Number of domestic travels in Japan 2023, by purpose and type of trip

Sightseeing and recreational activities were the purposes of the majority of trips undertaken by domestic travelers in Japan in 2023, with around 169.36 million overnight trips and 159 million same-day trips recorded. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the strong regulation of inbound and outbound travel, domestic tourism constituted the lion’s share of the tourism industry in Japan in terms of travel volume and revenue.

Shift in travel behavior

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic almost entirely wiped-out international travel to and from Japan, and significantly diminished domestic travel. It also brought about a slight shift in domestic travel behavior, as travel for homecoming and visiting friends declined less vertiginously compared to business travel and leisure travel. This was manifested, for instance, in the distribution of overnight stays during domestic trips, with the number of overnight stays for homecoming and visiting friends surpassing the figure for leisure trips (for the first time in several years).

Length of trips

Regardless of the travel purpose, a substantial number of domestic trips were same-day trips. Data shows that the typical length of a trip varies according to the travel purpose. Trips for leisure and recreation were typically the shortest, with most overnight trips being one-night stays. Business trips, and especially trips for homecoming and visiting friends were tendentially longer.