Collective-leave eligibility and specific meal provision

A joint report by Online Resort × Enjourney
Editorial update: 9 November 2026 JST | Forward travel window: December 2026–May 2027

Statistical periods, release stages and the scope of rules and calendars are stated below. Japanese event and sales times are JST; origin-market holidays use the local calendar.

Year-end and Eid planning involves national holidays, the application of collective leave, Japanese events, and individual meal and prayer requirements. This edition adds spending evidence and a first-visit versus repeat-visit perspective to a December 2026–May 2027 calendar. Religious observance and dietary practice are established with the traveller rather than inferred from nationality.

Booking dates to put on the calendar now

• For the January–February Kobe Luminarie, distinguish general and group admission. Sales for the paid area of the 29 January–7 February 2027 event were announced to open on 1 November. General tickets specify a date and time; group tickets for 16 or more specify only the date on Monday–Thursday and a date and time on Friday–Sunday. A past sales opening does not establish remaining inventory. City of Kobe

• For the December Chichibu festival, these B-seat application windows have closed. The association’s counter-sale period for 3 December B seats was 31 October–3 November, and postcard applications required a 19–22 October postmark. Both are past as of 4 November. This does not mean the festival or every other viewing option is closed; it means these particular routes should no longer be offered as open for application. Chichibu Tourism Association

• For an April F1 itinerary, note 15 November at 11:00 JST now. The main advance spectator tickets for the Japanese Grand Prix on 9–11 April 2027 are scheduled to go on sale on 15 November 2026 at 11:00 JST. Thursday–Friday and Thursday-only tickets have a separate 20 December, 11:00 JST sale date, and overseas purchasing routes have restrictions. Check the specific ticket category before arranging it. Suzuka Circuit

December 2026–May 2027 | Travel and booking dates

Base calendar checked on 4 November 2026, with additions on 5 November and targeted updates on 9 November. Record-level check dates are retained. Japanese event and ticket-sale times are JST; origin-market holidays use local calendar dates.

Looking from December 2026 to May 2027, Japan has published dates for festivals, art events and a major horticultural expo. When matching them to the Indonesian calendar, the key distinction is between a national holiday and *cuti bersama*, or collective leave.

The Indonesian Ministry of State Secretariat's notice on the 2027 joint ministerial decree lists 10–11 March as Idulfitri holidays, with collective leave on 9, 12 and 15 March. Application of collective leave in private companies depends on the employer, and the final religious dates follow the Minister of Religious Affairs' determination. The notice separately lists Iduladha on 17 May and Waisak on 20 May; collective leave on the intervening dates must be considered under its own rules. Nationality tells us nothing about an individual visitor's faith or food requirements.

Check the F1 ticket category and sales channel together. Main advance tickets are scheduled for 15 November 2026 at 11:00 JST; Thursday-only and Thursday/Friday tickets are scheduled for 20 December at 11:00. Those latter tickets cover 8 April 2027 or 8–9 April. Asoview has separate openings: West Area tickets on 16 November at 11:00, and Thursday-only/Thursday–Friday tickets on 21 December at 11:00. Asoview purchases cannot be resold, upgraded or changed to a different age category. All times are JST. Suzuka's channel-specific guide

Some overseas-issued cards may fail registration with MobilityStation, and the organiser identifies different purchasing routes for some countries and regions. Check account registration, payment and the organiser-listed route before the sale. This does not mean that all overseas cards are rejected or that another outlet guarantees a purchase or seat. Payment conditions Overseas purchasing guidance

March should not be labelled a single long holiday. The decree's several March dates can be compared with GREEN×EXPO's opening, but statutory holidays, collective leave and a particular workplace's leave are different things. Expo admission also requires a visit date and time reservation; shuttle buses and parking may have separate requirements. Indonesian calendar · Expo ticket guidance

Kobe depends on the viewing area and ticket category. Luminarie runs from 29 January to 7 February at Meriken Park, Higashi Yuenchi and the former foreign settlement. Only part of Meriken Park is ticketed. Standard advance tickets specify a date and time slot. Group pricing starts at 16 people; Monday–Thursday group tickets specify the date only, while Friday–Sunday group tickets also specify a time slot. Kobe City's notice gives a 1 November sales start, not a guarantee of availability. Kobe City announcement

We selected April's F1 race because its sales date is already close in November. The official F1 calendar gives 9–11 April. Spectator tickets, parking and camping are separate sales categories; a launch date does not secure a preferred seat. Suzuka Circuit ticket information In the next issue, we will check the final determination of religious dates, how collective leave applies to a specific employer, and any updates to Japan-side sales or venue conditions.

