Japanese Summer Holiday Budgets Rise for First Time in Three Years

Japanese summer holiday budgets increased for the first time in three years, reaching an average of ¥58,902, according to a survey released Thursday by Tokyo-based research firm Intage. The online survey, conducted in June among 5,000 people aged 15 to 79, asked about spending and plans for the period from July 18 to Sept. 30.

The average budget rose ¥1,618 from a year earlier after two consecutive annual declines. Budgets had peaked at ¥60,146 in 2023. Among respondents who raised their budgets, 45.7 percent cited higher prices and the weaker yen, an increase of 17.3 percentage points from the prior year.

The share attributing increases to higher wages has nearly halved over two years. Plans showed limited travel. Some 38.6 percent said they would spend time at home, while 18.3 percent planned overnight domestic trips and 17.3 percent planned shopping and dining out.

Overseas travel was cited by 2.1 percent, and 35.6 percent had not yet decided. Average budgets for overnight domestic trips rose 6.4 percent to ¥109,305. Overseas budgets increased by ¥129,798 to ¥531,505.

South Korea was the top overseas destination at 23.1 percent. The Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz crisis affected plans for 26.2 percent of respondents. Of those, 17.0 percent planned to scale back budgets, 6.7 percent said they would cancel overseas trips, and 2.3 percent said they would switch to domestic travel.

Bear sightings influenced 18.1 percent of respondents, with 9.7 percent canceling outdoor activities and 4.2 percent refraining from domestic travel. Extreme heat caused anxiety for 79.1 percent. Intage stated that demand for outdoor leisure would be higher without extreme heat, with 3.5 times as many people saying they would like to visit amusement parks if the weather was cooler.