Japanese travellers rush abroad for ‘golden week’ before fuel price increases
The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season
The operator of Narita International Airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport on the outskirts of Tokyo between Friday and May 10, an increase of around 2 per cent from last year’s “golden week” holiday season.
Sunday was the peak for departures, with nearly 57,000 people flying out, and the peak for arrivals is likely to be May 6.
The uptick in departures comes after JTB Tourism Research and Consulting reported 1.09 million departures in February, the most recent month for which figures are available, down 7.4 per cent from the same month in 2025, and down 28.8 per cent from 2019, the year before the pandemic effectively brought the global tourist industry to a halt.
Tourist sentiment has been affected by multiple considerations and that the outlook for later in the year is not positive, according to an analyst.
“Travellers here are taking a lot of things into account,” said Ashley Harvey, a travel marketing analyst who has worked in Japan’s tourism sector for more than 15 years.