According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 688,019 travelers from Canada visited Japan in 2025, up 18.7% year on year and an all-time annual record. The busiest single month was October with 73,667 visitors, while the fastest growth came in April at +39.3% YoY. In the Japan Tourism Agency’s (JTA) Inbound Consumption Survey, Canadian travel spending reached ¥220.2 billion (+24.7% YoY), with per-person spending of ¥322,489 and an average stay of 14.6 nights — well above the all-nationality average (¥228,782 and 9.5 nights), making Canada a long-stay market. In this article we use the JTA Overnight Travel Statistics to identify the prefectures where Canadians actually stay, then line up municipal estimated settled ADR for the autumn-foliage season (including October, the peak month) and the ski season (when Hokkaido’s share doubles), together with estimated OCC for September 2026, to gauge how deep the hosting capacity is.

Visitor arrivals are from JNTO’s monthly arrivals by market table (as of October 21, 2026; 2025 figures are final, August–September 2026 are estimates). Guest nights are from the JTA Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (2025 annual final figures; August 2026 second preliminary figures). Spending is from the JTA Inbound Consumption Survey for calendar 2025 (final, released March 31, 2026). “Canadian guests” in this article are defined by nationality (country of residence), not inferred from review language or similar.

Record 688,019 Visitors in 2025 — 1.8x the 2019 Level

Let us start with the annual trend. Against the pre-COVID peak of 375,262 in 2019, arrivals from Canada surpassed the 2019 level as early as 2023 (425,874), then set consecutive records in 2024 (579,445, +36.1% YoY) and 2025 (688,019, +18.7%). Versus 2019, that is +83.3% — 1.8 times the size. Given that total inbound arrivals were only around 1.3x the 2019 level in 2025, Canada reads as a market in an expansion phase rather than a recovery phase. Vietnam, which also set a record in 2025 at a similar 679,000 visitors, shows a different seasonal peak — compare in Vietnam Inbound Hit Record 678,594 in 2025: Tet Peak, April Stays, ADR.

Looking at the composition of growth, all 12 months of 2025 exceeded the same month of the prior year. The largest increase was April at +39.3% (72,587), which JNTO attributes to Easter holidays falling in April and increased seat capacity on direct flights. The single busiest month was October with 73,667 (+10.7% YoY), and November was also strong at 62,493 (+32.0%), making for a high autumn peak. June, by contrast, was the year’s lowest month at 41,588 (+1.5%), a clear summer trough.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from JNTO “Visitor Arrivals” monthly table by market (as of October 21, 2026). 2026 is the January–September cumulative total (August–September are estimates)

A note on 2026 so far. According to JNTO’s latest estimates (released October 21, 2026), the January–September 2026 cumulative total was 518,900, up 4.9% YoY. March reached 79,901 (+17.4%), beating the previous October record to set a new single-month high. On the other hand, August (50,600, −1.8%) and September (49,300, −11.4%) came in below the prior year, so the full-year outcome depends on how far the October–December autumn peak builds. Note that the August–September figures are JNTO estimates and will be revised when provisional and final figures are released.

By Month: Two Peaks, Spring and Autumn — October–December Is 28% of the Year

The monthly shape does not change much from year to year. Aggregating the 2025 monthly mix, March–May accounted for 207,016 visitors (30.1% of the year) and October–December for 193,363 (28.1%); these two peaks make up about 60% of the year. By contrast, June–August was only 145,188 (21.1%). The fact that the Northern Hemisphere summer holiday period is actually a trough distinguishes the Canadian market from East Asian markets and Australia, where demand concentrates around school holidays.

