Shanghai has attracted between 10 and 15 percent more Japanese tourists for new year holidays, after a depressed two years because of SARS and bird flu.

Shanghai CYTS Tours said yesterday it will welcome more than 3,000 Japanese tourists between now and January, but this is fewer than the peak reached five or six years ago.

"Generally we had at least 5,000 tourists from Japan during the new year period several years ago," said Liu Xiaojun, an agency official. "Later the volume dropped rapidly for all kinds of reasons, including fears of SARS, bird flu, and other factors."

Most Japanese tourists choose Shanghai and surrounding provinces, such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu, to spend their holiday. Xi'an in Shaanxi Province and Beijing were also popular, said Liu.

"Airline tickets from Japan to Shanghai are rising in popularity due to growing demand," he added.

Airline companies also reported increased sales of seats from Japan to the city over the holiday period. All Nippon Airways said more than 60 percent of seats on recent flights were booked.

"We have six flights every day from Japan (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya) to Shanghai, and the sales rate during the new year holiday has been increasing in the past two years," said Wang Qi, an official with ANA's Shanghai branch.

New year is the most important holiday for Japanese people. The holiday starts today and will last a whole week.

As well as a tour destination, Shanghai has also become one of the most popular overseas cities for Japanese to choose to live in, second only to New York City and Los Angeles, said officials at the Consulate General of Japan in Shanghai on Wednesday.

More than 43,900 Japanese now live in the city, a rise of nine percent over the previous year, said the consulate.

Yuka Aono, a hair salon owner who has been living in the city for 18 months, said life in Shanghai is almost the same as that in Tokyo.

"I love the city and the life here is easy and happy," she said. "And when my friends come to see me from Japan, they all think the city is great, especially the food and views at the Bund."

(China Daily December 31, 2006)