Number of foreign visitors to Japan hits 3.7 mil in May; new record for month
By country and region, South Korea topped the list with 825,800 visitors, up 11.8 percent, followed by China with 789,900, a 44.8 percent increase, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The two countries and 19 other markets set new visitor records for May, while those from India hit a record monthly high of 43,000, up 47.9 percent from the previous year, it said.
"The momentum is strong, and we are on a very good trajectory," Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Naoya Haraikawa told a press conference, while also noting that a concentration of visitors in the country's three major metropolitan areas -- Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya -- remains an issue.
Japan received some 18.1 million foreign arrivals from January to May, up 23.9 percent from the same period in 2024.
Travel demand has remained strong on the back of school holidays in some markets, with a surge in visitors from China, the Philippines and the United States providing support, according to the organization.
Among all countries and regions individually tracked, only Hong Kong saw a decline in May from the previous year, down 11.2 percent to 193,100. It is believed that a Japanese manga predicting a major disaster in Japan this July has discouraged travel.
The Japan National Tourism Organization office in Hong Kong has issued a statement on Facebook refuting any scientific basis for the date and location of the rumored disaster.
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Wind Chimes in Japan
Cultural Snapshots Guide to Japan Lifestyle Aug 21, 2025 The soothing sound of wind chimes is a feature of Japanese summer. Wind chimes are a symbol of summer in Japan, transforming breezes into gentle music. They are believed to have originated from bells used in ancient China for divination. Bronze wind bells are also hung from temple eaves to ward off evil. The Japanese word 風鈴 ( fūrin ) for wind chimes dates back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), although the pronunciation has changed. Glass wind chimes date back to around 1700, and were said to have first been crafted by glass artisans in Nagasaki. Toward the end of the Edo period (1603–1868), peddlers began selling wind chimes to the common folk. Wind chime festivals take place all over Japan, bringing welcome relief from the heat with their refreshing sound. (Originally written in English. Banner photo © Pixta.) summer wind chimes
2 hours ago
Rail Congestion in Japan Remains Much Lower than Before Pandemic
A report from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism showed that rail congestion rates in Japan's three major metropolitan areas rose slightly in fiscal 2024. However, they are still extremely low compared with before the pandemic. The average rate of congestion during peak morning hours for the Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya metropolitan areas, respectively, was 139% (up 3 points year on year), 116% (up 1 point), and 126% (up 3 points). After plunging in fiscal 2020, and remaining flat the following year, they have been rising since fiscal 2022. The graph below shows the changes in rate of congestion and train capacity for 31 major train lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Before the pandemic, the rate was above 160%, but now it is more than 20 points lower. A congestion rate of 139%, or 39% more than the maximum occupancy, is characterized by a situation where passengers are able to either sit down, hold on to a strap, or hold on to a bar near the train door, but there is almost no direct physical contact with other riders On the most crowded lines, congestion rates in the Tokyo metropolitan area prior to the pandemic were close to 200%, a level at which there is considerable body contact and people near the doors are unable to move. However, the congestion rates for such lines in fiscal 2024 were much lower. Data Sources (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japan tourism arrivals hit July record despite weather disruption and quake fears
Japan's tourism boom continued in July, with record arrivals for the month despite a steep drop in visitors from Hong Kong due to typhoon-related flight disruption and jitters about possible earthquakes, the tourism board said Wednesday. Arrivals of foreign visitors for business and leisure reached 3.43 million, a 4.4% increase from the same month last year and the highest number for any July, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said. During the month, the number of visitors from Hong Kong fell 36.9% and arrivals from South Korea dropped 10.4%, which contributed to the slowest monthly growth in arrivals so far this year, the data showed. Contributing factors included typhoon-related flight disruptions impacting Hong Kong and social media chatter over recent earthquakes, which affected travel sentiment from both markets, according to the JNTO. A persistently weak yen, however, continued to fuel growth from other key markets, offsetting some of the decline. Visitors from mainland China jumped 25.5%, while arrivals from the United States rose by 10.3%. By country or region, mainland China had the largest number of visitors to Japan, at 9.74 million, followed by South Korea at 678,600, Taiwan at 604,200 and the U.S. at 277,100. For the first seven months of 2025, Japan has welcomed 24.9 million tourists, up 18.4% from the same period in 2024.
