So far 435 Japanese people have applied for a trip to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to improve their understanding of the region, sources from China's Consulate-General in Osaka told the Global Times, noting they plan to start the journey after the pandemic comes to an end.

The response came after the consulate-general in Osaka published a notice on Thursday, inviting people from Japan to travel to Xinjiang after the end of the COVID-19 outbreak. The invitation has sparked wide attention in Japanese media.

The consulate's notice highlighted Xinjiang's "beautiful scenery," "delicious food" and "beauty," according to a report on the Tokyo Sports news website.

In order for people to check out the real situation in Xinjiang by themselves, the Consulate-General in Osaka is recruiting Japanese tourists to travel to Xinjiang next year, according to the notice.