A recent survey by the Japan Productivity Center revealed that domestic travel was the most popular leisure activity in Japan in 2023. The percentage of people who traveled and visited various places, including day trips, increased by 5.9% from 2022 to 48.7%. This marks the second consecutive year that domestic travel has topped the list of enjoyable activities for Japanese people. The increase is attributed to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in May 2023, although the figure is still below the pre-pandemic level of 54.3% in 2019. Officials at the center noted that some people, particularly the elderly, remain concerned about COVID-19 infection. Despite this, the average annual domestic travel budget in 2023 was approximately 133,000 yen (865 USD), an increase of about 30,000 yen from the previous year due to rising accommodation and food costs amid inflation. The survey also found that dining out was the second most popular leisure activity at 39.2%, up from the previous year.