Work Taking a Backseat to Leisure Time Grows in Importance for Japanese Citizens
In the year 2024, the Japan Productivity Center published a survey on leisure activities in Japan. The findings revealed some interesting trends in the way Japanese residents spend their free time.
For the third year in a row, domestic sightseeing trips emerged as the most popular leisure activity, with 48.3% of respondents participating. This was closely followed by watching videos such as streaming and rentals, which rose to second place with 38.1% of participants.
Other top leisure activities included dining out (excluding daily meals), which was enjoyed by 35.6% of respondents, reading for pleasure (33.8%), and listening to music (33.3%). Overseas trips accounted for 6.0% of leisure activities, slightly increasing from the previous year.
The survey, conducted online and sampling people aged 15 to 79 across Japan, also showed that on average, those who went on domestic trips traveled about 4.5 times yearly, spending roughly ¥129,200 annually. Dining out averaged 18.6 times a year with spending around ¥65,300.
The data indicated a strong preference for domestic leisure travel and digital media consumption, alongside dining and personal entertainment activities. The survey results showed a slight shift towards more video watching activities, but domestic travel and eating out remain core leisure pursuits. The slight uptick in overseas travel is notable but remains a small portion of leisure activity overall.
Interestingly, the highest rate of respondents feeling that leisure is more important than work was recorded in 2024 since comparable statistics became available in 2009. In total, 67.8% of respondents in 2024 feel this way. Furthermore, 37.8% of respondents indicated they find more meaning in leisure than in work. On the other hand, 9.3% of respondents said that they sometimes enjoy leisure activities, but focus more on work, while 20.7% of respondents answered that they focus equally on work and leisure.
In summary, the Japan Productivity Center's survey provides insightful data on the distribution of leisure activities in Japan in 2024. The results highlight the continued popularity of domestic sightseeing trips and dining out, as well as the increasing preference for digital media consumption and personal entertainment activities.
[1] These statistics are based on the Japan Productivity Center's 2024 survey on leisure activities in Japan (Japanese).
- Alongside domestic travel and dining out, video watching activities have seen an increase, indicating a growing interest in fashion-and-beauty, photography, food-and-drink, and travel content through streaming and rentals.
- Personal growth and self-development, such as reading books or listening to music, have remained stable in popularity among Japanese residents, placed after video watching activities in the top leisure pursuits.
- Home-and-garden related activities, like gardening or home improvement projects, were not among the top leisure activities, as they were not specified in the survey findings.
- Interestingly, the survey revealed that leisure activities have become more important than work for a significant number of Japanese residents, with education-and-self-development being a potential avenue for further exploration in this regard.
