According to a press release by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Japan saw a record 3.4 million foreign visitors entering the country in March. This brings up the total number of foreign visitors in Q1 to 10.5 million, also a record.
JNTO noted that the spring cherry blossom season contributed to an increased number of tourists in March, in addition to religious holiday seasons in a number of countries in Southeast Asia.
An increase in visitors from China, Indonesia, and the United States contributed to the record number in March.
Back in the 2010s, Japan had a goal of 40 million foreign visitors by the time the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came around. Although the Olympics are a distant past, they’re on pace to hit that 40M mark this year.
The weak Japanese yen, especially against the strong US dollar (1 USD to 142 JPY today, April 17, 2025), has boosted the number of visitors and tourism spending over the past couple of years. This trend is continuing.
Visitors spent 2.27 trillion yen in Q1 according to preliminary data, which is a 28.4% increase from last year.
Meanwhile, the number of Japanese leaving the country remains low. March saw 1.4 million of its citizens depart for overseas destinations, bringing the Q1 total to 3.5 million. Both figures are just about a third of the number of foreign visitors that came into Japan.
Related: Can you travel to Japan without a SIM card? I tried it for 10 days.
My Thoughts
Record numbers when it comes to Japan’s tourism aren’t a surprise anymore. Fueled by the weak JPY, it makes sense as to why the country has become such a popular destination.
With that said, I don’t think the entirety of Tokyo or Japan is fully overloaded with tourists. Most visitors concentrate in the “touristy areas” and ignore most other parts. I’m from suburban Tokyo, and I pretty much didn’t see a single tourist in my area when I was there last month. You have to be in places like Shibuya and Akihabara to see large numbers of visitors.
It’s the same thing as being in New York City. I pretty much never go to Times Square in my day-to-day life, just as most Tokyoites never go to Shibuya every day. I do think overtourism can be an issue in certain tourist spots adjacent to neighborhoods, but just because we have record numbers does not mean that the entire country is overfilled with tourists.
All photos taken by the author.
I was in Japan – Kyoto last februari . It was already very busy at the main touristic tempels so I was happy i visited during the off season. I had a great stay and was surprised at the relatively low prices for food and drinks. Definitely great value. Read that the BigMac price index for Japan is now the same as Vietnam! A Hugh difference when I visited Japan for the first time 20 years ago!
I remember the rate used to be 1 USD to 80 to 90 JPY back around 2010. It’s not a coincidence that Japan wasn’t talked about as much as it is today back then!