Tourism in Japan

File:Kiyomizu.jpg

Kiyomizu-dera, the most crowded temple in Kyoto

File:JP-Nikko-Tosho-Gu-Yomeimon.jpg

Crowds of tourists at Nikkō Tōshō-gū

Tourism in Japan is a major industry and contributor to the Japanese economy. In 2019, the sector directly contributed 11 trillion yen (US$100 billion), or 2% of the GDP, and attracted 31.88 million international tourists.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>[1]</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2024, 36.9 million international tourists visited Japan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>[2]</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There are 26 World Heritage Sites in Japan, including Himeji Castle, Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and Nara. Popular attractions for foreigners include Tokyo and Osaka, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, ski resorts such as Niseko in Hokkaido, Okinawa, riding the Shinkansen and taking advantage of Japan's hotel and hotspring network.

The 2024 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Japan 3rd out of 141 countries overall, which was the highest in Asia. Japan gained relatively high scores in almost all of the featured aspects, such as health and hygiene, safety and security, cultural resources and business travel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:Throngs of people walking towards Himeji Castle, Himeji, 2016.jpg

Throngs of tourists on their way to Himeji Castle in Himeji (WHS)

From the middle ages to early modern period

In medieval Japan, travel became increasingly common with cultural and aristocratic figures from Kyoto, and they initiated the genre of travel literature in Japan. Notable examples of travel literature from this period include the Tosa Nikki (935), part of the Sarashina Nikki (12th century), and the volume 4 of the Tohazugatari (1313).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> By the late medieval period, supported by a network of inns offering fixed-rate lodging and meals, travel was widespread. Hot springs such as Kusatsu, Arima, and Gero gained fame, attracting notable figures such as warriors and monks. Tourist souvenirs including ladles and toothpicks were popular among visitors. Pilgrimages to Mount Fuji also flourished.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Hiroshige26 nissaka.jpg

Travelling was popularised through travel literature and ukiyo-e

During the Edo period, despite restrictions on travelling through checkpoints, guidebooks facilitated the popularisation of travel. Commoners with permits could undertake leisure trips, often disguised as pilgrimages. Inns, teahouses, and local products thrived, and travel information spread via diaries and ukiyo-e prints. Pilgrimages such as the Ise Grand Shrine’s Okage Mairi became major social phenomena, marking the beginnings of a modern tourism industry. However, foreign travel was extremely rare due to Japan's isolation policy. Matsuo Bashō's 1689 trip to the then "far north" of Japan, which inspired his famous haibun work Oku no Hosomichi, occurred not long after Hayashi Razan categorized the Three Views of Japan in 1643. During this time, Japan was a closed country to foreigners, so no foreign tourism existed in Japan.

Meiji era and international tourism

File:1930s Japan Travel Poster - Fuji.jpg

A 1930s travel advertisement by the Japanese Government Railways

Japan opened its borders in the late Edo period, but due to its location in the Far East and the limited transport options, there were not many foreign visitors. Foreigners eventually gained the freedom to travel within Japan, and efforts to actively attract international tourists began on the Japanese side. In 1912, the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) was established. Another major milestone in the development of the tourism industry in Japan was the 1907 passage of the Hotel Development Law, as a result of which the Railways Ministry began to construct publicly owned hotels throughout Japan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> During the interwar period, overseas travel to distant places such as Europe and the Americas was primarily limited to businesspeople, immigrants, and students, with leisure travel being mostly reserved for the wealthy.

In terms of domestic tourism, the dismantling of the feudal system, the development of transport networks such as railways and steamships, and the spread of information made domestic travel easier. Tourism-oriented travel became increasingly popular, and regions across Japan began developing themselves for sightseeing and leisure purposes. Long-distance domestic travel became accessible.

Postwar period

During the postwar Allied occupation period, most foreign tourists in Japan were GHQ personnel or visitors from the United States. In 1954, Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, contributed an article titled The Case for a Tourism-Oriented Nation to the Bungei Shunju. Matsushita argued that tourism could be considered a form of trade, and he pointed out that while exporting goods involves depleting Japan's resources, scenic attractions such as Mount Fuji and the Seto Inland Sea remain unchanged no matter how often they are viewed. He proposed that revenue earned through inbound tourism could be reinvested in other industries, and help rebuild the country's economy beyond its pre-war stature.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

File:JAL B747-400(JA8916) (4184195679).jpg

The Visit Japan campaign, launched by the Koizumi administration in 2003 with the catchphrase 'Yokoso! Japan!', was the country's first government-backed initiative to promote inbound tourism.

