Tokyo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, thanks to the fascination with Japanese culture, both traditional and modern.

Since the earthquake of March 2011, though, the number of foreign visitors has been lower than before – safety concerns and high prices putting off many who would have loved to make the trip.

Now, though, there could be good news, with the announcement of new figures, showing numbers for June this year up 1.4 percent from 2010 – to 686,600. The figure is the first which surpasses the number of people coming to Tokyo in February, 2011 – pre-earthquake.

Of course, June would be expected to have more visitors than February – despite the winter months perhaps being a good time to avoid the sweltering Tokyo heat, school summer holidays will always bring the greatest numbers. Many businesses will be hoping the trend continues.

As confusion continues to surround the issue of the Fukushima plant and nuclear power future of Japan, the numbers are a timely boost but we will await further good news with relish.