Overlaying 2019 and 2025, the peaks sit in almost the same positions; only the level has shifted upward. October 2019 had 37,667 visitors, while October 2025 had 73,667 — nearly double. In 2026, arrivals built up faster than 2025 in January–March, producing a big March peak, while April showed some payback at 70,296 (−3.2% YoY). This can be read as the effect of an early Easter (April 5, 2026), which pulled part of the holiday demand forward into March.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from JNTO “Visitor Arrivals” monthly table by market (as of October 21, 2026). August–September 2026 are estimates

What matters for lodging operators is that this seasonality shows up not only in visitor numbers but also in length of stay. According to the JTA Inbound Consumption Survey (calendar 2025, final), Canadian (general) visitors stayed an average of 14.6 nights, up 2.3 nights from the prior year and longer than the US (12.0 nights) or Australia (13.5 nights). Per-person travel spending was ¥322,489 (+5.3% YoY), of which accommodation was the largest item at ¥132,956. For tourism/leisure travelers alone, spending was ¥329,617 per person over 12.5 nights. By headcount the market is only about 1.6% of total inbound, but because each traveler spends heavily on lodging and stays long, its revenue contribution per booking at the individual property level is high. How much average stay length varies by prefecture is covered in Inbound Stay Length Varies 2.0x: Tokyo 2.32 vs Yamanashi 1.16 Nights.

Where They Stay: Tokyo 46%, Kyoto 14%, Osaka 14% — Hokkaido’s Share Doubles in Winter

So where do Canadian guests stay? According to the 2025 annual final figures of the JTA Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (properties with 10+ employees, by nationality), Canadian nationals recorded 2,940,140 guest nights nationwide — 1.9% of all foreign guest nights and the 10th largest of the 21 nationality categories tabulated. By prefecture, Tokyo stands out with 1,358,400 guest nights (46.2%), followed by Kyoto with 399,260 (13.6%) and Osaka with 395,910 (13.5%). The top three account for 73.2% — a distribution concentrated on the “Golden Route.”

Next come Chiba with 108,320 guest nights (3.7%), Kanagawa 93,680 (3.2%), Hokkaido 84,820 (2.9%), Okinawa 62,510 (2.1%), Fukuoka 62,160 (2.1%), Hiroshima 55,180 (1.9%) and Ishikawa 40,990 (1.4%). Nagano, known for ski demand, ranks only 12th at 27,060 (0.9%). Although Canada is also an English-speaking long-haul market, its demand is not skewed toward the snow resorts of Nagano and Hokkaido the way the Australian market is. For Canadian guests, the snow destination leans toward Hokkaido rather than Nagano.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from JTA “Overnight Travel Statistics Survey,” 2025 (Reiwa 7) January–December annual final figures, Reference Table 1 (properties with 10+ employees, guest nights by nationality)

Breaking it down by month shows how the host prefectures rotate with the seasons. In October 2025, the peak month (345,550 guest nights nationwide), the order was Tokyo 145,090 (42.0%), Kyoto 48,780 (14.1%), Osaka 45,450 (13.2%) and Hokkaido 12,980 (3.8%) — Kyoto’s share is above its annual average, a typical foliage-season distribution. In January (142,570 nationwide), by contrast, Hokkaido had 9,680 guest nights (6.8%), and in February (158,070 nationwide) 11,450 (7.2%) — roughly double its autumn share. Nagano also rises from 1.0% in October to 2.0–2.2% in January–February. Kyoto moves the other way, falling to 9.2% in January.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from JTA “Overnight Travel Statistics Survey” Reference Table 1 (2025 = annual final figures, properties with 10+ employees; August 2026 = second preliminary figures, properties with 20+ rooms). “—” indicates values omitted from display (all with a monthly share of 2.0% or less). *From the January 2026 survey, the sampling design switched from an employee-count basis to a room-count basis, so August 2026 figures are not directly comparable with 2025

The latest data for August 2026 (second preliminary) shows the same leaders: Tokyo 104,950 guest nights (49.5%), Osaka 28,980 (13.7%), Kyoto 26,030 (12.3%), Chiba 9,190 (4.3%) and Hokkaido 8,890 (4.2%). Hokkaido’s 4.2% in summer, above its annual average (2.9%), indicates some summer-escape and road-trip demand. However, because the 2026 survey uses a different sampling design, this article does not compute YoY changes against 2025. For the full host map by nationality, see US Now Tops Japan Inbound at 13.5% — Prefecture Host Map 2026; for how to read the five lodging indicators, see What Is Inbound Tourism? Korea Tops Arrivals, US Tops Guest Nights.