For much of post-war period, Japan has been an exceptionally unattractive tourist destination for its population and GDP size. According to the IMF, WTO, and OECD, from 1995 to 2014, it was by far the least visited country.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of 2013, Japan was one of the least visited countries in the OECD on a per capita basis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Japan avoided campaigns to attract inbound tourists, especially because its large current account surplus had caused international friction with some countries. There were also factors such as Japan being the world's most expensive countries at the time (for example, Tokyo was rated by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the most expensive city in the world for 14 years in a row ending in 2006), as well as the language barrier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Active promotion of inbound tourism (21st century)

From 2013, under the Abe administration, policies to attract international tourists were implemented to offset the shrinking domestic demand caused by population decline and ageing. As a result, by 2014, for the first time in 55 years, income from foreign tourists exceeded the amount spent by Japanese tourists abroad, which means Japan finally ran a tourism surplus. Within six years, the number of international visitors has more than tripled, reaching 31.9 million visitors in 2019.<ref name="Jan2024PR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Japan received a record 36.87 million tourist arrivals in 2024, an increase of over 47% from the year prior.

Current status

Domestic tourism remains a vital part of Japanese economy and Japanese culture. Across the nation, Japanese children in many middle schools see the highlight of their years as a visit to Tokyo Tower, Yomiuriland, Tokyo Disneyland, Sensō-ji, and/or Tokyo Skytree, and many high school students often visit Okinawa or Hokkaido. The extensive rail network together with domestic flights sometimes in planes with modifications to favor the relatively short distances involved in intra-Japan travel allows efficient and speedy transport. International tourism plays a smaller role in the Japanese economy compared to other developed countries; in 2013, international tourist receipts was 0.3% of Japan's GDP, while the corresponding figure was 1.3% for the United States and 2.3% for France. In 2019, the value was up to 1.0% of GDP, driven by an increase in international tourism, while the country's GDP has remained stable.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Tourists from South Korea have made up the largest number of inbound tourists several times in the past. In 2010, their 2.4 million arrivals made up 27% of the tourists visiting Japan.<ref name=Dickie>Template:Cite news</ref> Travelers from China have been the highest spenders in Japan by country, spending an estimated 196.4 billion yen (US$2.4 billion) in 2011, or almost a quarter of total expenditure by foreign visitors, according to data from the Japan Tourism Agency.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From 2016 to 2020, Japanese government hoped to receive 40 million foreign tourists every year by 2020.<ref name="10year">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to the Japan National Tourism Organization in 2017, 3 out of 4 foreign tourists came from other parts of East Asia, namely South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Japanese film, TV, video game, and manga/anime industries play a role in driving tourism to Japan. In surveys held by Statista between 2019 and 2020, 24.2% of tourists from the United States, said they were motivated to visit Japan because of Japanese popular culture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Overtourism

Following the easing of COVID-19-era travel restrictions, 2024 is on track to be a record-breaking year for the number of overseas tourists.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This tourism boom can be attributed in part to the weakening Japanese yen.<ref name=":0" /> The unprecedented number of foreign tourists has led to claims that some parts of Japan are suffering from overtourism.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In response to this surge, officials in some parts of Japan have introduced measures to counter its negative effects. For example, Yamanashi Prefecture has set a cap of daily climbers of Mount Fuji at 4,000 people and began charging an entrance fee of ¥2,000.<ref name=":1" /> Also in Yamanashi Prefecture, a mesh barrier was set up to block a view of Mount Fuji behind a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko due to tourist-caused disturbances in the area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As of 2024, some Japanese officials have considered instituting a two-tiered pricing system which would have foreign tourists pay more than residents at certain tourist attractions in order to counter the effects of overtourism.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Tourism statistics

File:Foreign tourist visited Japan.svg

Foreign tourists to Japan

These are the top 35 nationalities that visited Japan from 2017 to 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>[3]</ref>

