has seen too many Japanese tourists who think the same way as her, and the Korean clerks disdain them. The expression on their faces, "These Japanese are not here to buy something, ignore him", made many Japanese tourists very hurt.
On the afternoon of March 10, a cosmetics store in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul, was opening its doors (picture from the Internet)
After the "torment" of the new crown epidemic, many businesses in South Korea have long been "hungry and thirsty". They are like a swarm of spiders, weaving large sturdy webs, waiting for the literal translation of "big hands" (Korean: '큰 손') of "people who are stupid and have a lot of money". It is the Korean name for Chinese tourists. "Our arrival. Unexpectedly, all those waiting were Japanese "small fish and shrimp" who wanted to take advantage.
Billboard at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan (picture from the Internet)
Japanese translator Kanon Matsuda, who is still stranded in South Korea, said in a post to online media: "Although many Japanese think that South Korea is a cheap overseas travel destination, in fact, things here are not cheap. "In the past, the Japanese could fight at will in Korea because the cheap price made them feel unburdened, however, that is a thing of the past." Because the starting fare of South Korean taxis has been raised from 3,800 won (about 20 yuan) to 4,800 won (about 25 yuan) since last month. "If you come to Korea to find a "big beautiful" pastime, it's another matter; But if you want to buy 'cheap', you must be looking in the wrong place. ”
(Image from the Internet)