Wii attracts tourists to visit Japan’s smaller towns

Looks like the Nintendo Wii craze in Japan is so wild, you won’t even find a unit easily in Akihabara (a.k.a. geek nirvana). According to a report from Asahi, word has been passed around by gaming enthusiasts that there’s a better chance of bagging a Nintendo Wii if you look in smaller towns like Tohoku region’s Sendai instead of the big cities.

Tourists from other parts of Asia seem to have heard that countryside places offered healthier stocks of Nintendo Wii units. Even Taiwan’s travel guide, Travel News, informs those who want to visit Japan that “few people are buying Wii consoles in electronics stores in Japan’s remote districts.”

Quite a good number of tourists then explored Tohoku to the northeast to grab a Wii unit before heading home. One out of ten customers who buy a Nintendo Wii is an overseas tourist, observed a shop employee.

Some locales aren’t very fond of strangers coming in packs to do their shopping in what they believe to be remote places. “I am not too happy to hear the word inaka (back-country) associated with us,” said one shop owner.

Aside from such sentiments, most people from Tohoku are enjoying growth for their area. Some say the region is turning up to be a shopping mecca, while others believe the travel industry is making the place more attractive by making Ninty’s console available in such place.

Looks like the Nintendo Wii craze in Japan is so wild, you won’t even find a unit easily in Akihabara (a.k.a. geek nirvana). According to a report from Asahi, word has been passed around by gaming enthusiasts that there’s a better chance of bagging a Nintendo Wii if you look in smaller towns like Tohoku region’s Sendai instead of the big cities.

Tourists from other parts of Asia seem to have heard that countryside places offered healthier stocks of Nintendo Wii units. Even Taiwan’s travel guide, Travel News, informs those who want to visit Japan that “few people are buying Wii consoles in electronics stores in Japan’s remote districts.”

Quite a good number of tourists then explored Tohoku to the northeast to grab a Wii unit before heading home. One out of ten customers who buy a Nintendo Wii is an overseas tourist, observed a shop employee.

Some locales aren’t very fond of strangers coming in packs to do their shopping in what they believe to be remote places. “I am not too happy to hear the word inaka (back-country) associated with us,” said one shop owner.

Aside from such sentiments, most people from Tohoku are enjoying growth for their area. Some say the region is turning up to be a shopping mecca, while others believe the travel industry is making the place more attractive by making Ninty’s console available in such place.