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Tourism in Japan

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Mount Fuji, as seen from Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Crowds of tourists at Arayashima bamboo forest in Kyoto

Tourism in Japan is a major industry and contributor to the Japanese economy. Foreigners visit Japan to see natural wonders, cities, historic landmarks, and entertainment venues. Japanese people seek similar attractions, as well as recreation and vacation areas. In 2019, Japan attracted 31.88 million international tourists.[1] Japan welcomed 2.78 million visitor arrivals in February 2024, surpassing 2019 levels.[2]

Japan has 21 World Heritage Sites, including Himeji Castle, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and Nara. Popular attractions for foreigners include Tokyo and Osaka, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, ski resorts such as Niseko in Hokkaido, Okinawa, riding the Shinkansen and taking advantage of Japan's hotel and hotspring network.

The 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Japan 4th out of 141 countries overall, which was the highest in Asia. Japan gained relatively high scores in almost all of the featured aspects, such as health and hygiene, safety and security, cultural resources and business travel.[3] In the 2021 edition of the report, now called Travel and Tourism Development Index, Japan reached 1st place.[4]

History

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Throngs of tourists on their way to Himeji Castle in Himeji (WHS)

The origins of early traditions of visits to picturesque sites are unclear, but an early sight-seeing excursion was Matsuo Bashō's 1689 trip to the then "far north" of Japan, which occurred not long after Hayashi Razan categorized the Three Views of Japan in 1643. During the Edo era of Japan, from around 1600 to the Meiji Restoration in 1867, travel was regulated within the country through the use of shukuba or post stations, towns where travelers had to present appropriate documentation. Despite these restrictions, porter stations and horse stables, as well as places for lodging and food were available on well-traveled routes. During this time, Japan was a closed country to foreigners, so no foreign tourism existed in Japan.

Following the Meiji Restoration and the building of a national railroad network, tourism became more of an affordable prospect for domestic citizens and visitors from foreign countries could enter Japan legally. As early as 1887, government officials recognized the need for an organized system of attracting foreign tourists; the Kihinkai (貴賓会), which aimed to coordinate the players in tourism, was established that year with Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi's blessing. Its early leaders included Shibusawa Eiichi and Ekida Takashi. Another major milestone in the development of the tourism industry in Japan was the 1907 passage of the Hotel Development Law, as a result of which the Railways Ministry began to construct publicly owned hotels throughout Japan.[5]

For much of post-war period, Japan has been an exceptionally unattractive tourist destination for its population and GDP size. According to the IMF, WTO, and OECD, from 1995 to 2014, it was by far the least visited country.[6] As of 2013, Japan was one of the least visited countries in the OECD on a per capita basis.[7] Within six years however, the number of international visitors has more than tripled, reaching a peak of 31.9 million visitors in 2019.[8]

Current status

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Domestic tourism remains a vital part of Japanese economy and Japanese culture. Across the nation, Japanese children in many middle schools see the highlight of their years as a visit to Tokyo Tower, Yomiuriland, Tokyo Disneyland, Sensō-ji, and/or Tokyo Skytree, and many high school students often visit Okinawa or Hokkaido. The extensive rail network together with domestic flights sometimes in planes with modifications to favor the relatively short distances involved in intra-Japan travel allows efficient and speedy transport. International tourism plays a smaller role in the Japanese economy compared to other developed countries; in 2013, international tourist receipts was 0.3% of Japan's GDP, while the corresponding figure was 1.3% for the United States and 2.3% for France. In 2019, the value was up to 1.0% of GDP, driven by an increase in international tourism, while the country's GDP has remained stable.[9][10]

Tourists from South Korea have made up the largest number of inbound tourists several times in the past. In 2010, their 2.4 million arrivals made up 27% of the tourists visiting Japan.[11]

Travelers from China have been the highest spenders in Japan by country, spending an estimated 196.4 billion yen (US$2.4 billion) in 2011, or almost a quarter of total expenditure by foreign visitors, according to data from the Japan Tourism Agency.[12]

