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Three out of ten trending cities to visit in 2024 are in Japan

Skyscanner's 2023 trend report gives us insight on the hottest travel destinations for next year

Kaila Imada
Written by
Kaila Imada
Associate Editor, Time Out Tokyo
Sapporo and its city-centre Odori Park
Photo: Sean Pavone/DreamstimeSapporo and its city-centre Odori Park
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Ever since Japan reopened its borders to the world last year, travel has returned in full force. While the country is filled with many beautiful places, including some of the world’s most captivating Unesco sites and tourism villages, its major cities remain top choices among visitors to Japan. 

As revealed by flight comparison site Skyscanner, three cities in Japan have been listed in its ranking of trending cities to visit in 2024. To come up with its list of the hottest travel destinations for next year, Skyscanner compiled stats from a study of 2,000 UK participants as well as data from millions of flight and hotel searches.

So which Japanese cities made the list? Sapporo is ranked the highest at No. 5, while Osaka came in at No. 6 and Tokyo at No. 10. The title of top trending city in the world goes to Vigo in Spain, followed by Leipzig in Germany (No. 2), Rimini in Italy (No. 3) and Bydgoszcz in Poland (No. 4).

Sapporo Snow Festival
Photo: 中村 昌寛/Photo-ACAn undated stock photo of a snow sculpture on display at Sapporo Snow Festival

Hokkaido’s capital Sapporo is praised for its amazing seafood, annual snow festival and proximity to some of Japan’s best ski resorts.

Osaka
Photo: Nomadic Julien/Unsplash

If you’re heading to Kyoto, you should also tag Osaka onto your trip as the Kansai city is just a 20-minute train ride away. Osaka is notable for its street food, shopping and art spaces. The city is also gearing up to host the World Expo in 2025. You can find out more about Osaka in our inaugural issue of Time Out Osaka here.

Shibuya skyline and crossing as seen from Shibuya Hikarie
Photo: Keisuke TanigawaShibuya skyline and crossing as seen from Shibuya Hikarie

While Tokyo might be an obvious destination when visiting Japan, the capital offers plenty to explore beyond the usual sights. Next time you’re in town, pay a visit to Tomigaya, the trendy neighbourhood ranked as one of the coolest in the world. Visiting this autumn-winter season? Don’t miss the best spots for autumn leaves and illuminations.

To see the full list from Skyscanner, visit the website.

More from Time Out Tokyo

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Japan has one of the world’s ten most captivating Unesco World Heritage Sites in 2023

Tokyo's Hana Biyori flower park is getting a new onsen in March 2024

Japan has four of the best tourism villages in the world for 2023

The amazing illuminations at Ashikaga Flower Park are here until February 2024

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