Chinese visitors are fueling a significant increase in tourism to Japan, leading to arrival numbers surpassing those of 2019 before the pandemic. However, these travelers' preferences have changed considerably.
Earlier, Chinese tourists visiting Japan were characterized by big group trips focused heavily on shopping frenzies referred to as "bakugai." However, recent trends show that an increasing number of visitors now seek deeper immersion in aspects like Japanese food, customs, and landscapes, reports the Japan National Tourism Organization.
In the initial four months of this year, a total of 3.13 million tourists from China traveled to Japan, surpassing the 2.89 million visitors recorded in the corresponding period of 2019.
Although visitor numbers from China were sluggish to recover following the pandemic, they began to grow consistently once the Chinese authorities rescinded their restriction on organized tours to Japan in 2023. This resulted in 2.42 million arrivals for that year and surged to 6.98 million in 2024.
The growth has persisted through 2025, showing year-over-year rises of 135.7% in January, 57.3% in February, 46.2% in March, and 43.4% in April.
A portion of the change in travel preferences can be attributed to Chinese tourists in their 30s and 40s, who have previously traveled to Japan, opting for family vacations with their kids rather than joining group tours.
The JNTO is making efforts to more effectively reach that market, which included launching an account on a well-known Chinese social media platform in the previous autumn.
In the meantime, tourist counts from Hong Kong, recorded independently of those from mainland China, rose by 30.8% in January compared to the prior year; however, they dropped by 5% in February and by 9.9% in March.
A Japanese manga forecasting a significant catastrophe in Japan for this July is thought to have deterred travelers. Following claims that its creator, Ryo Tatsuki, had accurately foretold the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan as well as several other incidents, posts regarding the series “The Vision of Tomorrow” spread widely online.
Despite this, April experienced a significant recovery with a 42.9 percent rise compared to the same period last year. During a media briefing earlier this month, Japan Tourism Agency Chief Naoya Haraikawa downplayed these worries, stating, "In my opinion, they do not pose any substantial concern at present."
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