Japan’s most tourism-weighted metro: second in guest-nights, powered by Korea and Southeast Asia — and newly exposed to the China variable.
Japan closed 2025 with a record 42.7 million international visitors (+15.8%), with South Korea the largest market (9.5M, +7.3%), then China (9.1M, +30.3%), Taiwan (6.8M, +11.9%) and the US (3.3M, +21.4%). The weak yen — around ¥150/$ versus ¥110 pre-pandemic — kept Japan priced as a bargain even as yen prices rose.
Osaka’s slice is the most tourism-weighted of any Japanese metro: 23.2 million foreign guest-nights in 2025, 15% of the national total and second only to Tokyo; together with Tokyo and Kyoto, the golden-route trio absorbs 58% of all foreign guest-nights. Kansai’s mix tilts west: South Korea leads across western Japan, and KIX’s growth is powered by Korea and Southeast Asia more than Tokyo’s.
The year ended with a warning shot: after November’s diplomatic rupture, Chinese arrivals to Japan fell 45% year-on-year in December — and China is the top-spending, top-volume market for Osaka’s shopping streets. Hong Kong arrivals also dipped on earthquake rumours (−6.2% for the year).
Expo 2025 ran 184 days and drew about 1.56 million foreign visitors specifically for the event — travellers who then dispersed across the country, spending more than half their total outlay outside Kansai. Osaka city recorded a record ~17.6 million total visitors in 2025.
Tokyo’s 51.1 million foreign guest-nights still dwarf Osaka’s 23.2 million — but Osaka’s is growing off the smallest base of the golden route, and KIX’s rebuilt capacity gives it the headroom Narita lacks.
The practical decision for 2026: the China shock is a window. December showed what happens to Osaka’s crowds when the single biggest market steps back — shoulder-season availability and softer rates appear exactly where they were scarcest (Shinsaibashi, Namba). If Beijing’s travel advisory persists into spring, cherry-blossom Osaka 2026 becomes the rare season when Japan’s second city is bookable at short notice. Watch the monthly JNTO China series before you commit to dates.
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