Japanese Domestic Guest Nights Fall 4.4% in June 2026, Still 5.4% Below 2019A · FULL TRANSLATION
- Japanese guest nights fell to 34.26m in June 2026 (-4.4% y/y), 5.4% below the 36.22m recorded in June 2019
- May's first preliminary of 39.57m (-1.4%), reported here last month, was revised up to 39.78m (-0.9%)
- Every month of 2026 has come in below the prior year: -2.3%, -1.6%, -1.5%, -5.5%, -0.9%, -4.4%
- Japanese guests made up 73.2% of all guest nights in June, against 79.1% in June 2019
- By prefecture in May, Japanese guest nights rose most in Tottori (+37.1%), Ehime (+32.3%) and Ibaraki (+31.5%); Osaka (-21.8%), Fukuoka (-14.6%) and Tokyo (-14.2%) fell hardest
Last month this series reported Japanese guest nights of 39.57m for May (-1.4%) on the first preliminary. The second preliminary revised May up to 39.78m (-0.9%), and the newly added June first preliminary shows 34.26m, down 4.4% year on year.
Against four benchmarks: down 5.52m from the revised May, a seasonal move as Golden Week gives way to the rainy season; down 4.4% against June 2025; down 5.4% against 2019; and down 9.4% against the 2023 recovery peak. Domestic guest nights never fully returned to 2019 levels.
Month by month, 2026 reads -2.3%, -1.6%, -1.5%, -5.5%, -0.9% and -4.4%: six consecutive declines. The steepest falls came in April and June, the two months without a long holiday, while March and May fell least. Japanese travellers are not staying home so much as travelling only when the calendar allows. Price is the pressure: spend per trip reached ¥49,441 in the January-March quarter, up 5.1%, while trips rose just 0.9%.
Japanese guests accounted for 73.2% of all guest nights in June, against 79.1% in June 2019, while the foreign share climbed from 20.9% to 26.8%. The domestic floor is still there, but its relative weight keeps being diluted — a ceiling worth noting for any lodging asset underwritten purely on domestic demand.
By prefecture in May, Tottori (+37.1%), Ehime (+32.3%) and Ibaraki (+31.5%) grew most, while Osaka (-21.8%), Fukuoka (-14.6%) and Tokyo (-14.2%) fell hardest — domestic travellers are moving toward regional Japan just as foreign demand concentrates in the cities.
Japan Tourism Agency, 31 July 2026 — Japanese guest nights section of the Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (May 2026 second preliminary, June 2026 first preliminary):
Japanese guest nights were 39.78 million in May 2026 (-0.9% year on year) and 34.26 million in June 2026 (-4.4%). June figures are first preliminary and may be revised on 31 August 2026.
By prefecture, Japanese guest nights totalled 39.78 million in May; the largest year-on-year gains were recorded in Tottori, followed by Ehime, Ibaraki, Toyama and Kochi.
Selected prefecture figures for May 2026 (guest nights, year-on-year): national 39,784,030 (-0.9%); Hokkaido 2,598,030 (-6.6%); Ibaraki 752,790 (+31.5%); Chiba 2,103,900 (+9.1%); Tokyo 3,298,180 (-14.2%); Kanagawa 1,648,590 (+0.3%); Toyama 397,210 (+29.8%); Yamanashi 689,530 (+19.4%); Nagano 1,445,040 (+10.3%); Shizuoka 1,702,930 (+4.1%); Kyoto 1,357,360 (-0.5%); Osaka 2,346,460 (-21.8%); Tottori 265,450 (+37.1%); Yamaguchi 382,120 (+24.5%); Ehime 425,390 (+32.3%); Kochi 303,270 (+26.4%); Fukuoka 1,187,260 (-14.6%); Okinawa 1,593,320 (-11.6%).
Monthly series for 2026: January 32,628,920 (-2.3%), February 33,615,300 (-1.6%), March 40,133,960 (-1.5%), April 33,743,000 (-5.5%), May 39,784,030 (-0.9%), June 34,263,020 (-4.4%). June 2025 was 35,836,320. Annual final figures: 2019 480,265,130; 2024 494,601,930 (-1.0%); 2025 481,183,350 (-2.7%).