Japan is missing from Chinese travellers' top ten Golden Week destinations for the first time, according to booking data from travel agency Tuniu reported by Kyodo News. Instead, Indonesia, Turkey and South Korea led the list for the October 2026 holiday, while Tongcheng Travel's city rankings put Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul at the top — with no Japanese city anywhere in the top ten.

The cause is diplomatic, not practical. Relations soured after November 2025, when Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan's self-defence forces could act if a Chinese move on Taiwan threatened Japan's survival — a departure from Japan's usual careful wording on Taiwan. Beijing responded with a travel advisory urging citizens to avoid Japan, and the effect on arrivals was immediate: Chinese visitor numbers fell by 56%. By July 2026, the Japan National Tourism Organization recorded Japan's first drop in total visitor numbers in six years, ending a post-COVID growth streak built largely on Chinese demand.

Golden Week itself was a big deal this year. Chinese authorities expected around 2.13 billion passenger trips during the 1-7 October holiday, and many workers stitched it to the Mid-Autumn Festival (25 September) for a 13-day break. That extra time showed in the flight data: Qunar reported long-haul flights over 2,000 kilometres up 48% on the first day of the holiday, and flights over 8,000 kilometres up more than 30%. Destinations like Turkey fit that long-haul appetite nicely.

There's a silver lining for anyone visiting Japan, though — with Chinese group tourism pulling back, some of the crowds and price pressure that have made Kyoto and Tokyo feel overwhelming in recent years may ease. Meanwhile, Global Times reported that inbound arrivals to China rose during the holiday, with a more varied mix of international visitors seeking immersive cultural travel.

For travellers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: Japanese destinations could be quieter and better value than they've been in years, while Chinese outbound demand is redirecting toward Southeast Asia, South Korea and further afield. Anyone with flexibility on timing might find 2026-27 an unusually good window for a Japan trip. Source: Travel Tomorrow.