Tourism Japanese hospitality targeting a growing number of Indian tourists

A new cohort of tourists is discovering Japan: Indian tourists visiting the country during the Diwali holiday.

Diwali, which marks the Hindu New Year, is regarded as the most important festival in Hindu tradition. According to Suguri Mikami, head of the Gurugram-based consultancy Storytelling, which assists Japanese firms entering the Indian market, holiday shopping typically begins about a month beforehand. Around the time of the festival itself — which fell on 20 October this year — many businesses shut down, and large numbers of people took the opportunity to travel abroad.

Between January and September, Japan received about 233,400 visitors from India, a 37% increase from the previous year, according to data from the Japan Tourism Agency. The figure already surpassed the total number recorded for all of 2024. During last year's October–November Diwali period, around 45,000 Indian tourists visited Japan, making up 19% of total foreign arrivals — the second-highest seasonal share after the 52,000 Indian visitors recorded between April and May, which accounted for 22%.

Food is a major factor for Indian tourists. About 30% of Indians are thought to be vegetarian for religious or cultural reasons. Somya, a 35-year-old who was visiting Japan for the first time with her husband and daughter, is vegan. The family planned to spend two weeks in Tokyo, Kyoto and elsewhere, but she worried about finding vegan food. "Do you know any sushi restaurants for vegans?" she said while speaking to the reporter. [...] Tokyo-based JTB Global Marketing and Travel in July 2024 began offering Indian-style thali meals on its day trips to the area around Mt. Fuji. The lunches, developed in collaboration with Indian chefs, feature vegetarian curries and naan.

Click to expand...

Paywall alert: