Virtually identical: Grounded Japanese try 'foreign' holidays with a difference

Customers in flight seats use virtual reality (VR) devices at First Airlines, that provides VR flight experiences, including 360-degree tours of cities and meals, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan August 12, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for this year's summer vacation, and he enjoyed the trimmings of a business class cabin and soaked up the sights of Florence and Rome - without ever leaving Tokyo.

Inoue, 56, and his wife "flew" as clients of Tokyo entertainment company First Airlines, which is tapping into a growing virtual reality travel market for Japanese holidaymakers grounded by coronavirus restrictions.