Japan: occupancy by type of accommodation
Over the 12 months to June 2026, Japan's ryokan filled 39.2% of their rooms on average, against 39.6% in 2019: ryokan occupancy is back to its pre-COVID level. Resort hotels ran at 57.3% (−1.2 pt vs 2019). City hotels (72.7%, −6.8 pt) and simple lodging such as guesthouses and hostels (28.2%, −5.1 pt) are still below 2019, partly because many new rooms have opened. Foreign guests stayed 171.9m nights, 49% more than in 2019, and made up 27% of all guest nights.
| Type | Last 12 months | 2019 average | vs 2019 | Jun 2026 | Jul 2026 (1st prelim., national only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryokan 旅館 | 39.2% | 39.6% | −0.4 pt | 36.7% | 40.6% |
| Resort hotel リゾートホテル | 57.3% | 58.5% | −1.2 pt | 50.8% | 59.6% |
| Business hotel ビジネスホテル | 74.6% | 75.8% | −1.1 pt | 71.5% | 74.2% |
| City hotel シティホテル | 72.7% | 79.5% | −6.8 pt | 69.2% | 71.9% |
| Simple lodging (guesthouse, hostel, minshuku) 簡易宿所 | 28.2% | 33.4% | −5.1 pt | 26.1% | 30.9% |
| All types 計 | 60.9% | 62.7% | −1.8 pt | 57.2% | 60.8% |
Ryokan occupancy is structurally lower than city hotels': many ryokan are family-run, fill at weekends and holidays, and close rooms midweek or off-season. Compare a ryokan with other ryokan, not with hotels. The July 2026 column is the Japan Tourism Agency's 1st preliminary national figure; prefecture data for that month is not out yet.
Ryokan vs resort hotels, monthly since 2019
Japan: ryokan vs resort hotel occupancy
Table view
| Month | Ryokan | Resort hotel |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-01 | 33.9% | 51.6% |
| 2019-02 | 38.5% | 58.3% |
| 2019-03 | 39.8% | 60.7% |
| 2019-04 | 39.7% | 57.8% |
| 2019-05 | 41.5% | 59.6% |
| 2019-06 | 36.7% | 55.4% |
| 2019-07 | 38.5% | 59.6% |
| 2019-08 | 50.4% | 70.9% |
| 2019-09 | 39.4% | 59.8% |
| 2019-10 | 39.5% | 57.8% |
| 2019-11 | 41.9% | 57.5% |
| 2019-12 | 35.0% | 52.6% |
| 2020-01 | 34.2% | 51.3% |
| 2020-02 | 34.5% | 48.7% |
| 2020-03 | 21.9% | 24.1% |
| 2020-04 | 7.6% | 6.0% |
| 2020-05 | 5.8% | 3.7% |
| 2020-06 | 13.6% | 11.7% |
| 2020-07 | 22.2% | 23.9% |
| 2020-08 | 28.9% | 33.3% |
| 2020-09 | 29.6% | 34.4% |
| 2020-10 | 35.8% | 43.3% |
| 2020-11 | 38.9% | 46.1% |
| 2020-12 | 27.9% | 34.6% |
| 2021-01 | 13.7% | 14.4% |
| 2021-02 | 15.9% | 16.3% |
