Tourists were certainly flocking to Japan in droves last year.
The number of foreign travelers to the country rose a whopping 47 percent to a record 36.9 million in 2024, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Those visitors were led by people from South Korea, Taiwan, and China, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization cited by the outlet. Last year’s influx of tourism beats the previous record heartily—that was 31.9 million people in 2019.
The increase in travel to Japan is due to a couple of factors, namely people’s desire to travel post-pandemic and the yen’s declining value. That latter trend has made Japan much more affordable for those coming from across the globe, with the currency hitting a 37-year low just last week, Bloomberg noted. A weaker yen means that dining, shopping, accommodations, and transportation are now all cheaper in Japan than they once were.
The hefty tourism numbers put Japan ahead of schedule when it comes to the country’s goal of hitting 60 million foreign visitors by 2030, Bloomberg wrote. But they’ve also resulted in some backlash from locals, who are dealing with overcrowding at attractions, in restaurants, and on public transit.
“The problem of over-tourism is becoming a serious issue in places such as Kyoto,” Harumi Taguchi, a principal economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, told Bloomberg. “The key will be how other regions can get information out and attract people to come to their areas. Businesses also need to have tourists not only buy things, but also pay for experiences.”
In response to this over-crowding, Kyoto has banned travelers from certain streets in the Gion district, where they were harassing geishas. And the city of Himeji is thinking of raising prices to its castle for foreign visitors, Bloomberg reported. Still, as Taguchi noted, Japanese locals are hoping that tourists will still come to the country, but that they consider other areas that aren’t as populated at the moment. According to data cited by Bloomberg, the number of visitors to those sorts of rural towns has dropped 26 percent compared with 2019, while visits to three metro areas have risen 14 percent.
So if you’re considering a Japanese vacation in the near future, it may be worth going off the beaten path. You might discover a hidden gem—and the locals will likely thank you for it.
