Travel demand into Japan remained strong even after the cherry blossom season, as the country recorded almost 3.7 million foreign visitors in May. This is a 21.5% increase year over year.
The Japan National Tourist Organization noted that May is typically a quieter season as it falls between the cherry blossom season and summer travel, but this did not matter much last month.
The total number of travelers to Japan is now at over 18 million, a 24% increase year over year. The nation is well on pace to shatter last year’s record-setting foreign visitor count at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the number of Japanese overseas travelers remains low, but is still increasing gradually. Over 1 million Japanese traveled internationally last month, a 14% increase year over year despite the weak Japanese Yen. This is an encouraging number to see.
It could’ve been just the timing that I was at the airport, but I’ve noticed a bit of an increase in Japanese international travelers in the last few times I flew out of Tokyo Haneda. The data does reflect this, so I’m happy to see that this is the case.
So far in 2025, over 1.3 million Americans have entered Japan, a 29.6% increase year over year. Despite economic uncertainty and softness around domestic leisure travel in the country, international travel has remained strong.
That said, it’ll be interesting to see how this figure changes over the next year. International travel is typically booked well in advance and can take some time to react to changes in economic conditions, aside from sudden market shocks.
All photos taken by the author.
