The border closure as the pandemic took hold in early 2020 signaled a difficult time ahead for Japan’s many tourism-reliant industries. However, there was a palpable sigh of relief from residents and businesses who felt strained to keep up with the ever-growing crowds of tourists. For some, the period of closed borders was a welcome break to take stock and implement new strategies for when tourism recommenced.
“This hotel opened in September of 2020 and has never been operating at full capacity. As domestic pandemic restrictions began to ease, we slowly began to see a return of domestic guests, however Akihabara is not generally known among local travelers as a neighborhood to book a hotel. Foreign travelers on the other hand — especially those interested in gaming and anime — are very keen to stay here, and since the borders have opened, the number of rooms booked jumped another 20 percent.
“[Our family shop] was very popular before the pandemic, and we were expecting a huge surge for the 2020 Olympics, but of course the tourism explosion never happened. We pivoted to online sales to keep the business afloat, but of course people want to feel and handle our artisan-crafted knives in person, so we have had an uptick in visitors since tourism resumed.
“Pre-covid, our customer base was 90 percent tourists, so when the borders were closed, we were really in trouble. Luckily, we were able to get a government small-business stimulus package that kept us going until the borders reopened. The unexpected outcome of the pandemic is that more bars in Golden Gai than ever are welcoming of foreign tourists, as they are hoping it will help their business bounce back.