Japan Domestic Travel
Tobu Railway, a Japanese private railway company, will serve a luxury bus with comfortable 18 seats in Nikko area
Tobu Railway will begin serving a luxury bus ‘SPACIA X NIKKO CRUISER’ in Nikko area in October 2025, connecting with the railway’s special express train ‘SPACIA X’ from Tokyo.
What is ‘The Future City’ in the coming EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai? 12 exhibitors showcase their future societies
The Future City Pavilion of EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai was completed. 12 Japanese leading manufacturers and organizations showcases their innovations for the future society.
Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 Aichi/Central Japan will be held in September with a theme of ‘Travel for Discovery and New Encounters,’ expected 100,000 visitors
Tourism EXPO Japan 2025 Aichi/Central Japan will be held with a theme of ‘‘Travel for Discovery and New Encounters.’ at Aichi Sky Expo from September 25 to 28, expected 100,000 visitors.
Private Jet tour with pets to a remote island in Nagasaki, Japan is now on sale
Air X, a helicopter tour operator, has begun selling a private jet tour with pets to Iki Island in Nagasaki. The private jet tour takes travelers to the island for 2 hours and 5 minutes from Tokyo.
Osaka Prefecture will raise the accommodation tax rates in September 2025, expected tax revenue will increase to 8 billion yen a year
Osaka Prefecture will raise the lowest targeting accommodation price from 7,000 currently to 5,000 yen and the tax rates on September 1 2025, expected to increase tax revenue from 2.5 billion yen a year in 2023 to 8 billion yen a year.
Travel consumption in Japan by Japanese travelers was record-high in 2024 with a 25% increase in spending per traveler
The total amount of Japanese travel consumption in Japan was up 14.6% year on year to record-high 25.1 trillion yen in 2024, and travel spending a travel per traveler was up 5.8% year on year to record-high 46,579 yen.
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.
