In 2024, the number of inbound visitors traveling to Japan amounted to approximately ***** million, setting a new record. The majority of international visitors arrived from East Asian countries. Travel during COVID-19Japan imposed international travel entry bans when COVID-19 had turned into a pandemic. In 2022, restrictions and stringent requirements that need to be fulfilled for those who wish to visit Japan remained in place. Inbound travel was difficult, resulting in the continuation of the low number of inbound travelers recorded. Travel bans were lifted in 2023 and entry to Japan was possible again with some restrictions still in place. Inbound tourism in JapanWhile domestic tourism comprises the lion's share of Japan's travel and tourism industry, inbound tourism is regarded as a promising source of income with potential for growth. Foreign tourism's contribution to the tourism GDP increased consistently in the years prior to the pandemic, as did the tourism expenditure by international visitors. Motivations to visit JapanThe island nation offers international tourists a range of holiday activities in the bustling metropolises, contrasted by the overabundance of nature-related activities in the suburban areas away from city life. The most common activity that motivated tourists to visit Japan was to try the local cuisine. While well-known Japanese dishes like ramen and sushi ranked high among overseas travelers, the most popular food during their stay in Japan was meat and meat-related dishes.

Tourist Arrivals in Japan decreased to 3693300 in May from 3908900 in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Japan Tourist Arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Historical chart and dataset showing Japan tourist spending by year from 1995 to 2020.

In December 2024, the number of international visitors entering Japan amounted to roughly **** million people, making it the month with the highest number of inbound travelers. 2024 was a very successful year for Japan's inbound tourism, shattering hitherto tourism-related records.

In 2023, the number of international tourists visiting Tokyo in Japan amounted to around ***** million. This was a record number, surpassing the hitherto high point from 2019 by several million visitors stays, continuing the upward trend that was observable before the COVID-19 pandemic. Why did foreign visitor numbers in Tokyo increase during the past decade? If we look at pre-COVID-19 times, foreign visitor numbers significantly increased in the whole of Japan during the past decade. One of the reasons for this might be the Japanese government’s endeavors to promote tourism and proliferate Japanese culture, perhaps best embodied by the marketing term “Cool Japan” developed by Japan’s government. Various policies and long-term projects, such as the “Inbound Travel Promotion Project”, or the “Promotion of MICE Hosting and Attraction”, had been devised and enacted to attract international tourists and make Japan a tourism hub. The government started investing substantially in tourism more than a decade ago, as it realized the potential of tourism to invigorate the Japanese economy. The improvement of facilities and infrastructure to meet foreign expectations were accompanied by the relaxation of visa entry requirements, which resulted in heightened inbound travel. How does Tokyo compare to other places in Japan? Tokyo was the most visited prefecture among international tourists , with nearly half of foreign travelers who came to Japan paying a visit to the capital. This situation was also reflected in data regarding airports. Narita International and Tokyo International (Haneda) were among the leading airports in terms of the number of passengers handled on international flights and together accounted for more than half the international entries by airplane to the country. Who is visiting? Most international visitors to Japan come from Asian countries, with China, South Korea, and Taiwan occupying the first three places. Visitor numbers from the U.S. are the only exception to the otherwise predominant Asian traveler base, with figures surpassing the one million mark regularly.

Key information about Japan Visitor Arrivals

• Japan Visitor Arrivals recorded 3,781,200 person in Jan 2025, compared with 3,489,800 person in the previous month
• Japan Visitor Arrivals data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1962 to Jan 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 3,781,200 person in Jan 2025 and a record low of 1,663 person in May 2020

Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Departures data was reported at 17,116,000.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,214,000.000 Person for 2015. Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Departures data is updated yearly, averaging 16,749,000.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18,491,000.000 Person in 2012 and a record low of 13,296,000.000 Person in 2003. Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Departures data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

Tourism Revenues in Japan increased to 27066990 JPY Thousand in March from 13567336 JPY Thousand in February of 2025. This dataset provides - Japan Tourism Revenues- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data was reported at 24,040,000.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 19,737,000.000 Person for 2015. Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data is updated yearly, averaging 6,473,500.000 Person from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24,040,000.000 Person in 2016 and a record low of 3,345,000.000 Person in 1995. Japan JP: International Tourism: Number of Arrivals data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

