Snapping up four Japanese luxury Seiko watches as if they were cheap chocolate souvenirs, a 36-year-old Chinese tourist plunked down $4,500 in cash at a glitzy store in downtown Tokyo. “One is for me, and the other is for my father. The rest are for my friends,” said Li Jun, a computer businessman from Shanghai.

    No Buddhist temples or tranquil rock gardens for him. Mr. Li and his wife are in Japan on a single-minded mission -- shopping. Mr. Li said they were looking for “shopping, not for tourist activities.”

    For years, Japanese auto and electronics companies have been expanding in China as its economy boomed to offset slow growth at home. Now, Japan’s languishing economy is getting a lift from hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists eager to flaunt their newfound wealth by purchasing brand-name goods.

    Last year, a record 481,000 Chinese tourists visited Japan, up nearly 20 percent from 2007, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. While it is difficult to measure the precise impact of Chinese tourist spending, it is warmly welcomed by Japan’s struggling retailers.

    “Chinese are the saviors for us. I’ve never seen foreign tourists spend as much as Chinese tourists,” said Takeshi Araki, a salesman at electronics retailer Yodobashi Camera Co. Ltd. in Tokyo’s bustling Akihabara electronics district.

    As Japan’s population ages and declines, the world’s second-largest economy will become increasingly dependent on such consumer spending from those who live outside the country -- and Tokyo knows it.

    “The Chinese economy is booming and China’s demand for overseas travel, especially among wealthy people, is about to explode,” said Kouichi Ueno, chief official of the international tourism promotion division at the Japan Tourism Agency.

    For Chinese tourists, shopping is the most popular activity while in Japan. Zhang Qin, a 31-year-old tourist from Beijing, said the primary appeal of Japanese products is their perceived superior quality. She bought four Japanese digital cameras worth $6,300. While similar products can be purchased in China, Ms. Zhang said she was wary of fakes.

    Ms. Zhang said she had not visited any tourist attractions during her five-day trip to Tokyo. “I am too busy with shopping.”

    Tokyo’s upscale Ginza shopping district is also getting a boost from the influx of Chinese shoppers. “Chinese people don’t go window-shopping in Ginza. They are in Ginza to buy, and they go for brand-name products,” said Masatoshi Nitta, manager at the sales division at the Ginza branch of Mitsukoshi department store.

    Source: Associated Press

 中国游客振奋日本经济

       东京闹市区一个炫目的商店里，一名36岁的中国游客拍下4500美元的现金抢购4块精工手表，就仿佛它们是廉价的巧克力礼品。来自上海的电脑商人李军（音）说：“一块给我，一块给我父亲，剩下的送朋友。”

       不去佛教寺庙也不去宁静的公园，李和妻子在日本时脑子里只有一项任务——购物。李说：“我们是来这儿购物的，不是为了观光。”

       多年来，随着中国经济的不断繁荣，日本的汽车和电器公司一直在华扩张以补偿日本国内的缓慢增长。如今，成千上万的中国游客让日本衰落的经济搭上便车，他们渴望通过购买名牌来炫耀新得到的财富。

       据日本国家旅游局统计，去年481000名中国游客访日，比2007年增长了近20%。尽管还难以估量中国游客花销所带来的精确影响，但这显然受到正在苦苦挣扎的日本零售商的热烈欢迎。

       “中国人是我们的救星。我从未看到过像中国人这样大手笔花钱的其他外国游客”，东京秋叶原电器街上一家零售店的销售员荒木武如是说。

       随着日本人口老龄化且数量下滑，这个世界第二大经济体将越来越依赖（中国）这样的海外消费者的花销——东京知道这一点。

       日本旅游局国际旅游推广部的负责人上野浩一说：“中国经济正蓬勃发展，中国人尤其是富有人群对海外旅游的需求将激增。”

       对中国游客而言，购物是在日本最受欢迎的活动。31岁的张琴（音）来自北京，她说日本产品的首要吸引力是公认的上乘质量。张买了4架数码相机，价值6300美元。

       张说在中国也能买到类似产品，但担心是假货。张说在5天的东京之行中，还没来得及造访任何景点，“购物让我分身乏术。”

       东京高档的银座购物区也因中国购物者的大量涌入生意兴隆。“中国人到银座不是闲逛的。他们到银座是来买东西的。他们喜欢名牌产品。”银座一家大型百货商店的销售部经理仁田正俊说。