The Asian country received a record 36.8 million visitors in 2024, according to travel agencies.
Japan received the most visitors in history in 2024, as the country’s weak currency fueled a tourism boom, according to official figures.
More than 36.8 million people visited the Asian country last year for business or leisure, according to estimates from the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday.
The figures far surpass the 2019 record of nearly 32 million arrivals and compare to 25.07 million visitors in 2023.
Spending by foreign visitors rose to ¥8.14 trillion ($51.78 billion), up 53 percent from the previous year.
The boom in arrivals has been fueled in part by the yen’s decline, which at one point last year was at a 40-year low against the US dollar.
While the influx of visitors has given Japan’s economy a boost after decades of stagnation, the rise in arrivals has also fueled resistance among locals.
Earlier this week, the city government of Kyoto, one of Japan’s most popular destinations, announced it would raise taxes on hotel accommodation to as much as 10,000 yen ($63) per night in an effort to tackle overtourism.
Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui said the increased tax will be spent on improving infrastructure such as roads and bridges so residents can “tangibly feel” that welcoming visitors improves their lives.
The move comes after officials in the historic capital banned tourists from the alleys in the traditional Gion district last year following reports of visitors harassing geisha.
Other Japanese municipalities have also proposed measures to address complaints about strained infrastructure and rude tourists.
In June, the mayor of Himeji, Hideyasu Kiyomoto, caused a stir when he said he would consider charging foreigners six times more than locals to enter the city’s UNESCO-protected castle.
Despite the large number of arrivals, Japan still receives far fewer tourists per capita than major tourist destinations such as France, Italy and Spain.
According to the Japanese government’s tourism plan, officials hope to attract 60 million visitors a year by 2030.