Booking GREEN×EXPO for a group itinerary

Early-bird one-day tickets went on sale on 19 March 2026, with sales ending on 18 March 2027. Admission date/time reservations and shuttle or parking bookings are separate. Coaches need advance bookings for the north or west parking areas; do not arrange roadside drop-off or pick-up around the venue. Direct buses from Haneda Airport and other hubs remain in planning. Treat them as unconfirmed transport until timetables, fares and booking methods are published. Organiser’s sales announcement Official tickets Access information

General groups require at least 15 visitors entering together, excluding the escort. The general-group discount ticket requires at least 15 users of that ticket type. The full-reservation deadline is 10 days before the day preceding the visit for general groups, or 30 days for school groups. Confirmation by linking ticket IDs must be completed four days before the visit. Website cancellation is unavailable after full-reservation approval; confirmed general-group bookings cannot be changed, cancelled or refunded. School groups have a limited exception for unavoidable reductions in pupil numbers. Check the headcount and each deadline with the authorised seller. Group-booking FAQ

Plan the return train from the Chichibu Night Festival

Seibu has announced extra limited-express and local services on 3 December 2026, including direct local trains to Ikebukuro and Tokorozawa after 21:00. Published limited-express examples depart Seibu-Chichibu at 22:24 for Ikebukuro, arriving at 23:44, and at 23:04 for Tokorozawa, arriving at 00:07 on 4 December. The latter does not continue to Ikebukuro. These are examples, not a statement of the last service across every transport option. Search using 3 December and check the connection to the accommodation. Seibu limited-express timetable Special timetable and journey search

Limited-express tickets for 2 and 3 December went on sale on 2 and 3 November respectively. These trains are all-reserved and require a limited-express ticket in addition to the base fare; remaining seats were not checked. On 9 November, the city page still marked road restrictions, temporary parking, float routes and fireworks details as awaiting updates. Treat the verified rail arrangements separately from those pending details. Ticket-sale conditions Chichibu City notice

Market evidence | Arrivals, expenditure and reference periods

Spending allocation and traveller profile

Statistics rechecked on 4 November 2026. The source is the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) July–September 2026 first preliminary survey. This entry covers general visitors classified under the Indonesia nationality/region category, travelling for tourism and leisure; the survey-defined cruise category is excluded. It does not count departures from that country or region or November bookings. Spending is nominal JPY per person per trip and includes estimated domestic-Japan spending within package-tour payments. International passenger fares paid to Japanese airlines and shipping companies are excluded. JTA 2026 workbook

Compare spending and stays within the same trip-purpose group

Tourism/leisure spending was JPY 165,182, −9.7% year on year (the published JTA rate), with an average stay of 8.1 nights. The unweighted respondent counts were 140 in 2025 and 141 in 2026. Mean nights include same-day, zero-night visits. 2025 final workbook 2026 first-preliminary workbook JTA summary

For all trip purposes, including business and visiting relatives, the 2026 estimate was JPY 204,150, −3.1% year on year, and 16.8 nights on average. This is a different respondent group; its mean is not an individual leisure traveller’s budget. JTA summary

Six spending categories: the two comparable quarters

The total year-on-year percentage is published by JTA. Category changes are editorial calculations from the two workbooks, not a published category-growth series; 2026 shares are published workbook values. Changes were calculated before rounding, so subtracting the two displayed yen amounts can differ from the displayed change by about one yen. Rounded rows may also differ from the rounded total by a few yen. These nominal comparisons do not isolate inflation, exchange rates, stay length or traveller composition. 2025 workbook 2026 workbook

Selected purchases, with their respondent counts

The purchase rate is a weighted share. The purchaser count is unweighted; dividing it by the market sample does not reproduce the rate. The conditional mean is spending among purchasers, not the price of one product or willingness to pay. These purchase measures concern spending during the Japan visit and differ from the package-inclusive six-category figures above. Mean purchaser spending is withheld below 30 purchasers; * marks 30–99 purchasers. This is an editorial caution, not an official significance test. JTA Reference Table 5

Traveller composition

These are separate questions; do not multiply the rates into an unreported joint group. The website-application item in questionnaire E3 concerns tour products or international return air/sea tickets, not all hotel and activity bookings. “Individually arranged” does not mean every component was booked directly by the traveller. JTA Reference Table 4 Questionnaire E3

Planning implication (editorial proposal): Show the included accommodation, meals and transfers separately from optional admissions and shopping. A lower spending estimate alone does not establish price sensitivity or an economic cause. For travellers requesting Muslim-friendly arrangements, confirm ingredient/process disclosure and required certification separately; nationality does not determine individual practice.

