Foreign tourism drives 2025 winter growth in Myoko and Niigata

The Nikkei Shimbun reported on March 4^th that preliminary data released by the Japan Tourism Agency shows that the number of foreign overnight stays by prefecture in 2025 increased in both Niigata and Nagano, collectively known as the Shinetsu region.

Niigata photo courtesy of Sy on Unsplash

Niigata recorded 820,000 foreign overnight stays, a 55% jump from the previous year, while Nagano saw a more modest increase of 5% to 2.45 million stays.

Both prefectures saw growth largely driven by winter ski tourism. Niigata posted the second-highest growth rate nationwide, behind only Tottori Prefecture.

Nationwide, foreign overnight stays reached a record 177.86 million in 2025, up 8% from the previous year. January marked the peak month in Niigata, with foreign overnight stays reaching 180,000 - an increase of 58% from the same month in 2024.

Nagano also recorded strong winter demand, with 430,000 overnight stays in January, up 25% year-on-year.

In Niigata, foreign ski tourism has been rising particularly in areas such as Yuzawa and Myoko. According to Myoko Tourism Management, a tourism organization based in Myoko, many international visitors stay for extended periods, using Myoko as a base to explore several nearby ski resorts.

Both Niigata and Nagano see foreign tourist demand concentrated between December and February, but winter tourism can fluctuate depending on weather conditions such as unusually warm temperatures or limited snowfall.

To stabilize employment and spread tourism benefits more widely across the region, attracting visitors in summer and to areas beyond major snow resorts remains a key challenge.

Meanwhile, overnight stays by Japanese domestic travelers declined nationwide by 4% from the previous year to 475.6 million. Niigata recorded a 7% drop to 9.29 million stays, while Nagano also fell 7% to 16.47 million - both steeper declines than the national average.

Source:

Nikkei Shimbun (Japanese only; paywalled)