Baidu Japan, the local company in Japan of Baidu (biggest search engine in China), recently announced 2017 searching trends to showcase the most searched words for Japan by Chinese travelers in four categories: (1) prefecture, (2) onsen hot spring, (3) tourist spots/historical heritage, and (4) Japanese food.
According to the results of its survey, the most searched prefecture was Osaka prefecture, followed by Tokyo metropolis, Kyoto prefecture, and Okinawa prefecture. Ranked third last year, Hokkaido prefecture disappeared. Instead, Nara prefecture was ranked fifth.
Regarding the onsen hot springs, Hokkaido's Jozankei was ranked first, followed by Hokkaido's Toyako then Hokkaido's Noboribetsu.
Regarding the tourist spots/historical heritage, Mt. Fuji became the most searched word, followed by Enoshima island in Kanagawa prefecture, Sensoji temple in Tokyo metropolis, Odaiba district in Tokyo metropolis, and Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka prefecture. The top five searched words except Mt. Fuji were ranked for the first time. Enoshima island was searched significantly more, probably affected by the popular manga SLAM DUNK.
Regarding Japanese food & drinks, sake alcohol was at the top, followed in order by salmon, miso soup, oden, and okonomiyaki, all of which were ranked for the first time.
