Tibet was once called a remote corner of the world, but today it has an airport where Boeing 747s and Airbus 300 wide-body jets take off and land, and since the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened in 2006, travelers can reach it by train from Beijing or Shanghai in two full days. Visitors come not only from Japan but also from Europe and the United States.
The main draw for tourists is surely the Potala Palace—the residence and seat of government of successive Dalai Lamas. At an elevation of 3,700 meters, it stands near the height of Mount Fuji's summit. Built in the 1600s, this 13-story structure atop a hill is said to contain some 2,000 rooms.
Security for visitors is strict. At the entrance, metal detectors like those at airport boarding gates and baggage inspections are in place—understandable for a holy site of Tibetan Buddhism where a bombing would be unthinkable. Chinese public security police remain on high alert.
The view from the palace is superb. Lhasa's cityscape spreads below, and beyond the town one can gaze at the Himalayas. Tours also run from Lhasa by chartered jeep over one night and two days to the foot of Everest (Chomolungma in Tibetan)—offering a face of the mountain different from the view from the Nepal side so often seen on television.
Travel agencies in Jimbocho, Kanda, offer various Tibet-related tours. Mainichi Travel on the third floor of Palaceside Building does not run tours to Tibet itself, but does offer trips to remote Sichuan and trekking in Nepal.