Country/Territory	Total
	1/2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
Template:Flagcountry	980,520	6,981,342	2,425,157	189,125	42,239	1,069,256	9,594,394	8,380,034
Template:Flagcountry	967,100	8,817,765	6,958,494	1,012,751	18,947	694,476	5,584,597	7,538,952
Template:Flagcountry	593,431	6,044,316	4,202,434	331,097	5,016	487,939	4,890,602	4,757,258
Template:Flagcountry	243,687	2,683,391	2,114,402	269,285	1,252	346,020	2,290,792	2,207,804
Template:Flagcountry	182,556	2,724,594	2,045,854	323,513	20,026	219,307	2,187,557	1,939,719
Template:Flagcountry	140,185	920,196	613,062	88,648	3,265	143,508	621,771	552,440
Template:Flagcountry	96,811	1,148,848	995,558	198,037	2,758	219,830	1,318,977	1,132,160
Template:Flagcountry	75,003	506,883	415,712	74,095	1,831	76,573	501,592	468,360
Template:Flagcountry	72,185	818,659	622,293	126,842	5,625	109,110	613,114	503,976
Template:Flagcountry	63,230	517,651	429,382	119,723	5,209	77,724	412,779	396,852
Template:Flagcountry	50,415	621,173	573,916	284,113	26,586	152,559	495,051	389,004
Template:Flagcountry	45,707	691,226	591,267	131,969	857	55,273	492,252	437,280
Template:Flagcountry	42,301	579,445	425,874	55,877	3,536	53,365	375,262	330,600
Template:Flagcountry	26,378	437,230	321,482	57,496	7,294	51,024	424,279	333,979
Template:Flagcountry	16,515	385,071	277,436	52,782	7,024	43,102	336,333	304,896
Template:Flagcountry	16,189	233,061	166,394	54,314	8,831	26,931	175,896	154,029
Template:Flag	13,255	115,012	78,978	12,107	1,404	16,070	94,115	73,208
Template:Flagcountry	12,737	325,870	233,410	45,748	5,197	29,785	236,544	215,336
Template:Flag	9,548	123,779	74,252	1,359	54	12,234	121,197	108,694
Template:Flag	9,332	151,835	94,684	9,152	1,124	9,528	71,745	68,448
Template:Flagcountry	8,792	229,785	152,305	23,683	3,527	13,691	162,769	150,060
Template:Flag	7,877	85,609	50,570	9,436	2,731	6,888	47,575	44,201
Template:Flag	7,669	111,568	83,302	75,200	11,648	17,191	51,577	44,297
Template:Flagcountry	7,401	182,284	115,873	15,926	3,053	11,741	130,243	118,901
Template:Flag	6,352	53,049	39,916	19,267	1,685	7,118	31,513	27,647
Template:Flag	6,123	70,597	45,815	22,763	1,531	10,884	30,977	24,418
Template:Flag	6,074	62,099	31,198	7,129	1,161	2,886	22,724	19,762
Template:Flag	4,931	99,264	41,965	10,324	3,723	22,260	120,043	94,810
Template:Flag	4,466	102,981	74,486	12,064	1,860	8,481	79,479	72,069
Template:Flag	4,379	49,015	36,742	21,536	3,127	8,918	28,380	27,789
Template:Flag	3,474	52,099	39,245	7,900	1,112	7,622	53,836	53,822
Template:Flag	3,328	72,193	53,395	8,917	1,387	6,036	53,908	52,099
Template:Flag	2,674	23,710	21,132	11,423	4,284	6,145	17,208	15,802
Template:Flag	2,611	19,809	13,177	2,198	798	4,220	23,805	23,692
Template:Flag	2,591	59,499	45,143	7,673	619	2,315	44,214	39,193
Template:Flag	2,577	23,896	19,559	11,981	1,789	4,444	15,174	13,971
Template:Flag	2,552	27,314	27,067	13,618	784	7,420	28,492	21,696
Template:Flag	2,387	42,300	27,812	3,176	728	3,179	32,349	26,506
Template:Flag	2,380	63,828	40,634	5,745	1,350	3,996	38,534	34,706
Template:Flag	2,162	32,995	22,985	4,458	820	3,270	39,387	20,319
Template:Flag	2,076	40,950	30,780	5,403	794	4,780	32,893	29,163
Template:Flag	2,012	47,063	34,352	6,611	1,122	4,074	39,245	34,387
Template:Flag	1,875	28,780	21,404	4,608	736	4,859	29,437	27,116
Template:Flag	1,759	28,901	21,541	3,736	557	3,620	24,838	22,569
Template:Flag	1,666	18,460	13,808	1,902	276	3,381	13,370	14,089
Template:Flag	1,632	36,820	26,360	5,025	888	3,605	27,530	24,187
Template:Flag	1,040	7,429	6,359	1,804	150	1,169	6,154	5,987
Template:Flag	964	14,512	10,270	2,705	203	770	8,891	7,782
Template:Flag	899	12,541	9,357	2,561	838	1,623	19,543	9,793
Template:Flag	885	17,443	12,380	2,403	1,039	11,152	7,403	7,554
Template:Flag	848	19,924	13,958	2,487	753	1,679	14,356	12,255
Template:Flag	789	9,068	8,075	5157	1,567	1,290	5,243	5,530
Template:Flag	728	14,885	9,969	1,869	744	1,091	9,494	7,968
Template:Flag	720	7,335	6,292	1,159	23	742	4,866	3,626
Template:Flag	710	22,765	15,316	2,376	552	1,409	14,837	12,250
Template:Flag	676	15,827	11,316	2,511	1,034	1,302	12,696	10,440
Template:Flag	645	15,602	9,598	1,495	476	1,098	11,745	9,966
Template:Flag	640	9,412	6,749	3,795	1,070	1,466	10,176	8,458
Template:Flag	563	7,080	4,816	2,223	1,187	1,294	6,345	4,942
Template:Flag	504	9,377	6,226	1,286	272	672	5,260	4,498
Template:Flag	466	10,375	8,571	1,511	601	890	5,431	4,391
Template:Flag	448	6,582	5,195	1,196	254	1,191	6,022	5,048
Template:Flag	359	9,480	6,360	1,024	338	627	6,324	5,106
Template:Flag	292	6,078	4,067	634	414	470	4,099	3,407
Template:Flag	289	9,387	7,145	2,152	746	720	5,252	5,161
Template:Flag	247	6,038	3,779	676	308	493	3,347	3,187
Total (all countries)	3,781,629	36,870,148	25,066,350	3,832,110	245,862	4,115,828	31,882,049	31,191,856

