Japan saw another record month for inbound tourism, setting a new record for October visitors, as the country’s fall colors lure more inbound travelers. But it’s not all smooth sailing. Threats from China and the looming specter of overtourism are complicating Japan’s attempts to profit from its worldwide reputation as a premier travel destination.
17.6% increase in inbound tourists
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Japan welcomed 3,896,300 visitors in October 2025. That’s a 17.6% increase over 2024.
As of October 2025, Japan has welcomed 35,547,200 visitors this year. At this pace, it will surpass the government’s goal of exceeding 40 million visitors this year.
The stellar numbers continue the rebound from June and July, when traffic to Japan slowed due to the hot summer months. The country also suffered a minor setback as rumors of a mega-tsunami torpedoed travel from Hong Kong, a primary source of tourism.
South Korea remains the leader in inbound tourism, with 867,000 visitors, an 18.4% increase. Travel from China also continued to recover, with 22.8% more visitors making the journey. Taiwan, the United States, Hong Kong, and Thailand rounded out the top visitors’ list.
Russia also saw an unexpected uptick in travelers to Japan. The number of Russian travelers increased by 91.7%, from 15,701 in October 2024 to 30,100 this year.
The latter half of the year is a wonderful time to travel to Japan, as the country’s dire summer heat gives way to beautiful fall foliage.
The China factor
While October was a banner month, it remains to be seen if November can match it. One X factor is China, which is currently urging its citizens to avoid travel to Japan based on remarks made by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae regarding Taiwan.
Takaichi said during a session of Japan’s National Diet that the country could come to Taiwan’s defense if its existence were threatened by a Chinese invasion. That led China’s government to call for citizens to suspend their travel plans to the country.
There are signs that the call is already having a negative effect on travel. One hotel chain reports over 1,000 cancellations from Chinese customers between now and year’s end. A Hong Kong-based paper, the South China Morning Post, also reported that 491,000 flights from China to Japan have been canceled. That would account for 32% of all air travel between the two countries.
Inbound travel from China recovered slowly after the COVID-19 pandemic due to a dispute between the two countries over wastewater release from Fukushima power plants. A 2024 report found that sentiments between the two nations remained at a low ebb. That appeared to be changing this year with the resurgence of Chinese tourism.
Nagano weighs fees to Kamikōchi due to trash problems
Japan’s government is likely thrilled with the numbers, as it means more money for municipalities and local businesses that are increasingly dependent on tourism dollars. However, the influx of tourism has also left a lot of tourism hotspots scrambling to deal with the impact of overtourism.
According to local reports, the Kamikōchi area in Nagano Prefecture is the latest tourist-heavy area struggling to handle the increasing number of visitors. The area, part of Chūbu-Sangaku National Park and a designated natural landmark of Japan, has seen over 1.56 million visitors this year. That’s resulted in a huge trash problem, with visitors leaving their garbage strewn across the natural landscape.
That’s leading the city of Matsumoto to consider imposing a fee for all visitors. The city says it’ll investigate the feasibility of such a fee and produce a report by year’s end.
It wouldn’t be the first tourist attraction in Japan to impose fees and restrictions on visitors. Both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka entrances have implemented fees and reservation systems to control congestion on hiking trails.
The two prefectures have also contemplated charging hikers who require helicopter rescue. Fuji has seen an uptick in unprepared travelers getting stuck while tackling the climb during the off-season. In one notorious case, a Japanese resident had to be rescued twice – the second time when he went back for his smartphone.
Discover the “unseen” side of Japan
Japan is on everyone’s travel bucket list. Sadly, many end up going to the same places as everyone else. That can turn what could have been a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience into an exhausting battle with crowds.
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Sources
訪日外客数（2025年10月推計値）. JNTO
日本行き空路49万件キャンセル 中国自粛呼びかけ、香港紙. 47News
中国政府の渡航自粛呼びかけ、宿泊・航空券キャンセルやツアー中止相次ぐ…日本の観光業界に影響. Yomiuri Shimbun
