Japan Sees Record Number of Overseas Visitors to National Parks in 2024

An estimated 8.4 million international visitors went to national parks in Japan in 2024, according to the Ministry of the Environment, in a 47.5% year-on-year increase. This was the highest number on record, which is thought to mainly be due to overall visitors to Japan reaching a new peak of 37 million last year.

The ministry calculated this estimate based on visitor surveys conducted by the Japan Tourism Agency at airports and ports. Japan currently has 35 national parks, but the estimate did not include visitors to Hidakasanmyaku-Erimo-Tokachi National Park in Hokkaidō, which became a national park in June 2024. The accumulated number of visitors to the parks reached 9.6 million, including visitors more than once if they went to multiple parks.

The most-visited park by far, with 3.9 million visitors, was Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, which stretches across the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka, and is home to Mount Fuji. It was followed by Aso-Kujū National Park, located within Kumamoto and Ōita with 1.2 million, and Shikotsu-Tōya National Park in Hokkaidō with 0.9 million.

Of the total overseas visitors to Japan in 2024, 22.9% visited national parks, showing a 26.6% rise compared to 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Many of the overseas park visitors felt a high level of satisfaction, with 76.7% saying they were “very satisfied” and 21.1% who were “satisfied.” When asked if they intended to visit again, 77.9% said “definitely” and a further 18.3% indicated that they “want to” do so.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Cherry blossoms at Lake Kawaguchi, with Mount Fuji in the background in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, taken on April 10, 2023. © Jiji.)