Two months after the resumption of the acceptance of foreign tourists, inbound demand is still not expected, as rental kimono shops in Asakusa, Tokyo, have had to cancel bookings due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Before the pandemic, rental kimono shops in Asakusa attracted many foreign tourists to stroll around the town in kiomonos and take commemorative photos.
At times, shop representatives and staff would travel on business to dress dozens of tourists.
However, sales have now fallen to half of what they were then and the shops are operating at a reduced size.
The shops had high hopes for the resumption of foreign visitors in June this year, but even after two months, there're still very few foreign tourists coming to the shops.
In October this year, for the first time in almost three years, about 30 foreign tourists had booked a place on a tour, but this was cancelled due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus infection in Japan.
In the shops, demand for the brightly coloured kimonos favoured by foreigners has decreased, so the number of kimonos on display has been reduced and they have to be stored in bags in the shops or at home, which means that inbound demand cannot be expected to continue.
Reiko Ono, representative of the rental shop, Hanaka, said: "The situation is still more difficult than before the pandemic. I hope that many people will be able to feel Japanese culture and enjoy Asakusa as before."
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