The Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) held a press conference in Tokyo on June 16 to coincide with the reduction of passport application fees starting July 1, aiming to restore the annual number of Japanese overseas travelers to 20 million. Guests at the event were Takanori Iwata, a member of the Japanese dance and vocal group Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS and JATA’s Overseas Travel Ambassador, and Japanese comedian Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura. They promoted how to apply for a passport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ overseas safety information distribution service “Tabi-Regi.”
Passport application fees will be reduced from July 1. The 10-year passport for those aged 18 and over will be cut by 7,000 yen, from the current 16,300 yen to 9,300 yen. Electronic applications will receive an additional 400-yen discount.
As this was an event related to the passport fee reduction, Yasumura appeared under a pun on his stage name as “Tonikaku Yasui Passport-san” (Mr. Extremely Cheap Passport). Grumbling that “There’s nothing left of the original character, it’s hard to do,” he nonetheless performed his well-known routine in English, saying “Don’t worry, I’m wearing (pants)!” and drew laughter from travel industry professionals at the venue.
Sitting side by side at school-style desks, the two learned together with “Paspo-kun,” the passport image character, about changes such as the unification of passport validity to 10 years for everyone aged 18 and over, and that a family register transcript (koseki tohon) will no longer be required for online applications. Asked in a lighthearted “classroom” aside what he pays attention to when traveling abroad, Yasumura immediately replied, “Whether being naked is allowed in that country.” He added, “Cultures are different. There are countries where you can’t strip down. Japan is the most tolerant,” again amusing the audience.
After the class, they took on a five-question quiz reviewing what they had learned. Iwata achieved a perfect score of 5 points, while Yasumura scored just 1 point, effectively failing. As a penalty, Yasumura was told he would have to spend the entire day as “Tonikaku Yasui Passport-san.” Protesting, “No way! I’ve got work after this today,” he nonetheless followed the moderator’s cue and reintroduced himself: “I’m Extremely Cheap Passport!” He then performed a new gag, striking a pose as if presenting his passport at immigration and saying, “Please don’t worry, I’ve got my (passport)!”
Presented with a world map as a prize, Iwata spoke about the appeal of overseas travel from Japan, saying, “You encounter people, cultures, and food, and stimuli that you can’t get only within Japan, and it becomes an experience that gives you inspiration you don’t find in everyday life.” He called on the audience, saying, “I hope people of many different generations will enjoy overseas travel more.”
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