| 2021-03 | 22.5% | 26.3% |
| 2021-04 | 17.6% | 21.8% |
| 2021-05 | 17.2% | 19.9% |
| 2021-06 | 15.6% | 17.9% |
| 2021-07 | 24.8% | 31.2% |
| 2021-08 | 27.0% | 34.3% |
| 2021-09 | 19.3% | 24.7% |
| 2021-10 | 30.1% | 35.3% |
| 2021-11 | 36.4% | 42.4% |
| 2021-12 | 32.5% | 41.9% |
| 2022-01 | 24.1% | 30.1% |
| 2022-02 | 20.5% | 26.1% |
| 2022-03 | 26.7% | 37.2% |
| 2022-04 | 28.5% | 36.8% |
| 2022-05 | 34.2% | 41.0% |
| 2022-06 | 32.6% | 41.3% |
| 2022-07 | 33.6% | 46.9% |
| 2022-08 | 41.5% | 54.5% |
| 2022-09 | 36.2% | 47.7% |
| 2022-10 | 39.9% | 52.1% |
| 2022-11 | 42.2% | 54.3% |
| 2022-12 | 37.0% | 51.6% |
| 2023-01 | 28.9% | 42.4% |
| 2023-02 | 33.7% | 49.9% |
| 2023-03 | 37.6% | 53.7% |
| 2023-04 | 32.2% | 47.5% |
| 2023-05 | 37.6% | 50.1% |
| 2023-06 | 33.9% | 49.1% |
| 2023-07 | 36.9% | 53.8% |
| 2023-08 | 44.5% | 60.2% |
| 2023-09 | 37.9% | 53.4% |
| 2023-10 | 40.4% | 57.0% |
| 2023-11 | 41.9% | 55.0% |
| 2023-12 | 34.7% | 50.5% |
| 2024-01 | 29.1% | 46.2% |
| 2024-02 | 33.8% | 52.0% |
| 2024-03 | 35.5% | 53.6% |
| 2024-04 | 33.4% | 49.0% |
| 2024-05 | 34.7% | 52.0% |
| 2024-06 | 32.6% | 50.2% |
| 2024-07 | 36.0% | 55.9% |
| 2024-08 | 43.1% | 62.5% |
| 2024-09 | 37.7% | 55.6% |
| 2024-10 | 40.8% | 59.2% |
| 2024-11 | 40.6% | 57.8% |
| 2024-12 | 33.9% | 53.0% |
| 2025-01 | 33.0% | 51.5% |
| 2025-02 | 36.6% | 58.5% |
| 2025-03 | 38.2% | 57.6% |
| 2025-04 | 35.3% | 53.2% |
| 2025-05 | 38.5% | 54.3% |
| 2025-06 | 35.0% | 50.6% |
| 2025-07 | 37.2% | 56.9% |
| 2025-08 | 45.7% | 67.5% |
| 2025-09 | 38.8% | 57.0% |
| 2025-10 | 41.8% | 61.2% |
| 2025-11 | 42.1% | 59.9% |
| 2025-12 | 35.1% | 53.7% |
| 2026-01 prelim. | 33.7% | 51.1% |
| 2026-02 prelim. | 40.1% | 58.4% |
| 2026-03 prelim. | 39.7% | 58.8% |
| 2026-04 prelim. | 37.7% | 53.7% |
| 2026-05 prelim. | 41.5% | 58.4% |
| 2026-06 prelim. | 36.7% | 50.8% |
All 47 prefectures
Highest ryokan occupancy over the last 12 months: Kagawa 53.6%, Kanagawa 51.1%, Ehime 49.3%, Miyagi 47.0%, Gunma 45.7%. Lowest: Okayama 20.2%, Nagano 28.1%, Saitama 28.3%. A low prefecture average does not mean every inn is empty: Nagano, for example, has many small inns that open mainly for the ski season (see the town figures on the Nagano page). Where foreign guests are growing fastest, and from which countries: foreign guest growth by prefecture.
