Rankings · Ranking · official data
The most visited prefectures in Japan, ranked
All 47 prefectures ranked by foreign visitors in 2025, with what those visitors spent and how long they stayed — from the Japan Tourism Agency’s annual survey.
Last checked · Sources
In short
Tokyo led with about 20.9 million foreign visitors in 2025, followed by Osaka, Chiba, Kyoto and Fukuoka. The ten most visited prefectures account for 81% of all prefecture visits recorded in the survey; Shimane, Fukui and Tokushima had the fewest.
All 47 prefectures ranked
| # | Prefecture | Foreign visitors | Spend per visitor (yen) | Total spend (billion yen) | Avg nights | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | 20,892,000 | 157,000 | 3,286.7 | 5.4 | |
| 2 | Osaka | 16,996,000 | 98,000 | 1,668.8 | 3.5 | |
| 3 | Chiba | 14,456,000 | 19,000 | 276.3 | 0.6 | |
| 4 | Kyoto | 12,228,000 | 56,000 | 680.2 | 2.3 | |
| 5 | Fukuoka | 4,513,000 | 105,000 | 472.8 | 4.4 | |
| 6 | Kanagawa | 3,810,000 | 54,000 | 206.9 | 2.9 | |
| 7 | Nara | 3,709,000 | 10,000 | 36.7 | 0.4 | |
| 8 | Yamanashi | 3,337,000 | 24,000 | 79.7 | 1.0 | |
| 9 | Hokkaido | 3,009,000 | 150,000 | 451.2 | 6.0 | |
| 10 | Aichi | 2,826,000 | 96,000 | 271.0 | 4.7 | |
| 11 | Okinawa | 2,303,000 | 126,000 | 289.2 | 4.6 | |
| 12 | Hyogo | 2,144,000 | 39,000 | 84.5 | 3.0 | |
| 13 | Hiroshima | 1,687,000 | 49,000 | 83.2 | 2.5 | |
| 14 | Shizuoka | 1,397,000 | 50,000 | 69.6 | 2.2 | |
| 15 | Oita | 1,382,000 | 32,000 | 44.3 | 1.7 | |
| 16 | Gifu | 1,339,000 | 41,000 | 54.9 | 2.3 | |
| 17 | Nagano | 1,228,000 | 71,000 | 87.5 | 3.0 | |
| 18 | Ishikawa | 886,000 | 50,000 | 44.6 | 2.4 | |
| 19 | Kumamoto | 817,000 | 42,000 | 34.3 | 3.1 | |
| 20 | Miyagi | 548,000 | 87,000 | 47.5 | 3.5 | |
| 21 | Wakayama | 496,000 | 51,000 | 25.3 | 3.2 | |
| 22 | Saitama | 460,000 | 73,000 | 33.7 | 8.2 | |
| 23 | Tochigi | 458,000 | 37,000 | 17.0 | 2.2 | |
| 24 | Kagawa | 444,000 | 79,000 | 35.1 | 3.2 | |
| 25 | Okayama | 423,000 | 54,000 | 22.7 | 4.0 | |
| 26 | Nagasaki | 422,000 | 44,000 | 18.5 | 4.0 | |
| 27 | Toyama | 369,000 | 40,000 | 14.7 | 2.1 | |
| 28 | Aomori | 312,000 | 62,000 | 19.4 | 3.0 | |
| 29 | Mie | 282,000 | 51,000 | 14.3 | 2.8 | |
| 30 | Niigata | 275,000 | 84,000 | 23.1 | 3.6 | |
| 31 | Saga | 265,000 | 46,000 | 12.1 | 2.2 | |
| 32 | Kagoshima | 260,000 | 71,000 | 18.4 | 5.4 | |
| 33 | Yamagata | 252,000 | 59,000 | 14.8 | 2.2 | |
| 34 | Ibaraki | 229,000 | 68,000 | 15.7 | 10.7 | |
| 35 | Shiga | 229,000 | 39,000 | 8.8 | 6.5 | |
| 36 | Yamaguchi | 218,000 | 43,000 | 9.3 | 4.8 | |
| 37 | Iwate | 196,000 | 54,000 | 10.6 | 2.4 | |
| 38 | Gunma | 191,000 | 58,000 | 11.1 | 4.0 | |
| 39 | Fukushima | 186,000 | 51,000 | 9.5 | 3.4 | |
| 40 | Miyazaki | 157,000 | 49,000 | 7.6 | 6.8 | |
| 41 | Ehime | 144,000 | 50,000 | 7.2 | 4.1 | |
| 42 | Akita | 138,000 | 33,000 | 4.5 | 3.5 | |
| 43 | Tottori | 130,000 | 46,000 | 6.0 | 2.3 | |
| 44 | Kochi | 93,000 | 34,000 | 3.1 | 3.8 | |
| 45 | Tokushima | 92,000 | 37,000 | 3.4 | 3.3 | |
| 46 | Fukui | 86,000 | 43,000 | 3.7 | 7.0 | |
| 47 | Shimane | 58,000 | 39,000 | 2.3 | 3.7 |
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) (都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査）). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: visitors_10k = 10,000 persons; spend_per_person_10k_yen = 10,000 yen; spend_100m_yen = 100 million yen; nights = average nights.