Estimated Settled ADR in Foliage and Ski Seasons — Kyoto Higashiyama ¥31K in November, Kutchan ¥64K in February

Now we turn to prices on the hosting side. The chart below lines up estimated settled ADR (MetroEngines Research, monthly median, N = number of properties) for key municipalities in the prefectures where Canadians stay most, comparing the foliage season including the peak month (October–November 2025) with the ski season (January–February 2026). All are actual results for stay dates already passed, not estimates based on current listings.

The foliage-season peak is highest within Kyoto City. Higashiyama Ward was ¥29,900 (N=45) in October 2025 and ¥31,500 (N=43) in November, 1.5–1.8 times the January (¥20,400, N=45) and February (¥17,900, N=47) levels. Shimogyo Ward shows a 1.8–2.2x gap between autumn and winter: ¥20,100 (N=158) in October and ¥23,900 (N=157) in November versus ¥11,400 (N=159) in January and ¥10,900 (N=160) in February. The fall in Canadians’ Kyoto share from 14.1% in October to 9.2% in January is consistent with this price gap; winter is the period when Kyoto is “easier to book” on price.

Kutchan, Hokkaido draws the opposite shape. It was ¥13,100 (N=22) in October 2025 and ¥18,200 (N=20) in November, but jumped to ¥61,600 (N=20) in January 2026 and ¥63,500 (N=21) in February — 3.5–4.7 times the autumn level. Hakuba Village in Nagano also rises from ¥10,900 (N=41) in October and ¥12,600 (N=35) in November to ¥21,500 (N=44) in January and ¥19,500 (N=45) in February, 1.6–2.0x autumn. Sapporo’s Chuo Ward was ¥12,700 in both October (N=133) and November (N=130), versus ¥14,900 (N=135) in January and ¥20,600 (N=137) in February, the month of the Sapporo Snow Festival — a conspicuous February peak. The step from autumn to winter levels between November and December is tracked town by town in Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27 & Hotel ADR: Hakuba +60%, Kutchan 2x.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research. Estimated settled ADR (monthly median by municipality, tax-excluded equivalent). N = number of properties; see text and table below

Tokyo shows the smallest autumn–winter gap. Chuo Ward was ¥20,900 (N=150) in October and ¥23,000 (N=148) in November versus ¥18,700 (N=149) in January and ¥18,300 (N=150) in February — seasonal swings stay within 20–30%. Shinjuku Ward (¥17,000 in October, ¥15,500 in January) and Taito Ward (¥15,800 in October, ¥12,300 in January) are similar: Tokyo, which absorbs 46% of Canadian guest nights, builds occupancy at a stable rate band throughout the year. Osaka’s Chuo Ward was ¥16,500 (N=188) in October 2025, ¥14,400 (N=184) in November, ¥11,300 (N=193) in January 2026 and ¥10,300 (N=191) in February, with autumn 2025 — during the Expo — running somewhat higher.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research. Estimated settled ADR (monthly median by municipality, tax-excluded equivalent). N = number of properties. *Months marked with an asterisk are estimates based on listing levels at the time of research (early November 2026) and will change toward the stay date

