AlwaysAisle

Japan National Tourism Organization (government entity) published number of in-bound visitors (non-Japanese) to Japan for March 2024. There were 3,081,600 in-bound visitors to Japan on March 2024, which was 69.5% increase compared with March 2023. It was 11.6% increase compared with pre-pandemic March 2019. This was the first time more than 3 million non-Japanese have visited Japan in one month period, a new record. Visitors by country according to the passport visitors carried:

1. South Korea: 663,100 (42.0% increase compared with March 2023)
2. Taiwan: 484,400 (73.7% increase compared with March 2023)
3. Mainland China: 452,400 (496.7% increase compared with March 2023)
4. U.S.A.: 290,100 (42.9% increase compared with March 2023) - Strong US$ baby!
5. Hong Kong: 231,400 (59.7% increase compared with March 2023)
6. Thailand: 131,700 (22.0% increase compared with March 2023)
7. Australia: 82,900 (83.2% increase compared with March 2023)
8. Philippines: 78,800 (69.2% increase compared with March 2023)
9. Vietnam: 67,400 (25.6% increase compared with March 2023)
10. Singapore: 61,000 (15.8% increase compared with March 2023)

Honorable mention:
Spain: 16,800 (122.0% increase compared with March 2023, and 88.4% increase compared with pre-pandemic March 2019)

JapanFlyerT

Is March the busiest month? 3 million, 2,500,000 of whom missed the cherry blossoms.

Pickles

Every month is cherry blossom season in Japan these days.

shuigao

Explains the crazy TDS/TDL queues and general overcrowding everywhere nowadays I guess.

Topcare

At least a good chunk of them have the same pack mentality and visit the same places so it's pretty easy to avoid by stepping off the first time visit places. Still many places no one goes too.

mrwunrfl

Less than 5 million for the whole year on my first visit in 2001:
Japan-bound Statistics - Tourism Statistics - JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.

JapanFlyerT

Very true.
Fushimi Inari was nuts when I was there in late March, but we found a trail leading up behind the shine and only saw about 10 people during the hour hike through a beautiful bamboo grove.

shuigao

It blows my mind that tsukiji's outer market is still so popular.

Pickles

Which makes no sense. It's all a shoot-fish-in-a-barrel for the local merchants at this point. Huge lines for Sushi Zanmai, which you can get pretty much anywhere, including just down the street at their Ginza location, without a line. My favorite is the long line at the Tsukiji Sushisei Shinkan, while there is no line at the Tsukiji Sushisei Honten, two doors down. Same owner, same suppliers, same chef training, same prices, same everything. One has a line, one doesn't.

CPH-Flyer

Makes me think we need some global pandemic back

I was in Kyoto recently, and the main tourist draws were not enjoyable. But you can find some quiet corners still.

Q Shoe Guy

Ah yes, those quiet days of yore , now the neighbourhood is full of tourists from 10AM onwards. Wasn't any better in QShoe either.........

CPH-Flyer

I was in Fukuoka last weekend, was it was less crowded than Kyoto, but also pretty messy.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi

Just moved down to huis ten botch from kyoto ( my first time there) and agree that the main tourist sights were busy at 10am and getting worse but still some quiet places.
did the mt inari loop with the red torri gates and had to wait a few minutes to get a photo with no one in it.
the higher up you went the quieter it became and on the far side of the summit I stopped for a few minutes and heard only bird song with no one around ( that was pretty special)

Regards

Tbs

bmwe92fan

Enjoy the park -- there is a little shop near the entrance (Fukusaya I think) that sells Castella -- it goes great with coffee for breakfast / lunch / snacks and you'll need the calories to run around the park all day!

FlitBen

Wasn’t too bad in Tokyo’s parks last weekend. I remember Shinjuku Gyoen as having more April hanami goers before the pandemic.