From 2016 to 2020, Japanese government hoped to receive 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.[13] According to the Japan National Tourism Organization in 2017, 3 out of 4 foreign tourists came from other parts of East Asia, namely South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.[14]

Japanese film, TV, video game, and manga/anime industries play a role in driving tourism to Japan. In surveys held by Statista between 2019 and 2020, 24.2% of tourists from the United States, said they were motivated to visit Japan because of Japanese popular culture.[15]

Overtourism

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Following the easing of COVID-19-era travel restrictions, 2024 is on track to be a record-breaking year for the number of overseas tourists.[16] This tourism boom can be attributed in part to the weakening Japanese yen.[16] The unprecedented number of foreign tourists has led to claims that some parts of Japan are suffering from overtourism.[16][17]

In response to this surge, officials in some parts of Japan have introduced measures to counter its negative effects. For example, Yamanashi Prefecture has set a cap of daily climbers of Mount Fuji at 4,000 people and began charging an entrance fee of ¥2,000.[17] Also in Yamanashi Prefecture, a mesh barrier was set up to block a view of Mount Fuji behind a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko due to tourist-caused disturbances in the area.[18]

As of 2024, some Japanese officials have considered instituting a two-tiered pricing system which would have foreign tourists pay more than residents at certain tourist attractions in order to counter the effects of overtourism.[19][20]

Contribution to the national crises

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Following the triple meltdown of Fukushima nuclear reactors in Fukushima Prefecture caused by the earthquake and tsunami, the number of foreign visitors to Japan declined for the first time since 2009. In September 2011, some 539,000 foreign tourisms visited Japan, 25 percent down compared with the same month in 2010. This decline was largely attributed to the natural disasters including Fukushima nuclear accident; also the stronger yen made a visit to Japan more expensive.

In October 2011, the Japan Tourism Agency announced a plan to give 10,000 round-trip air tickets to Japan to encourage visitors to come and to boost tourism. However, on December 26, 2011, the Agency reported on their site that the "Fly to Japan! Project", which would have given out 10,000 round-trip tickets to Japan, had not been approved by the government for fiscal year 2012.[21]

By 2012, free tickets would be offered if the winners would write online about their experiences in Japan. They also would need to answer some questions about how they felt while visiting Japan after the triple disaster and how interest in tourism in Japan could be renewed. About US$15 million would be spent on this program.[22][23] International tourism inflows in Japan had recovered to pre-2011 levels.[24]

In early 2020, Japan received only 4.1 million foreign tourists, as many countries tightened travel restrictions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time visitor statistics had fallen since the Great Recession in 2008.[25] In January and September 2021, tourism in Japan had also further dipped to 245,862 foreign visitors, which was a 88% decrease as compared to 2020.[citation needed] In October 2021, as the country lifted the fourth state of emergency up and ahead[clarification needed] of the endemic phase, the Japanese government announced that many domestic visitors would be only resumed[clarification needed] and waived from the pandemic, in a move to reopen domestic travel with the introduction of vaccinated travel lanes.[citation needed]

In late November 2021, amid the spread of a highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variant, many countries including Japan tightened travel restrictions, with some governments banning travel completely to curb transmission.[citation needed]

In September 2022, the Japanese government announced that visa requirements from some countries would be waived from October 2022, in a move to reopen international travel after the pandemic border restrictions.[26][27] Prior to the pandemic, Japan did not require tourist visas for 68 countries and regions.