The latest month, October 2026 (actuals for stay dates already passed), shows rates landing above the prior year in most areas in October, the peak month for Canadian visitors: Kyoto’s three wards +8.3% to +14.8% YoY, Tokyo’s three wards +11.0% to +13.2%, Sapporo Chuo Ward +14.8% and Kutchan +33.8%. Osaka Chuo Ward’s −21.5% can be read as payback from October of the prior year, when the Expo was running. The background to Kyoto’s October reversal is detailed in Kyoto ADR Flips Up in October: City +12.4%, Business +9.1% YoY. From November onward, the figures are estimates based on current listings; in Kyoto’s three wards, November listings sit above October, so the foliage peak falls in November as in the prior year. For the January–February 2027 ski season, current listings put Kutchan at ¥43,400–¥45,900 (N=18) and Hakuba at around ¥29,500 (N=32), diverging in direction from the prior year’s actuals (Kutchan ¥61,600–¥63,500, Hakuba ¥19,500–¥21,500). Kutchan tends to add and adjust inventory just before the season, so current estimates are not definitive. For Kutchan’s monthly trend, see Hokkaido Hotel Investment Map 2026: Kutchan ¥62K in Jan, Hakodate ¥10K; for how far rates fall from February to March, see Spring Ski: How Far March ADR Falls vs Feb — Kutchan −54%, Nozawa −3%.

Estimated OCC, September 2026 — Tokyo 89.8%, Hokkaido 90.3%: Inventory Absorption Before the Autumn Peak

Beyond rates, it is worth checking how far inventory had been absorbed just before the autumn peak. Using MetroEngines Research’s estimated OCC (based on OTA-listed inventory; a fixed cohort of properties listing 30%+ of total rooms on OTAs), the September 2026 monthly averages were: Tokyo 89.8% (805 properties / 104,583 rooms, based on major booking-site listings), Hokkaido 90.3% (679 properties / 53,149 rooms), Nagano 88.4% (507 properties / 18,893 rooms), Kyoto 84.0% (566 properties / 31,989 rooms) and Osaka 80.4% (410 properties / 59,647 rooms). Tokyo, which receives 46% of Canadian guest nights, and Hokkaido, whose share doubles in winter, were both running at around 90% as of September.

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research. Estimated OCC for September 2026 (based on OTA-listed inventory, monthly average). See table below for property and room counts

Source: Compiled by HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research. Monthly average estimated OCC for September 2026 (by stay date). Covers a fixed cohort of properties listing 30%+ of total rooms on major booking sites. “—” indicates too few properties to include. Estimates are based on absorption of inventory sold on OTAs and differ from each property’s actual overall occupancy

By property type, business hotels posted the highest absorption in both Hokkaido (92.8%, 222 properties / 25,913 rooms) and Nagano (91.2%, 75 properties / 6,922 rooms) — even in these two prefectures best known as leisure destinations, urban business hotels led. Resort hotels were at 87.8% in Nagano (54 properties / 3,875 rooms) and 85.7% in Hokkaido (84 properties / 9,065 rooms); September comes before ski-season bookings ramp up in earnest. Kyoto was at 84.0% across all properties, leaving inventory available for the foliage season from October. Note that this estimated OCC is based on data collected from March 2026, so YoY comparisons are not possible; long-term trends should be checked against the JTA’s room occupancy rates.

Implications for Operators — Long 14.6-Night Stays and a New Direct Winter Route to Hokkaido

To sum up, the Canadian market has three characteristics. First, at 688,000 visitors a year it is only about 1.6% of total inbound, but with per-person spending of ¥322,489 and an average stay of 14.6 nights, its lodging contribution per booking is large. Second, demand peaks in March–May and October–December with a trough in June–August, making it seasonally complementary to East Asian summer-holiday demand. Third, 73% of guest nights are concentrated in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, while Hokkaido’s share doubles to around 7% in winter only.

The first lever for operators is length of stay. An average of 14.6 nights suggests multi-city itineraries based in Tokyo, taking in Kyoto and Osaka plus one or two regional cities. Extended-stay discounts and intercity referrals within the same group (guiding guests from a Tokyo property to affiliated properties in Sapporo or Kyoto) are likely to be effective with this market. Given Hokkaido’s rising share in winter, Tokyo properties also have room to capture pre- and post-trip nights around January–February ski itineraries to Hokkaido. Long-haul flights from North America tend to arrive in the evening or later, which makes Tokyo stays on the first and last nights likely.

