Rural Japan hopes to charm domestic travelers priced out of overseas trips

Travel & Leisure

Miyazaki, Akita offer hotel discounts to attract value-seeking visitors

Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono promotes the new tourism campaign with a mascot. (Miyazaki prefecture)

HIROTAKA MIZUKURA, TOSHIHISA SUZUKI and MASAMITSU ITO

MIYAZAKI/AKITA/KAGOSHIMA, Japan — With costs for international travel surging, Japan’s less-visited regions are making a play for domestic tourists.