Timing: July–September 2025 is final; the same quarter in 2026 is first preliminary and subject to revision. Any 2024 regional analysis above is historical context, not evidence of Q3 2026 or November behaviour. Statistics rechecked on 4 November 2026.

Foreign guest-nights in August 2026: top five prefectures

Second preliminary release, published 30 October. Classification is by nationality/origin, covering establishments with 20 or more rooms. The national total for this market is 65,870 guest-nights.

Shares use the same market, month and facility scope and are rounded to one decimal. ＊ marks an estimated standard error rate of at least 30%. Guest-nights are not unique people, rooms, November bookings or available inventory. Rounding can prevent prefecture sums from matching the national total. The stratification basis changed in January 2026. JTA source, Reference Table 1 (August) · Release

Interests and individual requirements

JNTO’s 2026 strategy separates first-time and repeat visitors in the Indonesian market and identifies food, theme parks, traditional culture and nature as themes to present. These are planning themes, not a statement about any individual’s religion or tastes. For a November enquiry, ask about prior visits, places already seen, preferred experiences and acceptable travel time to a regional destination. Where a traveller states dietary requirements, “no pork” alone does not establish halal suitability: check meat sourcing, stock, mirin or cooking sake, gelatin, and shared oil and equipment with the food provider. Ask whether halal certification is required and what scope is needed. Separately, ask which ingredient and preparation details the traveller wants confirmed. If prayer time or space matters, check actual facilities and the day’s route. A venue may use certified ingredients without its dishes or premises themselves being certified. Match what the venue can document against the traveller’s requirements before booking. JNTO 2026 strategy · JTA food and reception guide

Shopping from November | The payment and refund sequence

Eligible tax-free sales moved to the refund method for purchases made from 1 November 2026. An eligible purchaser pays the tax-inclusive price at an authorised tax-free shop, obtains customs confirmation on departure within 90 days counted from the day after purchase, and then receives the consumption-tax equivalent from the retailer or its refund provider. The purchase date determines the changeover, not the date of entry. The usual threshold is at least JPY 5,000 excluding tax in eligible purchases by the same person at the same shop on the same day, subject to the applicable rules. Nationality alone does not establish purchaser eligibility. National Tax Agency, rules as at 1 November 2026

Goods consumed during the trip and goods carried out of Japan need careful handling. Customs checks operate at purchase-record level, normally corresponding to one sale or receipt. If any eligible item in that record is missing at the check, the other items in the same record cannot receive confirmation either. The shop can explain how the purchases are recorded. National Tax Agency, refund-method explanation

Complete the process before checking in the goods as baggage. For a domestic-to-international connection, customs confirmation takes place at the final airport of departure from Japan. Check baggage collection and re-checking arrangements with the airline and allow for a possible inspection. The official guidance does not allow checked baggage to be retrieved simply to complete the tax-free process. Japan Tourism Agency, traveller guidance

At Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha, the Visit Japan Web online procedure is available within designated international-departure lobby areas connected to the dedicated wireless network. This online route is limited to people with Temporary Visitor, Diplomat or Official status of residence; Japanese nationals cannot use it. Tax-free purchasing eligibility and eligibility for this online route are different conditions. A request for inspection still requires attendance at customs, and completion of the customs procedure does not mean the refund has arrived. Japan Tourism Agency, eligibility and location National Tax Agency, online-procedure FAQ

Refund methods, timing and contact details depend on the shop or refund provider. Budget for the tax-inclusive payment separately from the expected refund. July–September spending predates the new system and cannot demonstrate its effect on shopping. National Tax Agency, sales and refund procedure

If a purchase record is wrong or missing. Contact the shop about incorrect details. A missing record may still be awaiting transmission by the shop; allow some time or ask the shop to check. National Tax Agency FAQ Q3-3/Q3-4 As a practical recommendation, travel companies can retain the shop and refund provider's contact details in the traveller's documents.

What the next edition will update

The December edition will move the travel window to January–June 2027. It will recheck the overlapping January–May dates, sales conditions and holiday eligibility, add June, and identify the reference period and release stage of any new statistics. Newly verified dates, changed conditions and closed applications will be distinguished in the update record.

Release availability checked on 9 November. October arrival estimates are scheduled for 18 November at 16:15 JST, and the second preliminary July–September inbound-spending release for 24 December. Check the actual released tables, including whether a separate market category is present, before updating. Planned release dates are not already-published results. JNTO schedule JTA schedule

September first-preliminary accommodation totals are already available, but this report’s nationality-by-prefecture comparison uses August second-preliminary figures for establishments with at least 20 guest rooms. September second-preliminary results are scheduled for 30 November. JTA / 観光庁・宿泊統計 公表予定 / Release schedule