| Prefecture | Ryokan occupancy | Resort hotel occupancy | Foreign guest nights | Top 3 nationalities (share of foreign guests, large facilities) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | vs 2019 | 12 months | vs 2019 | 12 months | Share of all guests | vs 2019 | ||
| Hokkaido 北海道 | 45.5% | −4.7 pt | 50.9% | −2.4 pt | 12.6m | 28% | +43% | Taiwan 23%, Korea 22%, China 14% |
| Aomori 青森県 | 41.1% | +5.4 pt | 40.4% | −7.1 pt | 607k | 11% | +70% | Taiwan 37%, China 16%, Korea 9.6% |
| Iwate 岩手県 | 36.6% | −3.3 pt | 44.5% | −6.4 pt | 466k | 8.5% | +36% | Taiwan 50%, Hong Kong 7.7%, China 6.8% |
| Miyagi 宮城県 | 47.0% | +5.5 pt | 47.3% | −2.8 pt | 1.1m | 10% | +97% | Taiwan 45%, China 11%, Hong Kong 7.7% |
| Akita 秋田県 | 39.4% | +2.4 pt | 40.1% | −1.4 pt | 156k | 4.8% | +12% | Taiwan 45%, China 9.8%, US 6.3% |
| Yamagata 山形県 | 39.1% | +0.7 pt | 36.9% | +3.0 pt | 339k | 7.2% | +45% | Taiwan 42%, China 12%, Hong Kong 9.3% |
| Fukushima 福島県 | 37.6% | −5.2 pt | 63.9% | +11.2 pt | 426k | 4.2% | +99% | Taiwan 58%, Thailand 5.9%, China 5.3% |
| Ibaraki 茨城県 | 36.4% | +1.8 pt | 47.7% | +0.9 pt | 377k | 4.6% | +74% | China 21%, Taiwan 16%, Korea 15% |
| Tochigi 栃木県 | 44.3% | +2.5 pt | 54.4% | +3.3 pt | 532k | 4.8% | +50% | Taiwan 14%, China 11%, US 9.2% |
| Gunma 群馬県 | 45.7% | −0.6 pt | 48.8% | +1.7 pt | 399k | 4.5% | +36% | Taiwan 23%, China 12%, Hong Kong 8.6% |
| Saitama 埼玉県 | 28.3% | −21.5 pt | 33.0% | −8.4 pt | 297k | 5.3% | +35% | China 20%, Taiwan 12%, US 11% |
| Chiba 千葉県 | 43.2% | +3.3 pt | 79.9% | −4.2 pt | 4.2m | 15% | −13% | US 16%, China 15%, Taiwan 12% |
| Tokyo 東京都 | 45.6% | +1.3 pt | 54.7% | −9.5 pt | 56.9m | 56% | +94% | US 17%, China 14%, Taiwan 8.2% |
| Kanagawa 神奈川県 | 51.1% | −0.2 pt | 67.2% | +0.3 pt | 5.0m | 19% | +55% | US 18%, China 18%, Taiwan 8.5% |
| Niigata 新潟県 | 31.4% | +5.2 pt | 35.9% | −0.2 pt | 881k | 8.4% | +83% | Taiwan 30%, China 12%, Hong Kong 8.8% |
| Toyama 富山県 | 33.7% | +3.0 pt | 37.3% | −5.7 pt | 398k | 9.2% | +11% | Taiwan 21%, China 14%, Thailand 6.1% |
| Ishikawa 石川県 | 40.5% | −6.8 pt | 34.1% | −16.7 pt | 2.1m | 22% | +116% | Taiwan 18%, US 11%, China 8.6% |
| Fukui 福井県 | 28.9% | −9.1 pt | 50.3% | +2.3 pt | 114k | 2.9% | +16% | Taiwan 26%, China 16%, Hong Kong 10.0% |
| Yamanashi 山梨県 | 34.0% | −6.8 pt | 61.8% | +3.8 pt | 2.5m | 25% | +20% | China 17%, Taiwan 16%, Thailand 9.1% |
| Nagano 長野県 | 28.1% | −0.5 pt | 40.6% | −1.3 pt | 2.6m | 13% | +63% | Taiwan 20%, Australia 9.7%, China 9.2% |
| Gifu 岐阜県 | 45.2% | +1.7 pt | 48.1% | −1.4 pt | 2.0m | 25% | +18% | Taiwan 16%, China 12%, Korea 7.1% |
| Shizuoka 静岡県 | 43.4% | −4.9 pt | 56.4% | +1.8 pt | 2.0m | 9.0% | −19% | China 29%, Korea 12%, Taiwan 11% |
| Aichi 愛知県 | 30.0% | −1.1 pt | 53.4% | +1.0 pt | 4.3m | 20% | +19% | Taiwan 24%, China 19%, Korea 16% |
| Mie 三重県 | 41.1% | −0.4 pt | 56.2% | +6.0 pt | 368k | 4.0% | −5% | Taiwan 19%, China 18%, Korea 8.7% |
