Despite the rapid growth in inbound tourism to Japan in recent years, foreign visitors remain largely unaware of, and unfamiliar with, many of the country's key tourism assets. As Japan aims to encourage visits to its less-visited regions, an understanding of tourism asset awareness and familiarity has added importance. By examining a cohort of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals this research shows that while awareness of Japan's tourism assets remain low activities linked to new technologies may be stimulating this awareness.