Top 10 Japan Travel Spots the Locals Go To
Japan travel spots the locals go to
When you think of travel spots in Japan, where comes to mind first? Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka… When I first went to Japan, I too diligently made the rounds of the big cities everyone knows. But when I actually asked a Japanese friend, “Where do you all go on vacation?”, the answer that came back was a little different from the places we usually picture. So this time, I dug into the lodging statistics from the Japan Tourism Agency along with survey results from Jalan (じゃらん), Japan’s largest travel-information site. Just where are the domestic destinations that “Japanese people actually visit often, and want to visit again”? Today, based on that data, I’ve put together the Top 10 Japan travel spots the locals go to. Let’s begin!
※ This ranking of Japan travel spots is my own subjective take, compiled by my own criteria from the number of Japanese overnight guests in the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (2023)” and Jalan’s “Most-Want-to-Revisit Tourist Destinations Ranking 2024” (a survey of 6,198 people aged 20–69). Please take it lightly, just for fun!
Top 10 Japan Travel Spots the Locals Go To
No. 10. Oita — Beppu & Yufuin
First up at No. 10 are Beppu and Yufuin in Oita Prefecture, the hot-spring towns that represent Kyushu. In the Jalan survey, Beppu ranked No. 1 (65.4%) as a “place I’d like to visit again” in the Kyushu region. Beppu has the largest volume of hot-spring water and the most sources in all of Japan, and the sight of steam rising here and there across the town is a spectacle in itself. The “Hell Tour” (jigoku-meguri), where you go around viewing the variously colored hot springs, is especially famous. Nearby Yufuin is a healing village dotted with quiet ryokan and charming craft workshops and art museums, so it’s steadily loved by Japanese people as a “hot-spring getaway for quiet relaxation.”
No. 9. Hyogo — Kinosaki Onsen
No. 9 is Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture, a hot-spring town full of Kansai atmosphere. In the Jalan survey it took the No. 1 spot (70.7%) as a “place I’d like to visit again” in the Kansai–Hokuriku region. Kinosaki’s greatest charm is the “soto-yu-meguri” (外湯めぐり) — putting on a yukata and geta and going around the town’s seven public bathhouses one by one. Because of the mood of strolling the hot-spring town along a willow-lined stream, it’s a place Japanese people love to visit when they want to feel “proper hot-spring ambiance.”
No. 8. Gunma — Kusatsu Onsen
No. 8 is Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture, a name that never gets left out of “Japan’s famous hot springs.” It ranked No. 2 (68.2%) as a “place I’d like to visit again” in the Kanto region, and it’s also been picked as Japan’s No. 1 hot spring for well over a decade in various travel-agency surveys. The “Yubatake” (湯畑, “hot-water field”) in the middle of town, where thousands of liters (well over a thousand gallons) of hot-spring water gush out per minute, is the symbol of Kusatsu. At night it grows even more atmospheric under the lights. Known for its strong acidic water with excellent disinfecting power, it’s a place Japanese people make a special trip to for “real hot-spring bathing.”
No. 7. Ishikawa — Kanazawa
No. 7 is Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, often called “Little Kyoto.” In the Jalan survey, the Kanazawa–Yuwaku area ranked No. 3 (67.9%) as a “place I’d like to visit again” in the Kansai–Hokuriku region, and in Jalan’s domestic overnight-travel survey (2024), Ishikawa Prefecture took No. 1 in the “food & souvenirs” category, so it’s famous for its cuisine. With Kenrokuen — counted among Japan’s three great gardens — plus gold-leaf crafts and the traditional teahouse street of Higashi Chaya District, its old-world charm is so well preserved that it’s popular with Japanese people as a “refined domestic destination.”
No. 6. Shizuoka — Atami
No. 6 is Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, a regular weekend getaway for Tokyoites. It ranked No. 3 (62.1%) as a “place I’d like to visit again” in the Kanto region. Just about 50 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train), it lets you enjoy the sea and hot springs at the same time, making it a great spot for an easy overnight trip. For a while it had an “old-fashioned hot-spring town” image, but lately, as stylish cafés and ryokan have increased, it’s become popular again among younger crowds. Its open-air baths with sea views and its summer fireworks festival are especially famous.
No. 5. Kanagawa — Hakone
No. 5 is Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, the byword for a hot-spring trip near Tokyo. Kanagawa Prefecture ranks No. 5 nationwide for Japanese overnight guests in the Japan Tourism Agency statistics (2023), so it’s a region that draws a lot of visitors. Hakone has not only hot springs but also Lake Ashi, views of Mt. Fuji, the white-smoke-belching Owakudani, and art museums scattered throughout — more than enough for a “day-trip course” too. Close to Tokyo and packed with things to do, it’s counted as one of the most easygoing hot-spring getaways for Japanese people.
No. 4. Okinawa
No. 4 is Okinawa, the Japanese people’s “dream resort.” It ranked No. 4 nationwide for Japanese overnight guests in the Tourism Agency statistics (2023). Its emerald-blue sea and pure-white sandy beaches are so exotic it’s hard to believe it’s still Japan, so for Japanese people living on the mainland it’s known as a “domestic resort you splurge on.” With a wide range of options — from sights like the Churaumi Aquarium and Shuri Castle to quiet outlying islands (ritō) — it’s so popular that during the summer holidays, airfare can be hard to come by.
No. 3. Osaka
No. 3 is Osaka, the city of eating and having fun. It ranked No. 3 nationwide for Japanese overnight guests in the Tourism Agency statistics (2023). It’s such a food paradise that there’s a saying, “kuidaore” (eat until you go broke) — and enjoying takoyaki and okonomiyaki under the dazzling signs of Dotonbori is a must-do course even for Japanese people. With a powerhouse theme park in Universal Studios Japan (USJ) on top of that, it’s consistently loved as a domestic destination for families and friends.
No. 2. Tokyo
No. 2 is Tokyo, the city where everything converges. It ranked No. 1 nationwide in cumulative Japanese overnight guests in the Tourism Agency statistics (2023) — a place people gather from all over Japan for every reason imaginable: business trips, shopping, performances, theme parks, and more. In particular, the Tokyo Disney Resort in Maihama, Chiba (just outside Tokyo) topped the Kanto region’s Jalan “place I’d like to visit again” list at No. 1 (82.4%), the highest revisit intention in the entire survey. That’s a sign it’s a flagship destination Japanese people “want to go back to no matter how many times they’ve been.”
No. 1. Hokkaido
The grand No. 1 is Hokkaido, the domestic destination Japanese people most want to visit. In one survey (2023), about 79.9% of respondents picked Hokkaido as their top “domestic destination I want to visit,” and in the Tourism Agency statistics (2023) it ranked No. 2 nationwide for Japanese overnight guests. With fresh seafood and foods like ramen and soup curry, the urban mood of Sapporo, the romance of the canals in Otaru, and the beautiful night views of Hakodate — cool in summer and offering snowscapes and snow festivals in winter — it has firmly established itself as the “Japanese people’s favorite destination,” good to visit in any of the four seasons.
And that’s the Top 10 Japan travel spots the locals go to, all in one place. What did you think? From dazzling big cities to steam-wreathed hot-spring towns, the places Japanese people love all had good reason behind them. On your next trip to Japan, why not swap out one of the famous tourist spots for somewhere on this list? I’ll be back again with more useful travel info. Have a wonderful trip!