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Interest among travelers from Türkiye in visiting Japan is rising sharply, helped by visa-free stays of up to 90 days, expanding direct flight options, and social media-driven curiosity about Japanese culture. In the first nine months of 2025, around 70,000 Turkish visitors traveled to Japan, and industry representatives expect the total to reach about 90,000 by year-end.
Travel professionals say Japan has become one of the standout long-haul choices for Turkish tourists as demand for Far East trips grows. According to data cited in the text, Türkiye’s official statistics agency TUIK reported roughly 7,000 Turkish visits to Japan in 2022, rising to nearly 17,000 in 2023. Since TUIK’s latest figure is for 2023, more recent trends were compiled from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) for 2024 and 2025.
JNTO data in the text shows that in January–September 2025, Japan hosted 31.6 million international visitors, up 17.7% compared with the same period of 2024, while arrivals from Türkiye increased 76.8% over that same timeframe.
Davut Gunaydin, deputy chair of TURSAB (the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies), said demand for Japan package tours has risen sharply compared with last year, noting that interest is up threefold and that roughly 70,000 Turkish tourists visited Japan in the first nine months.
He also described how pricing is largely driven by flight costs, saying: “Tours that cover only Japan with 5-7 nights start at an average of 2,300 euros and can go up to 4,500 euros. Compared with last year, there has not been much change in tour prices, and 60% of the tour price is affected by the airfare.”
Round-trip airfares vary by season and airline promotions, according to the text. Campaign fares for economy class can start at above ₺50,000 (over $1,100) for one person, while peak periods can push prices beyond ₺100,000 (over $2,300)
Hurriyet columnist Ugur Cebeci highlighted sustained demand on direct routes, writing: “Turkish Airlines flights to Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports and to Osaka are carried out continuously with load factors above 85%. Even high ticket prices on direct flights do not affect passengers much.”
On the airline side, the text says All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched a new direct Haneda–Istanbul service in February 2025, while Turkish Airlines (THY) announced plans to increase its Istanbul–Narita route from seven weekly flights to 10 in its summer 2026 schedule, moves expected to encourage more travel.
Gunaydin also pointed to shopping as an added draw, saying a weaker Japanese yen is creating opportunities for visitors, especially for electronics purchases. He noted that Ginza, one of Tokyo’s best-known shopping districts, is a frequent choice for travelers focused on electronics.
He also summed up his outlook for demand with a clear message: “Interest in Japan never falls,” adding that this year’s momentum is expected to carry into 2026.
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