As Japan gears up to host the Rugby World Cup and Olympic Games in consecutive years, many businesses are seizing on the opportunity to capitalize on the influx of tourists, media and athletes.
The Rugby World Cup begins in September next year, followed by the Tokyo Games 10 months later, giving businesses a unique chance to reach an international and diverse customer base that might be encountering Japanese products for the first time.
One business sector looking to benefit from the arrival of thousands of athletes is the condom industry.
It has become tradition in the lead-up to Olympic Games for tournament organizers to distribute thousands of free prophylactics to athletes looking to let their hair down once their event is over.
Almost half a million condoms were handed out in the 2016 Rio Games Olympic Village, while condom packaging for the Beijing 2008 Olympics featured the Games’ motto: “Faster, higher, stronger.”
With about 10,000 athletes expected to descend on the Olympic Village, Japanese condom companies are keen to promote their unique products to an international audience.
Sagami Rubber Industries, one of Japan’s leading condom makers, are hoping to use the Olympics to enhance awareness of their ultra-thin Polyurethane sheaths.
Sagami, alongside Japanese competitor Okamoto, produce the world’s thinnest condoms, which are only 0.01mm thick.
Sagami senior sales manager Hiroshi Yamashita spoke of the popularity of the ultra-thin condoms in China and believes Tokyo 2020 could help broaden Sagami’s scope worldwide.
Olympic organizers have yet to name an official condom supplier.
“If the International Olympic Committee ask us, then we would be very happy to supply our product for the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said Yamashita, who predicts that 150,000 condoms will be needed.
One place where these condoms could end up being used is at one of Japan’s notorious “love hotels,” as Tokyo 2020 organizers face an expected shortage of accommodation.
Japan is already dealing with record numbers of tourists — 28.69 million last year — and the government has set a goal of 40 million foreign visitors by 2020.
To satisfy the needs of this influx, the government is keen for tourists to use alternative means of accommodation, such as love hotels, capsule hotels and traditional Japanese inns (ryokan).
Love hotels can be booked by the hour, as well as for longer stays, promising guests privacy. In the past, this was associated almost exclusively with sexual activity, but times are changing.
Booking.com has seen the number of love hotel bookings leap 48 percent in the past year and expect that trend to continue as rugby and Olympic fans look to experience all that Japan has to offer.
“What is interesting about the love hotel sector is that they have very interesting facilities, for example karaoke rooms — which is pretty cool for many foreigners. Some will also have bars or very large rooms for families,” Booking’s Tokyo area manager Donna Morris said.
American tourist Jerome Davies, who was visiting Tokyo this month with his wife and three children, said he chose to stay at a love hotel, because it offered a large room at a much cheaper rate than a regular hotel.
“Its clean, it’s well located and it suits our family just fine,” Davies said. “I have stayed in a lot worse places.”
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
RSS