Previous visits and usable time in regional destinations

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.

Choosing regional food, nature and hot springs requires time and transport information as well as an understanding of previous visits and companions. This edition distinguishes spending observations from JNTO's target segments and presents winter-to-spring events. Thai holiday sources retain their stated scope, including calendars specifically for financial institutions.

Booking dates to put on the calendar now

• 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 April’s Miyako Odori, connect the itinerary to the 6 January, 10:00 JST scheduled ticket release. Performances run from 1–30 April 2027. Identify the desired date and performance, then verify ticket types and booking conditions. Gion Kobu Kabukai

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.

Between December 2026 and May 2027, Japanese organisers have announced dates for festivals, winter events, sumo and traditional dance. For Thailand, compare the relevant sector’s closure calendar with the traveller’s actual employer and school calendar.

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission lists 2027 closures for securities companies and derivatives business operators on 1 January, 22 February, 6 and 13–15 April, and 3, 4 and 20 May. The 13–15 April dates, for example, fall within Kyoto’s Miyako Odori performance period. This is a possible calendar match, not a holiday entitlement for every industry, government office or school, and it does not predict Japan-bound demand. G H Bank also publishes its 2027 closure calendar, with different operating arrangements for some shopping-centre service points. For a corporate trip, confirm the participating company’s own leave arrangements.

In its 2025 Japan travel promotion handbook, Thailand chapter, JNTO says companies arranging incentive trips often begin considering destinations three to six months before departure. This is a qualitative observation about corporate incentive travel; the underlying observation period and sample size are not supplied. It is not a measure of when individual tourists book, when a destination is decided or when an agency starts building a product.

The two sumo tournaments have different cities and sales dates. The January tournament is at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo from 10 to 24 January, with advance sales beginning 5 December. The March tournament is in Osaka from 14 to 28 March, with advance sales beginning 6 February. The organiser's annual schedule establishes the tournament dates and sale starts; available seats or group terms require a separate ticket check. Japan Sumo Association schedule

Kyoto's spring performances start selling in January. The 153rd Miyako Odori is scheduled for 1–30 April, with tickets announced for sale at 10 am on 6 January. Performance times, tea-ticket options and the rules on changes or refunds belong to the actual ticket choice. Organiser's information

In Chichibu, a confirmed festival date is not a completed transport plan. The city has announced 2 December for the eve and 3 December for the main festival. As of 4 November, its page still awaited details of traffic arrangements, the float procession and fireworks. Chichibu City notice The next issue will revisit sector-, employer- and school-specific Thai holiday updates, alongside Japan-side admission and transport information. Snow conditions and ticket inventory remain unknown.

Bank holidays and travellers’ leave

Bangkok Bank’s published calendar lists bank holidays on 7, 10 and 31 December 2026; 1 January, 22 February, 6 and 13–15 April, and 3, 4 and 20 May 2027. These bank-calendar dates do not establish nationwide leisure leave or the operating status of every branch. Check the traveller’s employer and the specific banking service separately. Published calendar

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 Thailand 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 203,405, +5.8% year on year (the published JTA rate), with an average stay of 6.4 nights. The unweighted respondent counts were 160 in 2025 and 187 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 229,097, +6.4% year on year, and 11.9 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): Present meal content, reservation time, duration, access and cancellation terms alongside price. Higher observed food spending does not establish a universal preference for luxury dining. Ask repeat visitors about previous destinations and choose rental car, rail or transfer options from the actual party, luggage and driving conditions.

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 103,100 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 Thailand strategy distinguishes overseas travellers who have not visited Japan from the repeat-visitor share among people who actually have. It identifies nature, food and hot springs as themes to present; this does not mean every traveller from Thailand is a repeat visitor. For a November enquiry, ask about previous visits, places already seen and whether scenery, food or bathing is a priority. Before suggesting a regional onsen, check the facility’s opening days, reservation requirements, return transport and bathing conditions. A theme in a market strategy does not mean everyone in the party wants to bathe. Record food restrictions and allergies from the traveller, and verify event dates and seasonal conditions for the actual visit day. The appearance of hot springs in a market strategy does not establish that a particular bathing experience can be booked. Private-bath options, bathing guidance and stay duration differ by venue; provide the details relevant to those interested. 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