Major tourist destinations

File:140829 Ichiko of Shiretoko Goko Lakes Hokkaido Japan01s5.jpg

Goko Five Lakes in Shiretoko (WHS)

File:Sirakami santi.JPG

Shirakami-Sanchi (WHS)

File:Skyscrapers of Shinjuku 2009 January.jpg

Shinjuku in Tokyo, and Mount Fuji

File:Ogi Shirakawa-gō, Gifu, Japan.jpg

Shirakawa-gō (WHS)

File:Dakesawa.jpg

Japanese Alps from Kamikōchi

File:Daibutsu of Todaiji 2.jpg

Tōdai-ji Daibutsu in Nara (WHS)

File:180504 Shimizudani Refinery Ruins of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Oda Shimane pref Japan03s.jpg

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (WHS)

File:Zentsu-ji in Zentsu-ji City Kagawa pref16s5s4020.jpg

Shikoku Pilgrimage (Zentsū-ji)

File:Small tenshu & Uto turret & Large tenshu in Kumamoto-Csl.jpg

Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto

File:Kabira Bay Ishigaki Island41s3s4500.jpg

Ishigaki Island, Okinawa

Hokkaido

• Niseko Ski Resort
• Shiretoko Peninsula (WHS)
• Teshikaga – Lake Mashū, Lake Kussharo
• Tōya Caldera and Mount Usu Geopark
• Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group
• Hakodate
• Otaru

