TOKYO, Japan – Japan has set a new record in foreign visitor arrivals, recording 36.89 million in 2024, up 47% from the 25 million in 2023. The Philippines contributed 818,700, a 31.6% increase from the 622,293 in 2023 — also a historic high, according to preliminary figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Filipino applications for short-stay visas to Japan are flooding accredited travel agencies, so much so that processing time will now take as long as two months, according to a new advisory from the Japanese embassy. Japan liberalized entry to Filipinos and other ASEAN nationals in 2013.
Kyodo News Agency, citing Japan’s Ministry of Finance statistics, reported on January 15 that visitor spending also set a new record of 8.14 trillion yen or roughly P3.1 trillion — a little less than half of the Philippine national budget of P6.3 trillion for 2025. Classified as export receipts, it’s now second to the 17.2 trillion yen (around P6.4 trillion) from Japan’s leading export (automobiles) and has surpassed the 5.4 trillion yen (around P2 trillion) from semiconductors. It’s become a major driver of the Japanese economy, according to analysts.
Japan is on track to be one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world. It has set a target of 60 million tourists and 15 trillion yen (P5.6 trillion) in visitor spending by 2030, or five years from now. France, Spain, and the US have traditionally been the top three tourist destinations globally.
The Philippines was the seventh biggest market for Japan in 2024, next to South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US, and Thailand.
Here are 15 reasons why Japan is a new darling in global tourism, why the Philippines isn’t a major player, and what the Philippines can learn from it.
1. Best airports
Unlike the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s reputation of being among the world’s worst airports (although improving), Japan’s principal international gateways in Tokyo — Haneda International Airport and Narita International Airport — have often been rated among the best in the world. Tokyo Haneda was fourth on Skytrax’s World’s Top 10 Airports of 2024, while Tokyo Narita was fifth, based on airport customer satisfaction surveys.
These airports easily connect to key prefectures and cities through Japan’s extensive railway network, making it a seamless trip for travelers to get to most of the tourist destinations.
Due to the influx of tourists, however, going through Japanese immigration now takes longer from just 5 to 10 minutes years ago to as long as 15 to 20 minutes today.
Clik here to view.
2. Efficient transport infrastructure
Japan’s extensive train systems — shinkansen (bullet trains), subways, monorails, and trams — are reliable and now easy to use through Google Maps. They enable travelers to visit many sights without experiencing delays and traffic. Trains can also accommodate large suitcases and bags. Most train stations have elevators and escalators for those carrying heavy luggage.
Clik here to view.
The train networks easily connect to transport stations where buses, taxis, or even bicycles are available for fast access to hotels as well as most tourist destinations.
Clik here to view.
3. Reliable power and water supply
Japan has a well-managed power and water supply system. It has ample reserves that ensure supply continuity, according to Japan’s Ministry of Energy. There are hardly any unscheduled power interruptions, and water is always available.
4. Fast internet and extensive public Wi-Fi
Japan’s telecommunications system is fast and extensive. Signals aren’t lost even in subways, and there’s free public Wi-Fi in most of the major tourist attractions.
Clik here to view.
5. Safe places
It’s safe to travel throughout Japan, due largely to its koban or neighborhood police stations. The kobans are very visible, and police presence is felt as cops regularly take turns patrolling the streets.
The koban‘s success has been attributed to the trust between police and the community, unlike the case in the Philippines. The koban community model has been copied in a number of countries, leading to a reduction in criminality.
People find policemen very helpful. They can even assist in finding the coin locker where you stored your luggage, in case you’re lost in Japan’s subway maze. People who lose items in public places often get to recover them in lost and found stations.
Clik here to view.
6. Shopping mecca
From retail outlets like Japan’s 100-yen (around P37) stores such as Daiso to Japanese brands like Uniqlo and Muji, Japan is truly a shopping mecca.
Clik here to view.
For those into computers, gadgets, cameras, and appliances, there’s Bic Camera with a wide range of products. Akihabara is probably the best shopping district for all sorts of gadgets.
Japan’s train stations also have an array of retail establishments that sell just about everything. Revenues from these retailers help make the train system financially viable.
E-commerce sites such as Amazon Japan make it easier to shop and have the goods delivered both within Japan and globally.
Clik here to view.
7. Food trip
It is said that the best way to a person’s heart is through the stomach. This probably applies to most vistiors to Japan, where many have come to love Japanese food: sushi and sashimi, tempura, gyoza, ramen, matcha, yakitori, teppanyaki, katsu, and sake. Each prefecture, city, and local area also has a number of unique food products rooted in local culture and agriculture.
Clik here to view.
Love for Japanese food has spurred trade and investments. Many Philippine entrepreneurs have set up Japanese food stores in the Philippines, either as partners (e.g. Yoshinoya with Jollibee Foods Corporation) or those who have put up their own brands of Japanese food. Many MSMEs have ventured into selling takoyaki or squid balls, ramen, and sushi.
