Slight Dip in Popularity for Tokyo and Osaka, But These 2 Japanese Destinations See Double the Foreign Visitors

Kumamoto Castle, known as the "Ginkgo Castle" due to the many ginkgo trees planted within, is ranked among Japan’s three most famous castles along with Nagoya Castle and Himeji Castle. (Photo provided by Shutterstock)

Taiwan has a strong enthusiasm for traveling to Japan. Aside from visiting Tokyo or Kyoto, you might want to consider two Japanese prefectures that have seen a surge in popularity this year. From July to September this year, overseas tourists contributed to record-high tourism revenue in Japan. Although Tokyo and Osaka remain the most popular tourist destinations, their popularity has slightly declined compared to last year. In contrast, two Japanese prefectures have experienced a significant rise in tourism, attracting more than double the number of visitors compared to the previous year.

Where do global tourists go when they visit Japan? According to Japanese media reports, from July to September this year, overseas tourist spending increased by 26.7% compared to the previous year, bringing in 1 trillion 2,305 billion yen to the national treasury over the three-month period — a record high.

Among them, Vietnam surpassed mainland China and European countries in average per capita tourism expenditure. This is speculated to be due to the surge in purchases of home appliances and watches, as well as an increase in families coming to Japan for education. The average length of stay reached 36 days, making Vietnamese tourists the most willing to spend on gourmet food. Meanwhile, Russia was the most enthusiastic about spending on Japanese entertainment services, driving investment in golf courses and theme parks across the country.

The most popular Japanese cities among overseas tourists remain Tokyo and Osaka. However, compared to last year’s popularity, the number of visitors to Tokyo decreased by approximately 12.3% and to Osaka by about 2.1% during July to September this year.

In contrast, Niigata and Kumamoto saw their popularity double during this summer. Charter flights from Russia helped drive the local tourism boom, with visitor numbers in Niigata Prefecture increasing by 137.5% and in Kumamoto Prefecture by 111.6%, showing that Kumamoto is gradually recovering from the shadows of last year’s earthquake. Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku also saw an increase of 98.5%. Additionally, Okinawa, a favorite for free and independent travel among Taiwanese tourists, saw an 11.6% increase.