In 2024, Japan welcomed approximately **** million visitors from South Korea. Inbound tourists from South Korea and China were the most numerous, with South Korea performing very well relative to previous results. Visitor numbers for most countries and territories, with the notable exception of China, and Russia, surpassed their results from 2019, before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 What are the leading drivers for inbound tourism in Japan? Depending on their country of origin, travelers tended to seek different experiences from their stay in Japan. For tourists from China, Japanese cuisine, as well as shopping seemed to be leading motivations to visit Japan. This was the case for many other East Asian travelers, as Japanese food and shopping districts also appeared to be the most appealing for South Korean and Taiwanese tourists. Looking at the leading activities among Chinese tourists in Japan, eating Japanese food, shopping, and walking in shopping districts were the most popular and were undertaken by the vast majority. Asian visitors’ motivations and activities tended to be consumer oriented. On the other hand, leading drivers for visitors from the West, for example, the United States, tended to be more culture oriented. Next to eating Japanese food, leading drivers for Western nations also included experiencing Japan’s nature, sightseeing, and learning about Japanese history and culture.  Shopping tourism in Japan Inbound shopping tourism is thriving in Japan and is especially popular among East Asian visitors. One possible explanation is Japan’s reputation of having a high product quality and service-oriented mindset, while another reason might be the government’s proactive approach to enabling shopping tourism in general. Chinese tourists seem to have taken a liking to shopping in Japan, as they rank first in terms of foreign visitor per capita shopping expenditure.

Kyoto Prefecture in Japan recorded roughly 81.19 million tourists, increasing compared to figures from the previous year. The majority of visitors were domestic tourists. Kyoto, which was once Japan's capital city, is renowned for its cultural assets.

Japan Visitor Arrivals: China data was reported at 661,700.000 Person in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 722,700.000 Person for Feb 2025. Japan Visitor Arrivals: China data is updated monthly, averaging 55,370.000 Person from Jan 1992 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 399 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,050,420.000 Person in Jul 2019 and a record low of 25.000 Person in May 2020. Japan Visitor Arrivals: China data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Japan National Tourist Organization. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.Q001: Visitor Arrivals. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Japan JP: International Tourism: Receipts data was reported at 33.427 USD bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 27.285 USD bn for 2015. Japan JP: International Tourism: Receipts data is updated yearly, averaging 12.477 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.427 USD bn in 2016 and a record low of 4.894 USD bn in 1995. Japan JP: International Tourism: Receipts data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

International tourism, number of arrivals in Japan was reported at 4115800 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - International tourism, number of arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In June 2024, about 296.41 thousand inbound tourists to Japan came from the United States, marking the month with the most visitors from that country. This was the highest recorded value during the past decade.

Japan JP: International Tourism: Expenditures: for Travel Items data was reported at 18.562 USD bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 15.974 USD bn for 2015. Japan JP: International Tourism: Expenditures: for Travel Items data is updated yearly, averaging 27.904 USD bn from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38.252 USD bn in 2004 and a record low of 15.974 USD bn in 2015. Japan JP: International Tourism: Expenditures: for Travel Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These may include expenditures by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

International tourism, number of departures in Japan was reported at 3174000 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - International tourism, number of departures - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Japan No. of Guests: Tottori Prefecture data was reported at 157,490.000 Person in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 159,560.000 Person for Jan 2025. Japan No. of Guests: Tottori Prefecture data is updated monthly, averaging 230,965.000 Person from Jan 2011 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 170 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 476,210.000 Person in Aug 2018 and a record low of 49,990.000 Person in May 2020. Japan No. of Guests: Tottori Prefecture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.Q004: Number of Hotel Guests.

In July 2024, about 766.52 thousand people from China visited Japan. This was the month with the highest number of visitors during the year.

Japan No. of Guests: Foreigners: Fukuoka Prefecture data was reported at 605,290.000 Person in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 663,350.000 Person for Jan 2025. Japan No. of Guests: Foreigners: Fukuoka Prefecture data is updated monthly, averaging 177,100.000 Person from Jan 2011 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 170 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 663,350.000 Person in Jan 2025 and a record low of 2,430.000 Person in Jun 2020. Japan No. of Guests: Foreigners: Fukuoka Prefecture data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.Q004: Number of Hotel Guests.