A Japanese tourist, holding a shopping bag from the 'Furla' designer brand store, shops for sandwiches in a convenience store in Tumon, Guam, on Saturday, Mar. 10, 2007.  Sometimes known as 'America in Asia', Guam is a popular destination for Japanese tourists ( accounting for approx 90% of the island's visitors) with average visitor numbers from Japan approaching 1million.  The island, a 3.5 hour flight from Japan, has more than 20 large hotels and numerous duty-free shopping malls catering to the Japanese tourists predilection for designer brand name goods, as well as golfing and other water based entertainment features. In 2007-2008 US military personal currently stationed in the Japanese Okinawan Islands will relocate their bases and operations  to Guam, helping to stabilise the island's economy which suffered after tourism decreased in recent years due to a  fear of flying by Japanese post 9-11 World Trade Centre disaster, a 2003 typhoon and the SARS disease outbreak in Asia.
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