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What visitors do in Japan — and what they wish they had done
What foreign visitors actually did in Japan in 2025, what they want to do next time, and where the two lists differ — from the Japan Tourism Agency survey.
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In short
Eating Japanese food was the top activity — 98% of visitors did it — with shopping (88%), strolling in downtown areas (82%) and sightseeing in nature and scenic spots (68%) next. The biggest unmet wishes are bathing in hot springs, skiing and snowboarding and experiencing the four seasons: far more people want to do them next time than managed this time.
Activities ranked
| # | Activity | Did on this trip | Want to do next time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eating Japanese food | 98.2% | 70.7% | -27.5% | |
| 2 | Shopping | 88.1% | 54.2% | -33.9% | |
| 3 | Strolling in downtown areas | 81.8% | 37.6% | -44.2% | |
| 4 | Sightseeing in nature and scenic spots | 68.0% | 52.0% | -16.0% | |
| 5 | Drinking Japanese alcohol (sake, shochu etc.) | 48.6% | 31.8% | -16.8% | |
| 6 | Museums, art galleries, zoos and aquariums | 36.0% | 24.7% | -11.3% | |
| 7 | Japanese history and traditional culture experiences | 32.7% | 29.3% | -3.4% | |
| 8 | Experiencing Japanese daily life | 28.2% | 26.9% | -1.3% | |
| 9 | Bathing in hot springs (onsen) | 27.0% | 51.4% | +24.4% | |
| 10 | Staying at a ryokan | 23.9% | 33.5% | +9.6% | |
| 11 | Theme parks | 23.3% | 26.9% | +3.6% | |
| 12 | Enjoying Japanese pop culture | 19.6% | 16.9% | -2.7% | |
| 13 | Experiencing the four seasons (cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, snow etc.) | 16.9% | 30.7% | +13.8% | |
| 14 | Nature tours and farm, mountain or fishing village experiences | 8.7% | 20.4% | +11.7% | |
| 15 | Visiting film and anime locations | 8.3% | 14.0% | +5.7% | |
| 16 | Theater and music performances | 4.2% | 11.6% | +7.4% | |
| 17 | Skiing and snowboarding | 2.9% | 17.9% | +15.0% | |
| 18 | Watching sports (sumo, soccer etc.) | 2.2% | 11.6% | +9.4% | |
| 19 | Other sports (golf etc.) | 1.9% | 2.9% | +1.0% | |
| 20 | Medical treatment and check-ups | 0.8% | 1.2% | +0.4% |
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final) (参考3 今回したこと（全目的）). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: percent of respondents.
What the numbers say
On their 2025 trip, visitors most often reported eating japanese food (98%), shopping (88%), strolling in downtown areas (82%), sightseeing in nature and scenic spots (68%), drinking japanese alcohol (49%) and museums, art galleries, zoos and aquariums (36%). The least common were skiing and snowboarding (3%), watching sports (2%), other sports (2%) and medical treatment and check-ups (1%).
Asked what they want to do next time, the top answers were eating japanese food (71%), shopping (54%), sightseeing in nature and scenic spots (52%), bathing in hot springs (51%) and strolling in downtown areas (38%).
The gap between “want” and “did” is where the demand is: bathing in hot springs (+24 points), skiing and snowboarding (+15 points), experiencing the four seasons (+14 points), nature tours and farm, mountain or fishing village experiences (+12 points) and staying at a ryokan (+10 points). Seasonal experiences, ryokan stays, hot springs and skiing are the things people wish they had planned for.
Who does what: Skiing and snowboarding — Australia (17%), Thailand (8%) and Vietnam (5%). Staying at a ryokan — Russia (43%), Italy (41%) and Spain (39%). Visiting film and anime locations — Spain (18%), France (17%) and Germany (16%). Theme parks — Philippines (38%), Australia (35%) and Indonesia (33%). Bathing in hot springs — Russia (46%), Spain (45%) and France (39%).
The practical lesson: the “want” list is dominated by things that need booking or timing — a ryokan with dinner, a snow season, cherry blossom or autumn leaves. Book those first and fit the sightseeing around them; the restaurants, shopping and strolling take care of themselves.
How to read the figures
The survey asks departing visitors to tick every activity they did on this trip, and separately what they would like to do on their next visit. Both columns are the share of all respondents, so they do not add to 100%.
A large “want” figure for an activity that few did can mean two things: visitors did not know about it in time, or it was out of season. Either way, it is a signal to plan it deliberately.
Frequently asked questions
What do tourists do most in Japan?
Eating Japanese food (98%), shopping (88%) and strolling in downtown areas (82%) were the three most common activities in 2025.
What do visitors want to do on their next trip to Japan?
eating japanese food (71%), shopping (54%), sightseeing in nature and scenic spots (52%) and bathing in hot springs (51%). The wishes that outrun actual experience most are bathing in hot springs, skiing and snowboarding and experiencing the four seasons.
Which nationalities go skiing in Japan?
Skiing and snowboarding was reported most by visitors from Australia (17%), Thailand (8%), Vietnam (5%) and Malaysia (5%).
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) – 参考3 今回したこと（全目的） — 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: What visitors do in Japan — and what they wish they had done — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/rankings/what-visitors-do/