Surprisingly, quite a few Japanese say that travel is no longer their top priority.
A survey conducted last year by global intelligence firm Morning Consult showed that 35 percent of Japanese respondents said they were reluctant to travel again, the highest percentage of any country.
Nakamura, a university professor and expert in tourism behavior and psychology, said the results were not surprising. "In 2019, even before the pandemic, about 10% of the population (Japanese) traveled abroad at least once a year."
According to a study done by Nakamura in 2016, there is a type of person he calls a "passive" who says they want to travel abroad but won't; There is also a category of people who are "negativists" who have no interest in traveling abroad and will not go.
In his pre-pandemic study, these two groups combined accounted for about 70 percent of respondents, and "denialists" accounted for about 30 percent.
Happy at home
Although Japan has the most powerful passport in the world, less than 20% of Japanese actually have one, according to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For these people who "never travel", traveling within Japan is enough.
"Many Japanese feel that overseas travel is time-consuming and requires a lot of time, skill, and planning, even before they set foot on foreign soil," Nakamura said.
A Japanese airline and travel analyst said complicated procedures for traveling abroad due to the pandemic and the risk of infection have discouraged people from seeking to travel abroad.
In addition, he claimed that the pandemic has changed "the mentality of the Japanese people."
"People who used to travel are now afraid to go abroad because of the risk of infection, but it's good to travel domestically. I think they are becoming more and more aware that there are many attractive tourist spots in Japan and that people can have fun without going abroad. ”
The analyst noted that those who say they "never want to travel again" may simply be reluctant to travel soon until the pandemic is completely over.
The less money, the more problems
Travel costs are also a consideration.
The yen is at its lowest point in decades, and many Japanese workers have not raised their wages in 30 years. Reduced disposable income means young people may be more inclined to stay at home or travel to nearby places.
"Compared to the older generation, they are less likely to go abroad because they don't have much money. In addition, many young people find online entertainment or smartphone games more interesting than traveling abroad.
Conventions and routines
Nakamura's research shows that a positive attitude overcomes external pressure to be reluctant to go abroad, so those who have always enjoyed traveling don't let social coherence get in the way.
"Those who have always had a positive attitude towards traveling abroad will try to travel abroad at every opportunity," Nakamura said. This was true before and after the pandemic. Those we see now going abroad are those who can't wait to go back. ”
According to the latest data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of overseas tourists in Japan decreased by 86.2% in 2022 to about 2.7 million, compared to 20 million in 2019.
It can be summed up as "people who used to travel just because they were cheap, or didn't particularly enjoy traveling... They don't travel now.