Japan has recorded the most number of foreign tourists coming from the Philippines among Southeast Asian countries in July this year, a post from Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Monday, Sept. 4.
People walk through a crossing in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo on January 8, 2021 (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Ambassador Koshikawa posted on X (formerly Twitter) the data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) that showed Filipino tourists ranked first with 51,700 travelers.
“The Philippines is now the top ASEAN country for tourist arrivals in Japan. From 37,771 visitors from the (Philippines) in July ‘19, we hosted 51,700 in July ‘23–a 36.9% year-on-year increase,” he wrote.
In his post, the envoy then thanked the Filipino tourists for visiting Japan.
“A big ‘arigatou gozaimasu!’ to all our Filipino visitors,” Koshikawa wrote with emoticons of a red heart, Philippine and Japanese flags.
According to the JNTO data, the Philippines was followed by Thailand and Vietnam with 49,600 and 44,800 tourist arrivals, respectively, in July.
JNTP said the number of foreign tourists from these countries was provided by the Ministry of Justice.
The travelers entered Japan for the “purpose of transit,” including “expatriates and their families, and international students,” it added.
As an archipelago on the eastern edge of Asia, Japan is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and home to stunning and historical landmarks, architectures, and natural treasures.
Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Kyoto are the country’s most popular destinations, owing to their abundance of heritage sites and ease of access.