Over 450,000 Chinese tourists spent nearly RMB6 billion in Japan during their Spring Festival holidays, according to a local Japanese TV station. From brand-name handbags to innumerable Japanese toilet seats, goods were reportedly snatched away as soon as they arrived on the shelves.
The most popular items among Chinese tourists were vacuum-seal cups, ceramic knives, toilet seats and rice cookers. Compared to domestic goods, the prices in Japan could be as little as 1/3 the Chinese price.
Such was the frenzy to bring home butt-warming Japanese toilet seats that is even prompted a backlash from Chinese state media. Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times even ran an article with the priceless headline "Popularity of Japanese toilet seats overstated," in which they argued that the craze "makes a mockery of China's boycott of Japanese goods," and called upon readers to do the patriotic thing and support China's own home-grown toilet seat industry.
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According to travel industry experts, the reason so many Chinese tourists chose Japan as their travel destination this year could be down to easing visa restrictions as well as the depreciation of Japanese currency, with one kuai buying 20 yen.
[Images via CCTV]
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