A Summary of General Information on Tourists Visiting Tokyo
This page presents a cross-sectional summary of general information from the six surveys published on this site.
It is a central place to review information for a comprehensive understanding of the tourism trends among domestic and foreign visitors to Tokyo. Tourism business operators and local governments are welcome to use this information for your marketing activities.
For detailed information regarding each dataset, please refer to the respective survey pages and raw data.
Tourist Destinations,
Timing, and Numbers
(Monthly)
Total number of visitors at tourist facilities
◆ For detailed figures, please refer to the summary table.
[Izu Islands]
Monthly number of tourists
◆ For detailed figures, please refer to the summary table.
[Ogasawara Islands]
Monthly number of tourists
Analysis
Destinations
Many people, both Japanese and non-Japanese, visit the Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Shibuya, and Minato wards. When we focus in on foreign tourists, they tend to visit the Chuo and Taito wards more than Japanese tourists do. This could be due to the presence of popular tourist destinations for foreigners, such as Ginza and Asakusa.
Timing
We can see that there is an increase in Japanese tourists to Tokyo from July to September and from November to December, as well as over extended leave periods, such as over summer vacation and New Years. Meanwhile, looking at 2023, foreign tourists are increasing rapidly from April onward. As for the Tokyo Islands, while no distinction is made between Japanese and non-Japanese tourists, the high number of visitors in March and between July and August is considered to be primarily due to students on graduation trips and people seeking out summer leisure activities.
Surveys used for illustrative purposes
- Survey on the Number of Visitors at Tourism Spots, etc.
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/jittai-irekomi/
- Survey on the Number of Visitors to Tokyo Using Mobile Data
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/mobile/
- Survey on the Status of Inbound Tourists on the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/tosho-irekomi/
Tourist Length of Stay
and Expenditure
Analysis
Length of Stay
Japanese tourists are excluded from the day-trip category, and the volume zone consists of day-trippers. (Refer to “Tourist Spot Parameter Survey” for more details.) For those staying overnight for sightseeing purposes, the volume zone is staying for one night, and there tends to be an increase in tourists staying more than two nights for the Tokyo Islands, such as the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. When it comes to foreign tourists, many of them stay in locations for more than three nights. In particular, when the purpose is to visit friends and family or to study abroad, many foreign tourists stay for seven nights or more.
Expenditure
Japanese tourists tend to spend the most on accommodation expenses, followed by other expenses, and then transportation costs. While foreign tourists have higher overall expenses compared to Japanese tourists, it is evident that they allocate a relatively higher proportion of their expenditure towards shopping, accommodation, other expenses, and dining out.
Surveys used for illustrative purposes
- Tourist Spot Parameter Survey
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/jittai-para/
- Survey on Behavioral Characteristics of Foreign Tourists by Country/Region
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/kunibetsu/
Reason for Visit
Analysis
For both surveys, most Tokyo residents and foreign travelers selected cuisine and tourist spots (both metropolitan and cultural attractions) as attractive locations in Tokyo. Because the surveys for Tokyo residents and foreign travelers were conducted differently and contained different answer choices, it is impossible to make a general comparison. However, the results show that Tokyo residents often recommend cultural sites and experiences of Japanese life and culture to foreign travelers. On the other hand, foreign travelers often find cleanliness, public safety, hospitality, and Tokyo's overall service culture attractive.
Surveys used for illustrative purposes
- Survey on Awareness of Tourism Among Tokyo Citizens
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/ishiki/
- Survey on Behavioral Characteristics of Foreign Tourists by Country/Region
- https://data.tourism.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/data/kunibetsu/
Summary
These are some generic tourism trends of domestic and foreign visitors to Tokyo discovered by combining the results of six surveys that are available on this website. While this section has primarily focused on presenting the overall results of the data, for a more in-depth understanding with essential insights which take into account the other available results, we recommend applying filters to the graphs and visiting the individual survey pages.
We encourage tourism business operators and local governments to read through the other surveys available that are in line with your goals.