| Shiga 滋賀県 | 40.4% | +2.7 pt | 62.8% | +3.6 pt | 331k | 6.6% | −22% | Taiwan 25%, China 15%, Hong Kong 11% |
| Kyoto 京都府 | 44.9% | +0.8 pt | 54.6% | −4.4 pt | 16.8m | 53% | +40% | US 16%, China 15%, Taiwan 8.2% |
| Osaka 大阪府 | 42.0% | +5.3 pt | 69.6% | −21.2 pt | 22.8m | 42% | +27% | China 19%, Korea 15%, Taiwan 11% |
| Hyogo 兵庫県 | 42.0% | +4.0 pt | 54.4% | −2.2 pt | 2.1m | 13% | +54% | China 26%, Taiwan 24%, Korea 12% |
| Nara 奈良県 | 32.7% | +5.1 pt | 64.6% | −10.9 pt | 463k | 14% | −13% | China 22%, US 13%, Taiwan 9.6% |
| Wakayama 和歌山県 | 36.0% | +1.5 pt | 50.5% | −0.5 pt | 874k | 17% | +33% | China 29%, Taiwan 12%, Hong Kong 11% |
| Tottori 鳥取県 | 42.9% | −2.9 pt | 31.5% | −18.8 pt | 230k | 8.0% | +25% | Korea 25%, Taiwan 24%, China 16% |
| Shimane 島根県 | 39.7% | −7.0 pt | 38.2% | −3.3 pt | 120k | 3.3% | +15% | Taiwan 29%, Korea 16%, China 14% |
| Okayama 岡山県 | 20.2% | −11.1 pt | 37.4% | −0.5 pt | 703k | 12% | +44% | Taiwan 48%, China 7.8%, Korea 5.9% |
| Hiroshima 広島県 | 40.1% | −3.4 pt | 60.0% | −2.0 pt | 2.2m | 19% | +64% | US 13%, Taiwan 7.6%, Korea 7.5% |
| Yamaguchi 山口県 | 44.1% | +9.8 pt | 61.6% | +15.7 pt | 182k | 4.5% | +75% | Korea 45%, US 12%, Taiwan 10% |
| Tokushima 徳島県 | 28.9% | +2.7 pt | 62.9% | +5.1 pt | 227k | 8.8% | +70% | Korea 28%, Taiwan 18%, Hong Kong 11% |
| Kagawa 香川県 | 53.6% | +7.4 pt | 63.9% | −1.5 pt | 1.1m | 22% | +42% | Taiwan 40%, Korea 21%, China 13% |
| Ehime 愛媛県 | 49.3% | +1.0 pt | 46.1% | −17.0 pt | 658k | 14% | +204% | Korea 46%, Taiwan 24%, China 5.9% |
| Kochi 高知県 | 36.4% | −1.0 pt | 41.5% | −6.6 pt | 166k | 5.3% | +74% | Taiwan 45%, China 11%, Korea 8.4% |
| Fukuoka 福岡県 | 34.4% | +3.6 pt | 58.7% | +14.3 pt | 8.2m | 34% | +94% | Korea 36%, Taiwan 20%, China 11% |
| Saga 佐賀県 | 39.6% | −7.1 pt | 62.9% | −7.7 pt | 253k | 11% | −30% | Korea 43%, Taiwan 18%, China 13% |
| Nagasaki 長崎県 | 39.1% | −1.0 pt | 55.7% | −1.6 pt | 825k | 11% | +10% | Korea 32%, Taiwan 12%, US 9.0% |
| Kumamoto 熊本県 | 40.4% | −2.8 pt | 48.1% | −0.2 pt | 1.7m | 21% | +82% | Korea 32%, Taiwan 31%, China 11% |
| Oita 大分県 | 41.6% | −1.8 pt | 58.9% | −0.9 pt | 1.5m | 20% | +28% | Korea 38%, Taiwan 23%, Hong Kong 7.7% |
| Miyazaki 宮崎県 | 38.0% | +2.4 pt | 38.9% | −6.5 pt | 265k | 6.8% | −19% | Korea 34%, Taiwan 25%, China 4.9% |
| Kagoshima 鹿児島県 | 35.1% | −3.5 pt | 40.9% | −6.0 pt | 736k | 8.7% | −12% | Korea 40%, China 14%, Taiwan 14% |
| Okinawa 沖縄県 | 40.7% | +14.3 pt | 66.4% | −1.7 pt | 8.8m | 27% | +14% | Taiwan 35%, Korea 18%, US 9.4% |
12 months = Jul 2025–Jun 2026. Occupancy "vs 2019" is in percentage points. Foreign guest nights are across all facilities; nationality shares are for large facilities only (see notes), and marked by the survey as less precise for small prefectures. Linked prefectures have their own page with monthly history, seasonality and town data.
