Japan-Bound Tourists Hit Record Per-Capita Spending as Demand for Travel Experiences Grows
Sep 4, 2026
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.
Vivo X500 Pro Max officially lands in Singapore *Updated*
Only the Vivo X500 and X500 Pro Max are coming to Singapore’s shores. Availability and pricing details within!
North Korea linked to $6.3B Binance hack
A North Korea-based cybercrime group appears to be behind a $6.3 billion hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, according to two blockchain intelligence firms. Both TRM Labs and Chainalysis tied the largest crypto hack on record to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit that has previously targeted the digital asset industry. Billions of dollars' worth...
Top Science Democrat probes cuts to research spending at National Science Foundation
A key Democrat is looking into a massive amount of money that was appropriated to the National Science Foundation (NSF) but reportedly not spent. In a letter first shared with The Hill, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology ranking member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) accused the foundation of violating “Congress’ power of the purse and...
AI, fuelled by advanced chips, set to power semiconductor manufacturing: industry veteran
Artificial intelligence is no longer merely the driving force behind global semiconductor demand, but is also actively reinventing how chips are designed and built, industry leaders and scientists said at a major science forum in Shanghai on Friday. Chen Yunji, co-founder of AI chipmaker Cambricon Technologies, predicted that the integration between AI and chip design would eventually automate the chip design process entirely. “In the [next] 10 years, the most important development … is the RSI...
Backlash against AI data centers threatens GOP's grip on Ohio, Texas
The importance of AI data centers is growing this election cycle as the fight over the infrastructure's costs and environmental impacts may be threatening Republicans in battleground states like Texas and Ohio. Grassroots movements in rural communities, particularly where President Trump won by double-digit margins in each of his presidential bids, are threatening the rural...
Starlink drama puts spotlight on Musk's global stature
Elon Musk and his business's role in a recent dispute over Ukraine's access to Starlink and its military network is putting a spotlight on the tech mogul's outsized influence on the international stage. Following about 10 days of confusion and finger-pointing over what caused the slowdown of Starlink and its military-grade version — Starshield — in Ukraine, Musk acknowledged his company, SpaceX, was behind the restrictions on Starlink's...
Amid brutal sell-off, what comes next for Google, Amazon and other Big Tech titans?
Soaring artificial intelligence revenues have failed to shield Intel, Amazon and Google’s parent company Alphabet from a brutal Wall Street sell-off, as their latest quarterly results deepened investor jitters over mounting capital spending and delayed returns. Intel plunged about 23 per cent in extended trading on Thursday, while Amazon shed 7.3 per cent. Alphabet tumbled 12.6 per cent during the regular session in its worst day on record, dragging the Nasdaq Composite down 1.4 per cent and...
Roblox hands Fave founder Joel Neoh the keys to SEA. His first job isn’t growth, it’s trust
Joel Neoh has spent two decades selling things to adults: group-buying deals at Groupon, cashback at Fave, DNA kits and supplements at Prenetics. His new job asks him to build a business on a platform where a large slice of the audience still needs a parent’s permission to buy anything. Roblox has appointed the Malaysian […] The post Roblox hands Fave founder Joel Neoh the keys to SEA. His first job isn’t growth, it’s trust appeared first on e27.
North Korea’s hiring scam just cost Binance US$6.3B. SEA’s engineers are on the shortlist
For years, Southeast Asia’s crypto regulators have asked exchanges the same set of questions. Where is your licence? Where is your local entity? Where are your cold wallets, and whose name is on them? On October 29, North Korea answered with a question of its own: whose laptop is this? Binance, the world’s largest crypto […] The post North Korea’s hiring scam just cost Binance US$6.3B. SEA’s engineers are on the shortlist appeared first on e27.
German chancellor urges global trade alliance as Germany deepens Indo-Pacific ties
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a global political alliance to defend rules-based trade, urging Germany and Indo-Pacific economies to strengthen economic partnerships and diversify supply chains as geopolitical tensions and intensifying U.S.-China competition reshape the global economy. Speaking at the opening of the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK) in Seoul on Friday, Merz proposed establishing a "global political alliance for rules-based trade" to defend and strengthen the international trading system and coordinate joint action when it comes under threat. “When supply chains become political pawns, when access to key technologies is imperiled or when efforts to secure raw materials become a projection of power rather than of fair partnership, this jeopardizes growth, prosperity and, ultimately, the security,” he said. “Countries that decouple lose security, innovative strength, prosperity and scope for action. We do not wish to withdraw but rather to expand our freedom of action.” Turning to bilateral ties, the chancellor said Germany and Korea
Goldman Sachs eyes Tmap Mobility acquisition by year-end
Goldman Sachs is seeking to acquire a controlling stake in Tmap Mobility, operator of Korea’s leading navigation app, from SK Square by the end of this year, seeing an investment opportunity in its lower valuation and vast trove of mobility data as autonomous driving advances, industry sources said Friday. For SK Square, SK Group’s investment arm and the largest shareholder of SK hynix, the sale is part of a broader strategy to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors. The global investment bank is looking to invest between 600 billion won ($450 million) and 800 billion won to secure a 60 to 70 percent stake in Tmap Mobility. It is in talks to buy shares from SK Square, the largest shareholder with a 63.23 percent stake, as well as other financial investors, including Affirma Capital and EastBridge Partners, which each hold 9.83 percent, and KB Kookmin Bank, which owns 6.39 percent. Tmap Mobility traces its roots to a navigation service launched by SK Telecom in 2002. The telecom operator spun off its mobility business into a separate company in December 2020, and Tm
Hanwha Systems wins SAR microsatellite constellation project
Hanwha Systems has won a contract to develop synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites for Korea's microsatellite constellation aimed at enhancing national security and disaster response capabilities, data showed Friday. The defense solutions arm of Hanwha Group was selected for the SAR satellite development project commissioned by the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD), according to the Public Procurement Service. The microsatellite development project is a joint initiative involving the defense ministry, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) and the Korea Coast Guard to strengthen surveillance of security threats and natural disasters on the Korean Peninsula and in surrounding waters. SAR satellites can capture images of land and sea regardless of weather conditions or time of day. Operating a constellation of small satellites allows for more frequent monitoring of specific areas and faster intelligence gathering. Hanwha Systems has previously supplied SAR sensors and data links for Korea's military reconnaissance satellites.
[WEEKENDER] Unknown at home, big abroad
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.