What the numbers say
Tokyo was visited by an estimated 20,892,000 foreign travellers in 2025 — 1.2 times as many as second-placed Osaka (16,996,000). The rest of the top ten: Chiba (14,456,000), Kyoto (12,228,000), Fukuoka (4,513,000), Kanagawa (3,810,000), Nara (3,709,000), Yamanashi (3,337,000), Hokkaido (3,009,000) and Aichi (2,826,000).
Together the top ten take 81% of all prefecture visits in the survey, which leaves 19% for the other 37. Visitors usually see more than one prefecture per trip, so the visitor column adds up to more than the 42.7 million people who actually arrived in 2025.
Spending per visitor is a different league table. Tokyo tops it at 157,000 yen per visitor, ahead of Hokkaido (150,000 yen), Okinawa (126,000 yen) and Fukuoka (105,000 yen). These figures are what visitors spent inside that prefecture, so a prefecture people stay in for several nights scores higher than one they pass through on a day trip.
Visitors stay longest in Ibaraki (10.7 nights), Saitama (8.2 nights) and Fukui (7.0 nights). The shortest average stays are in prefectures that are mostly day trips from a big city.
At the other end of the table, Shimane (58,000), Fukui (86,000), Tokushima (92,000), Kochi (93,000) and Tottori (130,000) recorded the fewest foreign visitors. If you want Japan without the crowds, these are the prefectures to look at — each one has its own guide on this site.
How this ranking was made
The Japan Tourism Agency surveys foreign visitors as they leave the country and asks which prefectures they visited, how many nights they stayed in each and what they spent there. The answers are scaled up to the total number of arrivals published by JNTO, so the visitor numbers are estimates, not gate counts.
A visitor who sleeps in Tokyo and takes a day trip to Kanagawa counts once in each prefecture. Chiba ranks high mainly because Narita Airport is in Chiba Prefecture, and Osaka and Fukuoka benefit in the same way from Kansai and Fukuoka airports.
Spending per visitor and nights are averages for the people who visited that prefecture. Small prefectures have small samples, so treat differences of a few percent between neighbours as noise.
Frequently asked questions
Which prefecture in Japan gets the most foreign visitors?
Tokyo, with about 20.9 million foreign visitors in 2025 according to the Japan Tourism Agency survey — 1.2 times the number for Osaka in second place.
Why is Chiba so high on the list?
Narita International Airport, the main gateway for Tokyo, is in Chiba Prefecture. Many visitors count Chiba because they arrived or stayed there, even if they only visited Tokyo Disney Resort or went straight to Tokyo.
Which prefectures get the fewest foreign visitors?
Shimane (58,000), Fukui (86,000), Tokushima (92,000), Kochi (93,000) and Tottori (130,000). These are the least-crowded parts of Japan for international travellers.
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked October 6, 2026.
- Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) – 都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数（地域調査） — 2025-01 to 2025-12
- Japan Tourism Agency – Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan — 2025 annual results (final), published 2026
- JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) – Japan tourism statistics — monthly visitor arrivals by market
To cite or link to this page: The most visited prefectures in Japan, ranked — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/rankings/prefectures-foreign-visitors/