Foreign Guest Nights 12.22 Million in June 2026 (-14.0%); Big-Three Metros Fall Harder Than the RegionsA · FULL TRANSLATION
- Foreign guest nights in June 2026 (second preliminary) were 12.22m, down 14.0% year on year; foreigners were 26.7% of all guest nights
- May's second preliminary of 14.51m (-9.0%), reported here last month, gave way to a weaker June in both volume and growth; the big-three metros fell 16.8%, harder than the regions' -7.4%
- The regional share was 32.2% (big-three metros 67.8%); regions held up better within the overall decline
- Major cities: Tokyo 4.23m (-17.0%), Osaka 1.68m (-18.0%), Kyoto 1.23m (-19.2%) all fell double digits; Kanagawa (+0.4%) was among the few flat large markets
- By nationality (20+ room facilities): Taiwan led at 1.86m (+14.7%), followed by the US 1.83m (+0.5%), South Korea 1.31m (-8.1%), China 1.31m (-50.9%) and Hong Kong 0.49m (+20.7%); China's halving is the single biggest driver of the overall fall
Last month this series reported foreign guest nights at 14.51m (-9.0%) on May's second preliminary; June's second preliminary comes in at 12.22m (-14.0%). Volume fell 2.29m and the annual decline widened again — the foreign side has weakened across two consecutive second preliminaries. Foreigners were 26.7% of all guest nights.
The core contrast for this line is regions versus metros. Foreign stays in the big-three metropolitan areas (Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo) fell 16.8%, while the regions fell 7.4%. Because the metros fell harder, the regional share rose to 32.2%. That is not regional growth so much as sharper metro decline — but the read for site selection is the same: the geographic spread of inbound demand held up relatively well against the headwind.
On the benchmarks: versus the May second preliminary (14.51m) June is down 15.8%, a seasonal move; versus a year earlier it is down 14.0%; the release did not carry a June 2019 prefecture breakdown for foreign stays, so we do not estimate one. The three big tourist cities all weakened — Tokyo 4.23m (-17.0%), Osaka 1.68m (-18.0%), Kyoto 1.23m (-19.2%), each below the national -14.0%; Kanagawa (+0.4%) and Fukuoka (+0.3%) were among the few flat large markets (Fukuoka carries a standard error above 20%).
The biggest regional gainers were Aomori (+51.4%), Ibaraki (+47.2%), Yamaguchi (+39.6%), Kochi (+31.8%) and Tottori (+30.3%), though several (Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyazaki) carry standard errors above 20%. By nationality (20+ room facilities), Taiwan led for the first time at 1.86m (+14.7%) and Hong Kong was strong (+20.7%); China at 1.31m (-50.9%) halved and is the single biggest driver of the overall fall. For anyone positioning lodging in the regions, the source mix has shifted from Chinese group tours toward Taiwan, Hong Kong and Western independent travellers — and that dictates location and room type.
Japan Tourism Agency, released 31 August 2026 — Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (June 2026 second preliminary), foreign guest-nights section. Summary translation:
1. By prefecture. June 2026 total guest nights were 45.82 million (-8.4% year on year). By year-on-year growth the strongest prefectures were Akita, then Kochi, Ibaraki, Toyama, Yamaguchi and Tottori. Japanese guest nights were 33.60 million (-6.3%).
2. Foreign guest nights. Foreign guest nights were 12.22 million (-14.0%), or 26.7% of all guest nights. Comparing the big-three metros with the regions, foreign guest nights fell 16.8% in the big-three metros and 7.4% in the regions. (The big-three metros are the eight prefectures Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo; the regions are all other prefectures.)
3. By nationality. In June 2026, the top five origins were Taiwan, the US, South Korea, China and Hong Kong, together 62.6% of the total. Despite the overall decline, Russia (+44.9%), India (+34.6%) and Vietnam (+30.0%) rose sharply. (This tabulation covers facilities with 20 or more rooms.)
Note: Tochigi, Gunma, Chiba, Toyama, Fukuoka and Miyazaki carry standard errors above 20% and should be read with caution.
(Full prefecture-level detail is available in the original Japanese release.)