2024 was a huge year for tourism in Japan

Weak Yen combined with high demand helped Japan hit record numbers of tourists.

Winter Scenes In Tokyo After Government Approved Economic Package
Winter Scenes In Tokyo After Government Approved Economic Package | Tomohiro Ohsumi/GettyImages

Not surprisingly, Japan is a popular tourist destination with travelers around the world. It offers a rich culture and deep history to explore combined with the most modern amenities possible. On top of all of that, there is an extreme amount of natural beauty, a legendary food scene that varies greatly across the country, and likely the most fun baseball games you will ever go to. There are a lot of reasons to spend your vacation in Japan which is well known amongst tourists.

Apparently, 33 million from around the world are well aware of this fact. That's how many tourists headed to Japan in 2024, between January 1 and November 30. It's not hard to imagine that December's numbers will add to that grand total for the year. These are record number of tourists visiting Japan and the year isn't even over, yet. As it turns out, there's actually quite a good reason for that beyond the huge draws the country already has to offer.

People enjoy the cherry blossom season at Meguro river...
People enjoy the cherry blossom season at Meguro river... | SOPA Images/GettyImages

The weak Yen means that anyone travelling from a country with a favorable exchange rate gets a lot more for their dollar. It makes traveling significantly cheaper for a large portion of the world's population. Japan is already an incredibly desirable place to travel to, thanks to low crime rates and a culture that's generally friendly to visitors. Add into that favorable exchange rates and you have a recipe for a massive upswing in tourism.

In addition to the weak Yen, the Japanese government has been running a full court press marketing campaign. The main targets include North America, Europe, and the rest of Asia. Looking at the current tourism numbers for 2024, it's quite apparent that this campaign has been a success. That being said, Japan is a pretty easy sell for most travelers.