Aided by productivity systems and machineries, food is also served relatively quick in Japanese establishments — commonly within 5 to 10 minutes for most food — despite having only a handful of staff.
8. Expansive parks
Japan’s accessible public parks — national parks, urban parks, children’s parks, and recreation cities — and beautiful gardens, where visitors can freely enjoy nature, make it a haven for many tourists. Kyoto has among the best in Japan, which is one of the reasons why it attracts many tourists.
Clik here to view.
Many tourists come to witness cherry blossoms during spring, known as the sakura season, making it one of the biggest draws of the country.
![[ANALYSIS] Reflections on Japan’s cherry blossom tourism](http://www.rappler.com/tachyon/2024/05/20240413_113501-scaled.jpg?fit=449%2C449)
A number of parks have wildlife that interact freely with visitors, such as the famous deer park in Nara City.
Parks also serve as evacuation areas in case of earthquakes or other disasters, and act as buffers that prevent fires from spreading.
9. Cleanliness
Despite not having garbage cans on the streets, Japan is probably one of the cleanest countries in the world. The secret is citizenship. Citizens bring their trash home, where they separate their trash — food waste/wet garbage, PET bottles, cans, newspapers/magazines/paper/cardboards, batteries, glass, metals, and plastics — which are then collected by local garbage collectors depending on the day of the week.
The collected wastes are recycled into items such as plastics, paper, cans, and the rest are incinerated to generate energy.
Clik here to view.
As a result, flies and ants are hardly encountered by visitors in Japan.
10. Museums galore
Japan has over 5,000 museums — both public and private — dealing with a whole range of interests: culture and the arts, technology, local history, corporate history, Japanese inventions, and agriculture. In contrast, the Philippines has only over 300 museums.
Visitors learn a lot from these well-kept museums that are mostly reasonably priced for the experience they offer.
Clik here to view.
11. Convenience stores
Japan’s convenience stores or konbinis — 7-Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart, and Ministop — are, in reality, mini-department stores. They sell not just food and drinks but also cosmetics and souvenirs, even clothing (e.g. ties, handkerchiefs, gloves). Most of them also have photocopying machines and ATMs.
Clik here to view.
Most hotels in Japan have a konbini within a short distance of the establishment, making it an ideal go-to place for food so that tourists can cut costs.
12. Vending machines
The ubiquitous vending machines, particularly the beverage machines, provide quick access to cold and hot drinks — either in bottles or cans — to visitors. As of December 2023, there were 2.2 million beverage vending machines in Japan out of a total of 3.9 million (all types combined).
Clik here to view.
Japan has the highest penetration rate of vending machines in the world.
13. High-tech toilets
Japan’s high-tech toilets have become a major tourist draw. The well-known manufacturers are Toto, Inax, and National Panasonic. Some of these brands like Toto now have retail outlets in the Philippines.
Clik here to view.
These advanced toilet seats not only warm users’ behinds but automatically spray (power can be adjusted) the front (for women) and behind with nozzles (some can be adjusted). New ones also offer sounds (e.g. birds chirping) to drown out the pooping sound, believe it or not.
Even public establishments are equipped with these fancy toilets, and they’re accessible, mostly well-maintained, and the taps never run dry. They’re also free to use, unlike some establishments in the Philippines that charge fees for the use of their toilets.
Clik here to view.
Reliable energy and water supply is essential for these toilets to work efficiently, so the best tool for the Philippines is really the tabo or dipper.
14. PWD-friendly and also to those with special needs
Japan is among the most PWD-friendly countries in the world, especially to people with visual impairments.
For those who’ve been to Japan, you can’t miss or not feel the yellow tiles or tactile paving — either with raised dots or with parallel lines — on train stations and along most sidewalks that guide the visually impaired. It’s essentially braille on the floor. In train stations and pedestrian crossings, bird sounds also guide the visually impaired on when to walk at intersections.
Clik here to view.
People with special needs — elderly, pregnant women, and those traveling with babies — will find adequate facilities and services in Japan.
Clik here to view.
15. Customer-centric
Last but not the least, Japan is highly customer-centric. Most tourism establishments are well-managed so that visitors end up satisfied, leading to positive recommendations via social media or word of mouth. The result: they vow to visit again.
Clik here to view.
Japan also has a no-tipping culture — no need to leave tips in restaurants or taxi drivers. All of them also give the exact change, and their vending machines seem to never run out of paper bills and coins. Most establishments in major cities (except small restaurants, especially in rural areas) have electronic payments, making paying via credit card — now even GCash — a breeze simply by tapping.
Although there are things the Philippines cannot change, such as its climate, many factors that can bring tourists are within our control — only if we address the needs of travelers so they end up satisfied. – Rappler.com
