Like the rest of the Japanese economy, the leisure industry is suffering from the consequences of the disaster of 11 March. Not only the immediate effects such as damaged infrastructure, intermittent electricity supply interruptions or made to create the industry. Especially the much-touted Jishuku, and the consequent reluctance of consumers in leisure activities and pleasure can reduce the profits of some sectors.

The largest theme park in Japan, the Tokyo Disney Resort, had to close its doors for 5 weeks. The quake had damaged parts of the plant and regular power outages made the systematic operation of the many attractions impossible. Although the park has been open since mid-April, but the foreign tourists staying away makes itself felt in the sharp drop in visitor numbers.

And the Japanese guests are currently mainly from residents of the metropolitan area of ​​Tokyo. The number of those visitors who come from farther away with express buses or other package deals, mid-May when there was only 50% of the previous year, as appears from a report in the Nikkei Shimbun.

Slump in the hotel industry

It is similar to the hotel sector, which got to feel the loss of domestic and foreign visitors the most. The accumulated occupancy rate of 19 leading hotels in Tokyo fell in April for the second consecutive month, reaching an all time low of 40.5 percent. Normally, occupancy rates move in April to a level of about 80 percent, mainly due to the influx of foreign business travelers.

In the days following the tsunami disaster but also said many Japanese planned their trips at home and abroad ado. The airlines JAL and ANA announced mid-April, a decline in bookings for domestic flights in the double digits.

Japan's leisure and entertainment industry is a major industry for the country. If you add theme parks, amusement arcades, the entire hotel industry, game consoles and software, as well as games and sports with one, generated by an estimate of the industry market research firm Datamonitor, sales of over 8 trillion yen.

A DVD for home

But what started all the

Remained at home with their time? After all, sports facilities and swimming pools were closed in many places, department stores have already made early in the evening to their doors, as well as public institutions. The general situation of insecurity and poor transport links were a lot depends on the evening to go still in the initial quarter of the city. The Japanese standards almost eerily empty streets of Shibuya and other districts of the capital have witnessed this situation. “The quake has turned people into couch potato” was the headline of a recent newspaper article.

From the reduced desire of the Japanese entertainment but could benefit some sectors of the entertainment industry, such as video rental. The national-scale music and film rental chain Tsutaya had to close but after the earthquake struck about 50 stores and reduce the opening times of some Filliale because of electricity shortages. Nevertheless, sales were up from the video rental business in the normal operating branches by 2% over the last year.

In March 2010, sales were compared to the previous year was 7 percent lower. Also the number of members rose from February to March 2011 around 200,000 people. Compared to Nikkei Weekly said a 34-year-old teacher from Chiba, he had stocked up after the earthquake of 12 DVDs and only his evenings spent watching television. Although he went back out several times since April, but avoid it go further afield. “I will borrow in the near future probably a whole lot more DVDs,” he thought.

Gaming as a pastime

Addition to films and video games were a popular pastime for the more time spent at home. Bic Camera and Yodobashi loud, two major outlets of electronic equipment, the sale of game software, unlike other products, stable compared to last year. This even though the launch has been canceled or postponed many unannounced titles.

A 35-year-old office worker in Tokyo told me he had gone in early April on the search for new video games, after he had already played through his own games. “I go shopping almost stopped the moment I stay mostly at home,” he said. An employee of Bic Camera confirmed the trend that many customers who increasingly ask for new games and older titles purchased.

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