Japan-Bound Tourists Hit Record Per-Capita Spending as Demand for Travel Experiences Grows

Foreign visitors to Japan are spending more per trip, with total travel spending and average expenditure reaching record highs while spending on dining, entertainment and other experience-based activities continues to grow.

TOKYO, JAPAN (MERXWIRE) – Japan’s inbound tourism market is showing signs of a shift toward higher-value consumption. According to preliminary data from the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Inbound Consumption Trend Survey” for April through June 2026, spending by international visitors to Japan reached ¥2.5096 trillion, up 0.2% from the same period a year earlier and marking a record high for the second quarter.

More notably, average spending per international visitor reached ¥244,457, an increase of 3.3% year on year and also a record high for a single quarter. The figures suggest that Japan’s tourism market is gradually shifting its focus from simply increasing visitor numbers toward generating greater economic value from each traveler.

Accommodation remained the largest category of spending among international visitors. From April through June 2026, accommodation accounted for 37.0% of total spending, or ¥927.8 billion. Shopping followed at 26.8%, or ¥673.1 billion, while dining accounted for 21.7%, or ¥545.4 billion. Transportation represented 10.1%, or ¥252.7 billion, and entertainment and other services accounted for 4.3%, or ¥108.8 billion.

Compared with the same period in 2025, the shares of dining, entertainment and other services, as well as shopping, all increased, indicating that visitors are allocating a greater portion of their travel budgets to experiences in addition to traditional tourism expenses.

Spending patterns also varied significantly across overseas markets. The United States recorded the highest total visitor spending in the second quarter at ¥384.8 billion, accounting for 15.3% of the total. Taiwan ranked second at ¥363.9 billion, or 14.5%, followed by China at ¥259.2 billion, or 10.3%; South Korea at ¥258.9 billion, or 10.3%; and Hong Kong at ¥145.2 billion, or 5.8%.

Compared with the same period in 2025, spending by Chinese visitors fell 48.8%, while spending by visitors from Taiwan, the United States and South Korea increased by 27.9%, 8.5% and 12.2%, respectively. The figures indicate that Japan’s inbound tourism economy is becoming increasingly diversified in terms of its sources of visitor spending.

Taiwanese visitors also recorded strong growth in individual spending during the second quarter. Average spending per Taiwanese visitor reached ¥196,641, up 9.2% from a year earlier. Shopping accounted for an average of ¥68,093 per visitor, followed by accommodation at ¥63,868 and dining at ¥41,136.

Visitors from the United States recorded substantially higher average spending of ¥378,547 per person, up 4.8% year on year. Their average accommodation expenditure reached ¥158,095.

Although the number of Chinese visitors and their overall spending declined sharply, average spending among Chinese visitors who traveled to Japan increased to ¥266,753 per person, up 9.4% from a year earlier. Their average shopping expenditure reached ¥105,914.

A Taiwanese visitor said her spending during the latest trip to Japan was somewhat higher than on previous visits, but the increase was mainly related to accommodation, dining and local experiences.

“In the past, I often focused on shopping when visiting Japan. This time, I wanted to spend more time experiencing local life and culture, such as staying at distinctive accommodations, trying regional cuisine and taking part in activities that are unique to the area,” she said. “Although I spent more, the overall travel experience was also much richer.”

A visitor from the United States said one of the biggest attractions of traveling in Japan is the opportunity to experience both urban destinations and local culture.

“I spent more on accommodation and dining this time because I wanted to stay somewhere comfortable and try more local Japanese food,” the traveler said. “If you only come to Japan for shopping, you miss a lot. Visiting cultural sites, trying regional cuisine and experiencing everyday local life made the trip much more worthwhile.”

The latest data from the Japan Tourism Agency also highlights substantial differences in spending habits among visitors from different countries and regions. In the second quarter of 2026, visitors from the United Kingdom recorded the highest average spending on accommodation and dining, while visitors from Mexico spent more on transportation and entertainment-related services. Russian visitors recorded the highest average shopping expenditure.

Overall, international visitors to Japan are not following a single consumption pattern. Spending varies according to visitors’ country of origin, travel purpose, length of stay and other factors, creating an increasingly diverse inbound tourism market.

For Japan’s tourism industry, the next challenge is how to encourage visitors to spend more while creating deeper and more memorable experiences. As travelers allocate more of their budgets to distinctive Japanese accommodations, regional cuisine, cultural activities and locally themed products, tourism is evolving beyond transportation and lodging into a platform connecting local culture, lifestyles and consumer markets.