From ramen shops to sushi stands, there’s no doubt that eating out is big business in Japan. But authentic, local dining is off-limits to many foreigners due to the formidable language barrier that persists outside major cities. Could an app get tourists to pick up the chopsticks?

Over 120 million Chinese people head abroad every year and that figure shows no signs of dipping. Japan is one of this sizeable group's top destinations, and the Japanese government is now extending the length of multi-visit visas to ten years for Chinese guests as part of its tourism push.

Espionage, sabotage, infiltration and assassination have long been part of a ninja’s job description, and now entertainment is, too. Japan is hiring full-time ninjas, embracing historical roots to fuel the country’s booming tourist trade, which is set to grow leading up to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Omotenashi – which roughly translates as ‘selfless hospitality’ – is a complex concept; one the Japanese pride themselves on. As the 2020 Olympics approach, Japan is preparing to serve it up on a mass scale, turning to robots for help. But are androids advanced enough to emulate such a human service?