Tourism statistics

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Foreign tourists to Japan

These are the top 35 nationalities that visited Japan from 2017 to 2024.[28]

Country/Territory Total
7/2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
 South Korea 5,199,790 6,958,494 1,012,751 18,947 694,476 5,584,597 7,538,952 7,140,200
 China 3,849,376 2,425,157 189,125 42,239 1,069,256 9,594,394 8,380,034 7,355,800
 Taiwan 3,550,895 4,202,434 331,097 5,016 487,939 4,890,602 4,757,258 4,564,100
 United States 1,594,153 2,045,854 323,513 20,026 219,307 2,187,557 1,939,719 1,756,732
 Hong Kong 1,555,176 2,114,402 269,285 1,252 346,020 2,290,792 2,207,804 2,231,500
 Thailand 671,804 995,558 198,037 2,758 219,830 1,318,977 1,132,160 987,100
 Australia 510,607 613,062 88,648 3,265 143,508 621,771 552,440 496,100
 Philippines 457,233 622,293 126,842 5,625 109,110 613,114 503,976 424,200
 Vietnam 381,631 573,916 284,113 26,586 152,559 495,051 389,004 308,900
 Singapore 328,142 591,267 131,969 857 55,273 492,252 437,280 404,100
 Canada 320,422 425,874 55,877 3,536 53,365 375,262 330,600 305,591
 Indonesia 293,393 429,382 119,723 5,209 77,724 412,779 396,852 352,200
 Malaysia 261,057 415,712 74,095 1,831 76,573 501,592 468,360 439,500
 United Kingdom 251,401 321,482 57,496 7,294 51,024 424,279 333,979 310,499
 France 221,678 277,436 52,782 7,024 43,102 336,333 304,896 268,605
 Germany 180,330 233,410 45,748 5,197 29,785 236,544 215,336 195,606
 India 136,834 166,394 54,314 8,831 26,931 175,896 154,029 134,371
 Italy 114,486 152,305 23,683 3,527 13,691 162,769 150,060 125,864
 Spain 84,622 115,873 15,926 3,053 11,741 130,243 118,901 99,814
 Mexico 80,029 94,684 9,152 1,124 9,528 71,745 68,448 63,440
   Nepal 65,375 83,302 75,200 11,648 17,191 51,577 44,297 39,950
 Macau 63,233 74,252 1,359 54 12,234 121,197 108,694 115,304
 New Zealand 61,593 78,978 12,107 1,404 16,070 94,115 73,208 64,873
 Netherlands 58,581 74,486 12,064 1,860 8,481 79,479 72,069 63,041
 Brazil 46,854 50,570 9,436 2,731 6,888 47,575 44,201 42,207
 Russia 46,771 41,965 10,324 3,723 22,260 120,043 94,810 77,251
  Switzerland 42,482 53,395 8,917 1,387 6,036 53,908 52,099 47,154
 Myanmar 41,048 45,815 22,763 1,531 10,884 30,977 24,418 22,915
 Poland 34,815 40,634 5,745 1,350 3,996 38,534 34,706 28,727