Tailwinds on air capacity have also been reported. On January 22, 2026, Air Canada announced it would operate a New Chitose–Vancouver route three times weekly from December 18, 2026 (departing New Chitose) to March 26, 2027 (subject to government approval, Boeing 787). According to the airline, this will be the first scheduled direct service between Hokkaido and North America. For the 2025 winter schedule, ZIPAIR was reported to have temporarily increased its Narita–Vancouver service from three to five round trips weekly, and increased direct-flight seat capacity is cited as one factor behind 2025’s growth. That said, a causal link between new routes and lodging demand cannot be established at this point; for Hokkaido properties, it is best seen as an opportunity: “one more arrival route from North America in winter 2026-27.”

On rates, the seasonal rise in Canadian share overlaps two high-rate zones — Kyoto in autumn (Higashiyama Ward ¥31,000 in November) and Kutchan in winter (¥64,000 in February). In both areas, English-language information and room types suited to long stays (with kitchens, connecting rooms) can translate into revenue opportunities. Tokyo, meanwhile, has small seasonal swings of 20–30% and steadily receives a 46% share year-round. For Tokyo properties, rather than layering the Canadian spring and autumn peaks on top of already-high occupancy, a more realistic approach is a market-mix design that fills the June–August trough with other markets. For how far the spread of prefectures with growing Western guest nights extends, also see Western Guest Nights H1 2026: Nagasaki +65%, ADR Up in Hokkaido/Miyagi.

Summary

Arrivals from Canada reached a record 688,019 in 2025 (+18.7% YoY), with October the busiest month (73,667) and April the fastest-growing (+39.3%). In 2026, growth has slowed to 518,900 for January–September (+4.9%), though March set a new monthly record of 79,901. Guest nights are concentrated in Tokyo (46.2%), Kyoto (13.6%) and Osaka (13.5%), while Hokkaido’s share doubles from 3.8% to around 7% in January–February. Host-area rates show clear seasonal peaks — Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward at ¥31,500 in November during foliage season and Kutchan at ¥63,500 in February during ski season — and October 2026 actuals landed 8–15% above the prior year in Kyoto, Tokyo and Sapporo. For a long-stay market spending ¥322,489 per person over 14.6 nights, there is upside in extended-stay offers, intercity referrals and pre/post nights around winter Hokkaido itineraries.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many visitors came to Japan from Canada in 2025?

A. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 688,019, up 18.7% year on year and an all-time annual record. That is 1.8 times the 2019 level of 375,262. For January–September 2026 the cumulative total was 518,900 (+4.9% YoY; August–September are estimates).

Q. Which month has the most Canadian visitors?

A. In 2025, October was the busiest month with 73,667. Two peaks — March–May (30.1% of the year) and October–December (28.1%) — account for about 60%. June–August is only 21.1%; the summer trough distinguishes Canada from East Asian markets. In March 2026, a new monthly record of 79,901 was set.

Q. Which prefectures do Canadian guests stay in?

A. In the JTA Overnight Travel Statistics Survey 2025 final figures (properties with 10+ employees), of 2,940,140 guest nights, Tokyo accounted for 46.2%, Kyoto 13.6% and Osaka 13.5% — the top three make up 73.2%. Hokkaido is 2.9% for the year, but its share doubles in winter to 6.8% in January and 7.2% in February.

Q. What are Canadian visitors’ average length of stay and travel spending?

A. In the JTA Inbound Consumption Survey for calendar 2025 (final), the average stay was 14.6 nights (+2.3 nights YoY) and per-person travel spending was ¥322,489 (+5.3%), of which accommodation was ¥132,956. This far exceeds the all-nationality average of ¥228,782 and 9.5 nights.

Q. How do host-area rates differ between foliage season and ski season?

A. On estimated settled ADR (monthly median by municipality), Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward was ¥31,500 (N=43) in November 2025 versus ¥17,900 (N=47) in February 2026, while Kutchan, Hokkaido was ¥18,200 (N=20) in November 2025 versus ¥63,500 (N=21) in February 2026 — seasonal peaks in opposite directions. Tokyo’s Chuo Ward keeps its autumn–winter gap within 20–30%.

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