Visiting Kuromon Market: Chinese tourists bring cash to Japan's tourism industry

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The fourteenth G20 Summit is set to kick off on Friday in Osaka, which is a popular destination for many Chinese tourists. CGTN correspondent Tian Wei will take you to a very local market there to find out how Chinese visitors are bringing in the cash to Japan's tourism industry.

The Kuromon Market, already 200 years old, is still one of the most popular markets in downtown Osaka. There are 170 shops in the market, mainly run by families. Yamamoto Sang is one of them. Now in his 70s, he was born and raised on this street. And now, not only does he run his family shop, but he also represents shop owners to promote the ancient fresh produce market.

YOSHINORI YAMAMOTO, CHAIRMAN KUROMON MARKET PROMOTION ASSOCIATION "We want to continue to attract foreign customers here. So we have made price tags, pamphlets and maps in foreign languages, mainly in Chinese, in addition to Japanese. We have also delivered them to the neighboring hotels. For now, there are a lot of shops that are accepting payments in Unionpay and Alipay here."

As Yamamoto Sang says, the street is now a favorite destination for Chinese tourists from all over the world. To satisfy their customers, shop owners here learn Chinese language, eager to greet Chinese customers, but more importantly, earn their credibility through the freshest produce and the best service.

Takamitsu Fukai is the owner of a fish shop established by his great great grandfather.

TIAN WEI SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, CGTN "So 100 years already, the shop. What's your hope?"

TAKAMITSU FUKAI OWNER, FUKAHIRO FISH SHOP "We are going to be a bigger company, to go global. We want to go to Beijing next."

A visit to a fresh produce market tells us about much more than just food, but the real fabric that has long existed between China and Japan. And, business and trade will continue to be one of the strongest bonds of all.