After being scared off by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, Chinese tourists are visiting Japan in record numbers again, generating much-needed business and optimism for the nation's struggling retail and tourism sectors.

During the Lunar New Year holiday that sent millions of people traveling across Asia and beyond, tourists from mainland China thronged popular destinations in Japan, from ski slopes on the northern island of Hokkaido, to electronics stores in Tokyo, to ancient temples in Kyoto. That is quite a change from last spring, when tourism in Japan ground to a virtual halt amid radiation fears following the 11 March nuclear accident.

In December, the number of Chinese visitors rose 32 percent from a year earlier to a record 80,000, following a similar increase in November. Anecdotal evidence suggests another surge in January.