Japan Domestic Travel
An innovative tourism service for local residents to create a tour as ‘casts’ is launched in Shikoku, Japan
‘Tabi wa hitomakase (Travel depends on local people in English)' was launched in Shikoku, Japan. Local residents as ‘casts’ share local lives and experiences with travelers as ‘guests,’ which is expected to provide deeper connections with people with travelers.
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.
JR Kyushu, a railway company of Japan, and SkyDrive ally with Oita Prefecture for ‘Flying Car’ tour services
JR Kyushu, a railway company covering Kyushu area, and SkyDrive, a ‘Flying Car’ developer, signed a comprehensive agreement with Oita Prefecture to launch sightseeing tours by ‘Flying Car’ in Beppu Bay in 2028.
‘Disney Cruise’ in Japan will be operated by Yusen Group, an Asuka operator, offering 1250 cabins for 5,500 passengers
Oriental Land, a Tokyo Disney Resort operator, signed a basic agreement with Nippon Yusen and Yusen Cruise for a joint cruise business based in Japan in 2028, making ‘Family Entertainment Cruise’ come true.
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.
JTB and Airbnb Japan work together for reuse of abandoned houses to receive travelers in local regions
JTB and Airbnb Japan have agreed to work together for reuse of abandoned houses to receive travelers in local regions, having a goal of developing the areas in 100 regions nationwide by 2028.
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.
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.
AI suggests travel plans to avoid over-crowd in Hakone, a famous hot spring resort in Japan, developed by a local DMO and University of Tokyo
AI-based travel planning service ‘Hako Tabi’ is available in Hakone, a famous onsen resort in Japan, developed by a University of Tokyo startup ‘EasyX’ and local Hakone DMO.
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.
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.
Interests in Osaka Kansai EXPO don’t rise in Japan, but more young people intend to visit several times
According to Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI), the ratio of interests in Osaka Kansai EXPO 2025 remained at the same level, but the ratio of intension to visit the EXPO several times increased from 15% previously to 18.8%.
Japan Tourism Agency creates new ‘Travel Etiquette’ and ‘Tourism Pictogram’ as guidances for travelers to promote sustainable tourism
Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) has created new ‘Travel Etiquette’ and ‘Tourism Pictogram’ to raise awareness of tourist etiquette and recommended behavior.
Canon sends stories about Japan Heritage certified by Agency for Cultural Affairs on SNS
Canon Marketing Japan is sending stories about Japan Heritage certified by Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), posting short movies titled ‘Everyday Japan Heritage’ on ACA official SNS.
Pet Tourism in Japan has a lot of business opportunities, as the survey results show 84% want to travel with dogs even though travel cost is higher
The survey about traveling with a dog in Japan shows 96.3% want to travel with their dogs, and 84.3% said that they want to travel with their dogs even though travel cost is higher.
Yahoo! search data about onsen destinations in Japan finds that the highest growth rate is seen in Shirabu Onsen, Yamagata
According to Yahoo! search big data about onsen destinations in Japan, the highest growth rate in searches in comparison between August to October 2024 and a year ago was seen in Shirabu Onsen, Yamagata.
The research about over-tourism in Japan finds that 60% of all regions realize over-crowded tourists, and the biggest challenge is traffic
According to the Jalan Research Center's survey, 59.7% of people in residence areas and 63.4% of people in business areas realized that tourists are crowded or slightly crowded.
International guest nights increased by 50% in three urban areas and 20% in local regions in August 2024
The total number of guest nights in August 2024 was up 1% year on year to 64.9 million. Guest nights of international travelers were up 24.9% to 13.2 million (up 39.5% over August 2019), accounting for 20.4% of the total.
Kyoto City is taking precautions against over-tourism, such as pre-booking of parking slots or a digital map to spread tourists, for the busiest autumn
DMO KYOTO and City of Kyoto is developing ‘Kyoto Traveler’s Promise’ campaign from November 1 2024 to February 2025 to promote ‘Kyoto Tourism Moral.' A pre-booking of parking slots will be introduced in Higashiyama area.
