Japan Bound
Hankyu Travel, a Japanese travel agent, will charter France-based cruise Ponant in 2027 for luxury international travelers to Japan
Hankyu Travel International, a Japanese travel agent, will charter ‘Le Jacques Cartier,’ a cruise ship of France-based Ponant, in March and April 2027 to offer Setonaikai cruise tours to luxury international travelers to Japan.
The average daily rate of hotels in Kyoto City reached record-high 20,195 yen with the occupancy rate of 78.5% in 2024
The occupancy rate of hotels in Kyoto City was 78.5% in 2024, 5.1 higher points than 2023. The average daily rate (ADR) was record-high 20,195 yen, higher than 17,403 yen in 2023 or 15,610 yen in 2019.
Highway bus WILLER is booked by 11 times more Chinese travelers to Japan during this year’s Chinese New Year holiday period than a year go
Highway bus WILLER's Chinese passengers increased to 2,473 as of January 28 2025 during the Chinese New Year holiday period (January 13 to February 23 2025), which were about 11 times more than a year ago.
e-ticket management system provider ‘Japan ticket’ connects with Klook on API for pre-payment and instant booking for international travelers
Japan ticket, an e-ticket management system provider for international travelers to Japan, has started connecting with Klook to allow users to book tourism experiences provided by Japan ticket on the Klook platform.
Sumitomo Mitsui Card reveals that credit card payment in Japan by international visitors increased year on year by 55% in 2024
Sumitomo Mitsui Card revealed that international visitors to Japan paid 55.3% more money with credit cards during the period from January to November 2024 than a year ago. Payments in hotels, ryokans, restaurants and amusement parks increased,
Cherry blossom in Japan is expected to bloom earlier in this spring, and the earliest blooming may be seen in Tokyo on March 21
Weather News announced that cherry blossom is expected to bloom nationwide earlier than usual. The earliest blooming is seen in Tokyo on March 21, and blooming will begin in Hakodate on April 22.
New amusement park ‘JUNGLIA OKINAWA’ will open on July 25 2025, differentiating prices between residents in Japan and international visitors
A new large-scale amusement park ‘JUNGLIA OKINAWA’ will open in the northern part of Okinawa Prefecture on July 25 2025, differentiating prices between residents in Japan and international visitors. Economic ripple effect is estimated at 6.8 trillion yen for 15 years.
A key for 40 million international visitors in 2025 is how Japan National Tourism Organization encourages them to local regions
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Executive Senior Vice President mentioned a possibility of 40 million international visitors in 2025, "I believe that the current strong trend will be unchanged. We continue developing active promotions.”
JAL will launch Narita-Chicago services on May 31 2025, and its group airline JTA launch its first international services to Taipei
JAL will launch daily services between Narita and Chicago on May 31 2025. Japan Transocean Air (JTA) a JAL Group airline, will launch its first international services between Naha and Taipei by the end of FY2025.
Bookings of winter activities and experiences in Tohoku rapidly increased among inbound travelers to Japan during this year’s Chinese New Year
KKday Japan announced bookings of winter activities and local experiences in Tohoku area rapidly increased among inbound travelers to Japan during this year’s Chinese New Year, influenced by postings on SNS.
Kyoto City raises accommodation tax to 10,000 yen at most, expecting tax revenue of 12.6 billion yen a year
Kyoto City plans to raise accommodation tax from currently 200 to 1,000 yen a night to10,000 yen a night at most, The proposed new tax rule are divided into five categories.
Tourism spending in Japan by international visitors exceeded 8 trillion yen in 2024, breaking the previous record in 2019
The total amount of tourism spending in Japan by international visitors increased by 69.2% to record-high 8.1 trillion yen compared to 2019. Spending per visitor was up 43.3% to 227,000 yen. The top market was China with 1.7 trillion yen.
International visitors to Japan resulted in record-high 37 million in 2024, 5 million more visitors than 2019
The number of international visitors to Japan in 2024 reached record-high 36.9 million, 15.6% more visitors than the previous record of 31.9 million in 2019, adding 3.5 million in December 2024.
Japan Tourism Agency Director talks about how Japan tries to overcome over-tourism
Kenji Hamamoto, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) International Tourism Department Director, talked about over-tourism in Japan in the interview with Travel Voice. He emphasized that over-tourism is not 'tourism pollution.
Shizuoka Bank and Yamanashi Chuo Bank create high-valued package tours for luxury travelers from Philippines
Local banks in Shizuoka and Yamanashi sell package tours for the prefectures to Philippines BDO credit card and debit card members, offering high-valued itineraries touring tourist contents including Mt. Fuji for luxury travelers.
JTB forecasts Japanese travelers are expected to be up 2.9% to 320 million in 2025, while international visitors be up 8.9% to 40 million
JTB has forecasted that the number of Japanese travelers in 2025 is expected to increase by 2.9% year on year to 319 million in total, and International visitors to Japan are estimated at 402 million, 8.9% more visitors than 2024.
A new 24-hours online service connecting between foreigners staying in a hotel and a doctor is launched in Japan
A new online medical treatment service ‘Hotel de Doctor 24’ for foreigners staying in a hotel who are concerned about health conditions during traveling in Japan is ready for operation.
The duty-free procedure will be shifted to ‘refund method’ on November 1 2026, abolishing the maximum amount of a purchase
The current duty-free procedure in Japan will change to ‘refund method’ on November 1 2026 to improve conveniences for international visitors to Japan and reduce workloads of duty-free shops.
Japanese government eases visa rules for Chinese travelers, including a new 10-years-valid multiple visa and extension of stays in Japan
Japan has decided to ease visa rules for Chinese travelers, newly launching 10-years-valid multiple tourist visa for Chinese travelers and extension of valid stays for group tourist visa.
International conferences in Japan were up 2.5 times in 2023 with more in-person than hybrid for the first time since 2020
The number of international conferences in Japan was up 2.5 times year on yea to 1,376 in 2023. In-person conferences were 736, accounting for 53% of the total, more than hybrid conferences for the first time since 2020.