Tōhoku region

• Shirakami-Sanchi (WHS)
• Mount Osore
• Lake Towada
• Hirosaki – Hirosaki Castle, Nakacho Samurai District
• Hiraizumi – Chūson-ji, Mōtsū-ji, Kanjizaiō-in, Takkoku-no-Iwaya
• Semboku – Kakunodate Samurai District, Lake Tazawa, Nyūtō Onsen
• Yamagata – Yama-dera Temple, Zaō Onsen
• Matsushima

Kantō region

• Nikkō – Shrines and Temples of Nikkō (WHS), Kegon Falls, Lake Chūzenji, Cedar Avenue of Nikko
• Tomioka Silk Mill (WHS)
• Kinugawa Onsen – Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura, Tobu World Square
• Utsunomiya – Oya stone museum, Utsunomiya Futarayama Shrine
• Ashikaga, Tochigi – Ashikaga Gakkō, Template:Ill
• Tokyo – Imperial Palace, Asakusa, Akihabara, Ginza, Harajuku/Omotesandō, Nakano Broadway, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tsukiji Fish Market, Ueno Park, Fujiko F. Fujio Museum, Studio Ghibli Museum
• Tokyo Disney Resort
• Kamakura – Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, Kōtoku-in, Kenchō-ji, Engaku-ji, Meigetsu-in, Hase-dera
• Kusatsu Onsen
• Hakone Onsen

Chūbu region

• Mount Fuji
• Japanese Alps – Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route(Mount Tate), Hida Mountains, Kiso Mountains, Akaishi Mountains
• Kurobe Gorge Railway
• Shiga Kōgen
• Matsumoto – Matsumoto Castle, Mount Hotaka, Kamikōchi
• Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama (WHS)
• Takayama – Sanmachi Traditional Street, Ōshinmachi Traditional Street, Higashiyama Temple Area
• Kanazawa – Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa Castle, Higashi Geisha District, Nagamachi Samurai District
• Sakai – Tōjinbō, Maruoka Castle
• Nagoya – Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine, Sakae, Nagoya Station (Meieki), Ōsu Kannon temple

Kansai region

• Kyoto – Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Ryōan-ji, Sanjūsangen-dō, etc., they are parts of Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (WHS)
• Uji – Byōdō-in and Ujigami Shrine (WHS), Relation of The Tale of Genji
• Ōtsu – Lake Biwa, Hiyoshi Taisha, Sakamoto Temple District, Mount Hiei, Enryaku-ji (WHS)
• Ōmihachiman – Traditional Riverside District
• Nara – Tōdai-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Yakushi-ji, Heijō Palace, Kasuga-taisha and Nara Park, etc. They are parts of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (WHS).
• Ikaruga – Hōryū-ji and Hōki-ji are Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area (WHS).
• Yoshino (Mount Yoshino) – Kimpusen-ji, Yoshimizu Shrine, Yoshino Mikumari Shrine, etc. They are parts of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (WHS).
• Shingū – Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano River (WHS)
• Nachikatsuura – Nachi Falls, Kumano Kodō, etc., they are parts of Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (WHS)
• Mount Kōya – Kongōbu-ji (WHS)
• Osaka – Osaka Castle, Umeda, Namba, Dōtonbori, Shinsaibashi, Shinsekai, Shitennō-ji, Sumiyoshi-taisha, Universal Studios Japan, Kaiyukan, Rinku Town, Den-Den Town, Expo Commemoration Park, Kamagasaki<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Himeji – Engyō-ji, Koko-en Garden, and Himeji Castle (WHS)
• Kobe – Port of Kobe, Rokkō Mountains, Kitano-chō, Arima Onsen, Kobe Luminarie
• San'in Kaigan Geopark – Toyooka, Izushi, Kinosaki Onsen, Yumura Onsen

Chūgoku region

• Hiroshima Prefecture – Itsukushima Shrine (WHS), Onomichi, Tomonoura
• Okayama Prefecture – Kurashiki, Kōrakuen Garden, Okayama Castle
• Tottori Prefecture – Tottori Sand Dunes, Mount Daisen, Mount Hyōno, San'in Kaigan Geopark
• Shimane Prefecture – Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine (WHS), Izumo-taisha, Matsue Castle, Oki Islands, Tsuwano
• Yamaguchi Prefecture – Hagi

