Japan and South Korea Trade Places as Top Tourist Destinations

Japan and South Korea just hit a tourism milestone—they're now each other's #1 overseas destination. Japanese visitors to Korea jumped 18.8% to 2.28 million in the first seven months of 2026, while Korea accounts for 28% of all Japanese outbound travel. The surge is driven by a weak yen making Korea affordable and the massive appeal of K-pop, dramas, and Korean culture globally.

Why It Matters

If you're a foreigner in Korea, this means more Japanese visitors are flooding popular spots, but it also shows how accessible Korea has become—and how the tourism infrastructure keeps improving to handle the crowd.

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