A Study on the Dietary Consumption of Chinese Tourists in Japan : The Case of Package Tours

Abstract

This study mainly clarified the dietary behavior of Chinese package-tour tourists in Japan and their interaction with Japanese foods. In the past, inbound travel companies often took tourists to Chinese restaurants because the travel agencies had operational priorities. However, more and more Chinese tourists are pursuing “Japanese-ness” for meals at present. In response to this demand, the traditional business mode has changed, and Japanese restaurants have started to accept package-tour tourists. For Chinese tourists, Japanese food culture is not necessarily traditional Japanese cuisine, but rather ramen (hand-pulled noodles) or yakiniku (grilled meat). Moreover, when tourists have free time on their package-tour, they prefer to choose restaurants located in downtown areas because they regard the convenience of having meals between sightseeing and shopping as important. On the other hand, Japanese food services need to pay attention to the different dietary values of foreign tourists when providing food.