Temperatures are cooling in Japan, but interest in visiting shows no signs of waning as fall arrivals continue to exceed pre-pandemic levels.
Data from the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that the country received 2.93 million foreign tourists in August and 2.87 million in September, much higher than the 2.52 million and 2.27 million tourists in the same period in 2019.
Historically, Japan has seen fewer tourists in August and September, followed by a surge in October, mostly in search of autumn foliage or Tokyo’s famous Halloween festivities.
But this year, the decline is expected to be smaller as the country is experiencing a long-awaited increase in Chinese tourist arrivals (a trend that started in June). According to Japanese authorities, before the outbreak, China was Japan’s largest tourist source market, accounting for 30% of Japan’s total arrivals.
Japanese tourism statistics show that the number of Chinese tourists to Japan doubled last month, from 325,645 in September 2023 to 652,300 in September 2024.
According to preliminary statistics, from January to September this year, more than 5.2 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, an increase of 228% compared with 2023. But that leaves plenty of room for growth, with arrivals set to reach 9.6 million by 2019.
Growing up from the West
With the increase in the number of Chinese tourists, tourists from other countries to Japan have fully recovered and even exceeded the pre-epidemic level.
While two-thirds of visitors came from East Asia, namely South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, growth in the first half of the year was greater with visitors from North America and other parts of Asia-Pacific, according to a report released by Mastercard Economics in September. .
In the first half of 2024, the number of tourists from the United States increased by 153% compared with the same period in 2019.
Visitors from Canada (148%), Australia (141%), Singapore (140%) and New Zealand (138%) also exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with arrivals from India and Southeast Asian countries, including India, the report said. Visitors have also surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
People from North America and Europe who travel longer distances tend to stay longer, the report said. About 40% of people from Europe stay for two to three weeks, the report said.
By comparison, 75% of tourists from South Korea, now Japan’s largest source market, stay for less than a week.
As a result, tourists from North America and Europe spend more on accommodation and food, while Asian tourists spend more on shopping, the report said.
However, favorable exchange rates due to a weak yen have led many to increase retail spending, a trend most evident among tourists from Singapore, the United States and Europe, according to Mastercard’s report.
tourist concentration
In April 2019, the streets near Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto were crowded with tourists.
Nicholas Datish | Light Rocket | Getty Images
According to the Mastercard report, overcrowding was most pronounced in four locations: Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka and Okinawa.
“In April 2024, Kyoto had the highest proportion of foreign guests at 68%, compared with 36% in Tokyo,” the report states. “Outside of these major cities, the proportion of foreign guests is typically below 10%. This is a significant increase from 2019 The average proportion of foreign guests in Kyoto and Tokyo at that time was 38% and 17% respectively.”
Notably, Japan features prominently on Expedia’s “Many Trends List for 2025”Revealed ’25: Travel Trendsl”To Lonely Planet 2025″Best travel.“
Tokyo and Osaka are among the 10 global cities on Airbnb’s list of popular winter destinations, according to a report released by the company on October 16.
Hilton’s 2025 “Trend Report” also shows a strong interest in Japan, pointing out that among the top eight luxury hotels where Hilton Honors members redeem the most points in the first half of 2024, three are located in Japan – Conrad Tokyo, Conrad Osaka Hotel De and Hotel Six Kyoto.
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