Prefecture pages
Ehime · Gifu · Gunma · Hokkaido · Ishikawa · Kagawa · Kanagawa · Kyoto · Miyagi · Nagano · Oita · Okinawa · Shizuoka
Nationwide in the first half of 2026, guests from China were −52% on a year earlier, while Korea (+8%) and Taiwan (+18%) grew; US guests were +136% compared with 2019. Details: where foreign guests are growing fastest.
Thinking of buying a ryokan or small hotel? Read Buying a Ryokan in Japan: licence succession since December 2023, onsen rights, fire and zoning rules, asset vs share deals, the Business Manager visa, due diligence and price bands. Use these occupancy figures to sense-check a seller's numbers: an inn reporting occupancy far above its prefecture's ryokan average deserves a closer look.
Notes on the data
- From January 2026 the survey stratifies facilities by number of rooms instead of number of employees. Year-on-year changes for 2026 may partly reflect this redesign (Japan Tourism Agency note).
- Nationality breakdowns cover large facilities only: 10+ employees up to 2025, 20+ rooms from 2026. They do not add up to total foreign guest nights, so we show them as shares.
- Nationality categories grew from 21 to 24 in 2026 (Nordic countries, Middle East and Mexico split out of "Other"), so "Other" is not comparable across years.
- Some nationality figures for small prefectures carry the survey's asterisk (standard error 30% or more); treat them as indicative.
- 2026 figures are 2nd preliminary values; final 2026 figures are due on 30 June 2027 and may differ slightly.
- Municipal figures are the raw totals of facilities that responded (not grossed up to all facilities), so guest numbers are a lower bound; occupancy is for responding facilities only. Small towns swing more.
- Occupancy is guest-room occupancy (rooms sold ÷ rooms available) as published by the survey. Our "12 months" figure is the simple average of the last 12 monthly rates (Jul 2025–Jun 2026), and "vs 2019" compares it with the 2019 average. Foreign guest nights are person-nights (延べ宿泊者数) across all facilities.
- Ryokan (旅館) and the other types follow the survey's own classification by the facility's main business (ryokan, resort hotel, business hotel, city hotel, simple lodging such as guesthouses, hostels and minshuku).
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Source: Source: "Overnight Travel Statistics Survey" (Japan Tourism Agency), https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tokei_hakusyo/shukuhakutokei.html — processed and translated by Japan House Prices (12-month averages, year-on-year and vs-2019 changes are our calculations). Figures for 2026 are preliminary (2nd preliminary release). This site is not affiliated with the Japan Tourism Agency.
出典:「宿泊旅行統計調査」(観光庁)(https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/tokei_hakusyo/shukuhakutokei.html)を加工して作成(作成:Japan House Prices)
Licence: Public Data License (Version 1.0), PDL1.0 (compatible with CC BY 4.0), per the Japan Tourism Agency site policy. Rankings, trailing 12-month averages, shares, English names and all comparisons are our own calculations and are not published or endorsed by the Japan Tourism Agency (観光庁). Last data month: June 2026 (2nd preliminary). Data file generated 2026-09-27. Page last reviewed 2026-09.