TOKYO - Ray Hoe left Japan to return to Singapore on July 18 after failing to renew his business manager visa following abrupt changes to the requirements, leaving him unable to be present for the opening of a new hotel business.

Known simply as Ray, with a dream of becoming a hotelier and years of experience in real estate, he saw the central Japan city of Toyama as a prime location for luring visitors away from other destinations in Japan struggling with overtourism.

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