Newspapers: Still Big in Japan

From the front page of today’s Asahi Shimbun.

As many of us await the impending death of U.S. newspapers, it’s helpful to remember that the paper-and-ink medium thrives in other parts of the world, where Internet penetration remains relatively low. Such is the case in much of Asia, Time reports this week. India alone reported 11.5 million new newspaper readers in 2008, spread among a whopping 65,000 newspapers across the country, and Indonesia’s market has grown from a few dozen papers in 1998 to about 800. The Japanese, despite widespread online access, are still the world’s most dedicated newspaper readers, subscribing to more than one paper per household, on average.

So, how does this tie into travel? After reading the Time piece, it occurred to me that in a couple years, spying newspaper readers in subways or cafes—or being able to get one’s hands on an actual newspaper itself—may become as novel as slicing into a durian fruit for Western travelers visiting Asia. Imagine picking up the latest Asahi Shimbun as a souvenir on your way out of Narita. With kimono weavers on the way out, printing presses could be the next big thing in niche tourism.

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