China has recently announced the resumption of visa-free travel for Japanese citizens. But what do the Japanese citizens think about this newly reinstated visa waiver?
While traveling in Japan, I took the opportunity to ask three local residents about their thoughts on this policy:
Suzuki: Female, 19, from Kyoto, working in the catering industry.
Though Suzuki has never been to China, her work has brought her into contact with many Chinese tourists, sparking her curiosity and interest in the country. She said that after the visa-free policy takes effect, she would love to go to Beijing to hike the Great Wall and immense herself in China's rich history and culture.
Tanaka: Female, 28, from Osaka, working in the hotel industry.
Tanaka, who has never been to China, learned Chinese speaking through her daily work. To my surprise, she is fluent in the language during our first conversation. Like Suzuki, Tanaka expressed a strong desire to visit Beijing to climb the Great Wall after the visa-free policy is implemented.
Wada: Male, 33, from Tokyo, working in the technology industry.
Wada had visited Hong Kong as a student but now, as a father, he hopes to bring his wife and children on a family trip to China. In addition to Beijing, he is particularly interested in visiting Hangzhou to experience the beauty of West Lake.
However, when I asked these three individuals about other Chinese cities they were familiar with, only Wada mentioned Hong Kong and Hangzhou. Suzuki and Tanaka only knew of Beijing.
This limited awareness may reflect the need for greater international recognition of other Chinese cities. While Japan's major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are well known worldwide, many Chinese cities are still working to boost their international profile.
Nonetheless, the reinstatement of the visa-free policy opens up new opportunities for Japanese citizens to explore more of China. In the future, we anticipate more Japanese tourists will choose to discover cities beyond Beijing.
