Japan’s local governments and tourism industry are currently preparing for the coming Chinese “Golden Week,” a 7-day-long vacation that starts on Oct. 1, in a bid to attract more tourists from the world’s second largest economy.

Chinese travel agencies predict that Japan is likely to become one of the hottest destinations for Chinese tourists during the Golden Week. According to Ctrip, a major travel service provider in China, Japan will be a top-3 destination for Chinese tourists during the vacation.

A total of 506,000 Chinese tourists visited Japan during the Golden Week last year, and Japan is expecting a new high this year.

Japan’s tourism industry is busy preparing for the rush days to attract more Chinese tourists.

Recently, a number of the country’s local governments have carried out promotion activities in China.

On Sept. 6, a government delegation from Fukuoka came to Shanghai to promote a shopping festival of the city. It is noteworthy that Fukuoka government has taken Oct. 1 as the first day of the month-long festival, with an obvious intention to attract Chinese tourists.

Japanese merchants have also racked their brains to find ways to attract Chinese tourists. Some cosmetic shops have started recruiting Chinese students as part-time employees and more local merchants are using Chinese e-payment systems for convenience.