 Turkey 34,232 31,198 7,129 1,161 2,886 22,724 19,762 19,123
 Sweden 30,114 39,245 7,900 1,112 7,622 53,836 53,822 50,805
 Mongolia 29,205 39,916 19,267 1,685 7,118 31,513 27,647 23,365
 Israel 28,674 45,143 7,673 619 2,315 44,214 39,193 32,758
 Sri Lanka 27,540 36,742 21,536 3,127 8,918 28,380 27,789 27,904
 Belgium 25,897 34,352 6,611 1,122 4,074 39,245 34,387 32,054
 Denmark 24,013 30,780 5,403 794 4,780 32,893 29,163 25,235
 Portugal 21,987 27,812 3,176 728 3,179 32,349 26,506 23,442
 Austria 20,717 26,360 5,025 888 3,605 27,530 24,187 21,035
 Ireland 19,057 22,985 4,458 820 3,270 39,387 20,319 18,591
 Norway 19,036 21,541 3,736 557 3,620 24,838 22,569 20,786
 Cambodia 16,491 27,067 13,618 784 7,420 28,492 21,696 17,857
 Finland 16,378 21,404 4,608 736 4,859 29,437 27,116 25,310
 Bangladesh 14,143 19,559 11,981 1,789 4,444 15,174 13,971 12,878
 Pakistan 13,869 21,132 11,423 4,284 6,145 17,208 15,802 13,729
 Romania 13,371 15,316 2,376 552 1,409 14,837 12,250 10,390
 Argentina 11,224 13,177 2,198 798 4,220 23,805 23,692 18,610
 Chile 10,937 13,808 1,902 276 3,381 13,370 14,089 11,027
 Czech Republic 10,808 13,958 2,487 753 1,679 14,356 12,255 11,114
 Saudi Arabia 10,167 12,380 2,403 1,039 11,152 7,403 7,554 7,587
 Hungary 8,636 11,316 2,511 1,034 1,302 12,696 10,440 9,148
 Colombia 8,318 9,598 1,495 476 1,098 11,745 9,966 8,795
 Greece 8,074 9,969 1,869 744 1,091 9,494 7,968 6,703
 United Arab Emirates 7,728 10,270 2,705 203 770 8,891 7,782 7,106
 South Africa 6,560 9,357 2,561 838 1,623 19,543 9,793 9,057
 Kazakhstan 6,136 8,571 1,511 601 890 5,431 4,391 4,125
 Iran 5,633 7,145 2,152 746 720 5,252 5,161 6,457
 Bulgaria 5,475 6,360 1,024 338 627 6,324 5,106 4,529
 Ukraine 4,981 6,749 3,795 1,070 1,466 10,176 8,458 7,094
 Uzbekistan 4,853 8,075 5157 1,567 1,290 5,243 5,530 4,380
 Lithuania 4,851 6,226 1,286 272 672 5,260 4,498 4,177
 Laos 4,356 6,359 1,804 150 1,169 6,154 5,987 5,398
 Egypt 3,604 4,816 2,223 1,187 1,294 6,345 4,942 4,283
 Brunei 3,579 6,292 1,159 23 742 4,866 3,626 3,699
 Peru 3,536 5,195 1,196 254 1,191 6,022 5,048 4,549
 Croatia 3,390 4,067 634 414 470 4,099 3,407 3,084
 Slovenia 3,347 3,779 676 308 493 3,347 3,187 3,027
Total (all countries) 21,075,024 25,066,350 3,832,110 245,862 4,115,828 31,882,049 31,191,856 28,690,900