Shikoku

• Shikoku Pilgrimage (Zentsū-ji, Motoyama-ji, etc.)
• Ehime Prefecture – Dōgo Onsen, Matsuyama Castle
• Kagawa Prefecture – Kotohira-gū Shrine, Ritsurin Garden, Shōdo Island, Naoshima Island
• Tokushima Prefecture – Naruto whirlpools, Awa Dance Festival in Tokushima
• Kōchi Prefecture – Kōchi Castle, Cape Muroto (Muroto Geopark), Cape Ashizuri

Kyushu and Okinawa

• Fukuoka Prefecture – Mojiko Retro Town, Kokura Castle, Dazaifu Tenman-gū, Remains of Dazaifu (government)
• Ōita Prefecture – Many types of hot springs in Beppu, Ōita or Yufuin, Ōita, Usa jingū, stone bridges, small stonehenge on the top of Komekamiyama (mountain), Hello Kitty Harmonyland
• Nagasaki Prefecture – Ōura Church, Higashi-Yamate, Minami-Yamate including the Glover Garden, Huis Ten Bosch (theme park), Hidden Christian Sites (WHS)
• Kagoshima Prefecture – Yakushima (WHS), Sakurajima, Amami Ōshima
• Miyazaki Prefecture – Kirishima-Yaku National Park, Takachiho, Old Exculibur on the top of Takachiho-kyo mountain, Nichinan, Miyazaki,　Chambered barrows of Saitobaru kofungun, Heiwadai Park
• Kumamoto Prefecture – Kumamoto Castle,　Mount Aso
• Saga Prefecture – Pre-400 BC Yayoi archaeological site in Yoshinogari site
• Okinawa Prefecture – Shuri Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, Nakijin Castle, etc. They are parts of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. (WHS), Ishigaki Island, Miyako Island, Iriomote Island, Traditional Ryukyuan Houses in Taketomi Island

See also

• Groups of Traditional Buildings
• Japanese museums
• List of National Geoparks in Japan
• List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments
• World Heritage Sites in Japan
• List of museums in Japan
• National Treasures of Japan
• Omiyage
• Ryokan (Japanese inn)
• Visa policy of Japan

References

• Travel with Smile. Best Places to Travel in Japan

Further reading

• Graburn, Nelson HH. "The past in the present in Japan: nostalgia and neo-traditionalism in contemporary Japanese domestic tourism." in Change in tourism: people, places, processes (1995): 47–70.
• Henderson, Joan Catherine. "Destination development: Trends in Japan's inbound tourism." International Journal of Tourism Research 19.1 (2017): 89–98. online
• Ishimori, Shûzô. "Popularization and commercialization of tourism in early modern Japan." Senri Ethnological Studies 26 (1989): 179–194. online
• Jimura, Takamitsu. Cultural heritage and tourism in Japan (Routledge, 2021) online.
• McOmie, William, ed. Foreign Images and Experiences of Japan: 1: First Century AD-1841. (Brill, 2021). online
• March, Roger. "How Japan solicited the West: the first hundred years of modern Japanese tourism." in CAUTHE 2007: Tourism-Past Achievements, Future Challenges (2007): 843–52. online
• Robertson, Jennifer. "Hegemonic nostalgia, tourism, and nation-making in Japan." Senri ethnological studies 38 (1995): 89–103. online
• Soshiroda, Akira. "Inbound tourism policies in Japan from 1859 to 2003." Annals of Tourism Research 32.4 (2005): 1100–1120.
• Takeuchi, Keiichi. "Some remarks on the geography of tourism in Japan." GeoJournal (1984): 85–90. online
• Tokuhisa, Tamao. "Tourism within, from and to Japan." International Social Science Journal 32.1 (1980): 128–150.
• Uzama, Austin. "Yokoso! Japan: Classifying foreign tourists to Japan for market segmentation." Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 21.2 (2012): 132–154.
• Yanagi, Miyuki. "Reconsideration of Japan's tourism innovation characteristics." Geographical Research Bulletin 2 (2023): 29–38. online
• Yasuda, Hiroko. "World heritage and cultural tourism in Japan." International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research 4.4 (2010): 366–375.

External links

• Japan National Tourist Organization
• JapanTourist Travel Articles Database Template:Webarchive
• 2018 Foreign Visitors & Japanese Departures