(Photo: nhandan.vn)

In Asakusa district, a popular tourist destination in Tokyo, business owners are anxious to see foreign tourists return.

Before the pandemic, people from overseas crowded streets in Asakusa which is packed with souvenir shops and eateries.

Asakusa had seen a boom in hotel openings and many expected a rush of overseas visitors in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020.

But some hotels were forced to close after the Olympics were postponed for one year and the government banned tourists from overseas to prevent the spread of the disease.