Major tourist destinations

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Goko Five Lakes in Shiretoko (WHS)
Shirakami-Sanchi (WHS)
Shinjuku in Tokyo, and Mount Fuji
Shirakawa-gō (WHS)
Japanese Alps from Kamikōchi
Tōdai-ji Daibutsu in Nara (WHS)
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (WHS)
Shikoku Pilgrimage (Zentsū-ji)
Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto
Ishigaki Island, Okinawa

Hokkaido

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Tōhoku region

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Kantō region

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Chūbu region

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Kansai region

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Chūgoku region

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Shikoku

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Kyushu and Okinawa

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "International tourism, number of arrivals - Japan | Data".
  2. ^ Loh, Matthew (April 3, 2024). "Jimmy Kimmel says his trip to Japan last week made him realize that the US is a 'filthy and disgusting country'". Business Insider.
  3. ^ "The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017" (PDF). World Economic Forum. April 2017.
  4. ^ "Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021 - Rebuilding for a Sustainable and Resilient Future" (PDF). World Economic Forum. May 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Leheny, David Richard (2003). The Rules of Play: National Identity and the Shaping of Japanese Leisure. Cornell University Press. p. 59. ISBN 0-8014-4091-2.
  6. ^ "International tourism, number of arrivals - United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada | Data". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Silver, Nate (August 18, 2014). "The Countries Where You're Surrounded By Tourists". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "2023 Visitor Arrivals & Japanese Overseas Travelers(Compared to 2019)" (PDF). Japan National Tourism Organization. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "International tourism, receipts (current US$) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "GDP (current US$) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Dickie, Mure (January 26, 2011). "Tourists flock to Japan despite China spat". Financial Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  12. ^ "Tokyu Group in steadfast pursuit of Chinese tourists". TTGmice. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  13. ^ Bhattacharjya, Samhati (May 17, 2016). "Japan to offer 10-year multi-entry visas for Chinese as part of tourism push". International Business Times. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  14. ^ "Japan Tourism Agency aims to draw more Western tourists amid boom in Asian visitors". Japan National Tourism Organization. February 6, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019.
  15. ^ "Anime industry in Japan - statistics and facts". Statista. February 26, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "Japan visitors exceed 3 million for second straight month, tourism agency says". The Japan Times. May 15, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Inoue, Yukana (June 30, 2024). "Mount Fuji begins charging entrance fees as overtourism prevention measure". The Japan Times. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  18. ^ Gardin, Caroline (May 21, 2024). "Weary of overtourism, Japan town blocks one popular view of Mount Fuji". The Japan Times. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Japan's Flood of Tourists Prompts Call to Charge Foreigners More". Bloomberg.com. June 19, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "In Japan, higher prices for foreign visitors come with caveats". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  21. ^ ""Fly to Japan! Project"(10,000 FREE FLIGHTS TO FOREIGNERS) | Japan Tourism Agency". Japan Tourism Agency. December 26, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  22. ^ NHK-world (October 21, 2011) Japan to give away air tickets to 10,000 visitors Archived October 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ JAIF (October 22, 2011)Earthquake report 242: Japan to give away air tickets to 10,000 visitors
  24. ^ "International tourism, number of arrivals - Japan | Data". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  25. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Foreign visitors to Japan in 2020 plunge 87.1%, biggest since 1964". Kyodo News+. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "Japan to waive tourist visa requirements as part of border easing: Report". CNA. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  27. ^ "Japan to waive tourist visa requirements as part of border easing: Report". Japan to waive tourist visa requirements as part of border easing: Report - 'Channel News Asia' News | SendStory Singapore. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  28. ^ "2017年推計値" (PDF). Japan National Tourism Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "Overseas tourists are changing the face of Japan". Nikkei Asian Review.

Further reading

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  • Graburn, Nelson HH. "The past in the present in Japan: nostalgia and neo-traditionalism in contemporary Japanese domestic tourism." in Change in tourism: people, places, processes (1995): 47–70.
  • Henderson, Joan Catherine. "Destination development: Trends in Japan's inbound tourism." International Journal of Tourism Research 19.1 (2017): 89–98. online
  • Ishimori, Shûzô. "Popularization and commercialization of tourism in early modern Japan." Senri Ethnological Studies 26 (1989): 179–194. online
  • Jimura, Takamitsu. Cultural heritage and tourism in Japan (Routledge, 2021) online.
  • McOmie, William, ed. Foreign Images and Experiences of Japan: 1: First Century AD-1841. (Brill, 2021). online
  • March, Roger. "How Japan solicited the West: the first hundred years of modern Japanese tourism." in CAUTHE 2007: Tourism-Past Achievements, Future Challenges (2007): 843–52. online
  • Robertson, Jennifer. "Hegemonic nostalgia, tourism, and nation-making in Japan." Senri ethnological studies 38 (1995): 89–103. online
  • Soshiroda, Akira. "Inbound tourism policies in Japan from 1859 to 2003." Annals of Tourism Research 32.4 (2005): 1100–1120.
  • Takeuchi, Keiichi. "Some remarks on the geography of tourism in Japan." GeoJournal (1984): 85–90. online
  • Tokuhisa, Tamao. "Tourism within, from and to Japan." International Social Science Journal 32.1 (1980): 128–150.
  • Uzama, Austin. "Yokoso! Japan: Classifying foreign tourists to Japan for market segmentation." Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 21.2 (2012): 132–154.
  • Yanagi, Miyuki. "Reconsideration of Japan's tourism innovation characteristics." Geographical Research Bulletin 2 (2023): 29–38. online
  • Yasuda, Hiroko. "World heritage and cultural tourism in Japan." International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research 4.4 (2010): 366–375.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Japan.
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