There is a lot of demand for this, since the movies can be watched leisurely at home at the cost less than one-third of movie theaters'; in the span of barely ten years the number of video rental stores has increased rapidly. Gross sales of video software, too, have more than doubled the exhibition income for movies. Movies now are no longer to be seen only in theaters but increasingly are seen after being put on video. Consequently, quite a few movie theaters have been forced to close down.
Gambling is prohibited in Japan, but horse racing, bicycle racing and boat racing are authorized for gambling under public management. Horse racing is especially popular and recently female fans have increased. Major races are run by the Japan Racing Association and local races are run by autonomous local bodies; big races are televised.
Keirin, bicycle racing, was initially begun with the goal of reviving local finance, and it is also taking root for the people.
In 1990 the number of people who traveled outside Japan exceeded 10 million; honeymoons overseas are now quite common and most graduation trips for college students also are overseas. It is popular to go to the united states, including Hawaii, and, among tourists entering the united states, Japan is decisively at the top with a difference of 1.4 times more than the U.K. in the second place.q5 Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe are also popular places to travel. New Year, "Golden Week" (a series of holidays from the end of April to the beginning of May), and summer vacation are the most congested seasons at New Tokyo International Airport(Narita).
It would be unusual for a nation anywhere in the world to have as many onsen or to love them as much as Japan. There are various hot springs with different qualities of water, from ancient times heal wounds and sickness.
Japanese inns and hotels are lined up at famous hot-spring spots forming large resort areas. However, recently, with the demand for the great outdoors and silence, isolated onsen deep in the mountains have become popular, and there are more and more people who enjoy the contact with nature in open-air baths. Onsen heal the body and nature heals mind and heart. Travel magazines frequently feature onsen in special issues, and onsen tours are very popular thing to do.
In comparison to other countries, leisure activities in Japan are focused on playing golf, tennis, and bowling, going to amusement parks, and domestic sightseeing can be referred to as "expensive and excursion-oriented."