The Second-Most Popular Tourist Destination For 2026 Is In Japan, And It's Not Tokyo

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Okinawa, Japan, the birthplace of karate, is the top trending travel destination outside the U.S., based on search data from the popular booking site Expedia. A subtropical island prefecture, home to white sands and crystal-clear blue waters, Okinawa is second only to Big Sky, Montana, on Expedia's 2026 Destinations of the Year list. While black belts compete in tournaments at its Karate Kaikan hall, tourists flock to its beach resorts, its World War II historical sites, and the record-setting sea tank in Churaumi Aquarium. Between 2024 and 2025, Okinawa saw a 71% spike in flight and accommodation searches, with the restoration of Shuri Castle — a UNESCO World Heritage site — on the horizon as well.

If Okinawa still seems slightly off the beaten path compared to a major metropolis like Tokyo (which ranked among Expedia's top culture capitals for 2023), that may be part of the point. The Destinations of the Year list also incorporates the new Smart Travel Health Check, spotlighting places "that offer rich cultural and natural experiences without the overcrowding seen in many of the world's most popular cities." Going by that metric, Okinawa is the perfect island getaway for travelers looking to escape the crowded hub of Tokyo, the world's most populated city.

According to Nikkei Asia, Okinawa was Japan's 12th most-visited prefecture among international visitors in 2024. Yet the country has logged record tourism numbers in 2025, and it's already home to two of the most-visited theme parks globally, Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo Disneyland. This makes the dinosaur safaris of Okinawa's new theme park, Junglia, a natural fit, as it looks to tap into the tourism boom even more. You'll find the real "Jurassic Park" on the lush Hawaiian island of Kauai, but Okinawa may have more dino photo ops.

Okinawa's biggest airport is in the city of Naha, where you can connect by bus or monorail to tourist attractions on its main island (Okinawa Honto). This includes Kokusai-dori, a palm-tree-lined shopping street that starts at the Naha Bus Terminal. Walking down Kokusai-dori (in Japanese, "International Street"), you could be forgiven for thinking you're in Hawaii, as signs advertise root beer and "all American food" from the likes of A&W. The fusion food taco rice also hints at the postwar influence of U.S. military bases, which have a continued, controversial presence in Okinawa. However, the prefecture, which consists of 160 islands (40 inhabited), only became part of Japan in 1879. Before that, it had 450 years of history behind it as the Ryukyu Kingdom, where the earliest form of karate is thought to have originated.

Today, Ryukyuan history gives Okinawa its own unique culture apart from mainland Japan. Some of that is visible in Shuri Castle's red-lacquered architecture, which was influenced by Chinese palaces like the Forbidden City in Beijing. Exterior reconstruction of the castle's main hall, which burned down in a fire in 2019, has already been completed. The main hall should be fully restored by autumn 2026, just as it was after previous fires — and the Battle of Okinawa — destroyed it.

For a window into more of Okinawa's World War II history, you can visit sites like Peace Memorial Park and the Former Underground Navy Headquarters. The park is anchored by the Cornerstone of Peace, a monument inscribed with the names of people who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. In the underground headquarters, you can see the tunnels and rooms where the Navy soldiers made their last stand, leaving behind walls with visible hand grenade damage.

Traditionally, Churaumi Aquarium has been the main draw on the northern part of Okinawa Honto. Even before Junglia's opening, the island already had one theme park, Okinawa World, accessible by bus from Naha. At Okinawa World, you can explore Japan's second-longest cave, Gyokusendo, and see deadly indigenous snakes in the Habu Museum Park. Junglia, located just over 50 miles north, showcases a different kind of (animatronic) reptile. Attractions include Dinosaur Safari, where your jeep drives between a brachiosaur's legs and evades two man-eating Tyrannosaurus rexes. Junglia also has a tethered hot-air balloon ride, a panoramic dining terrace with bird-nest tables, and a spa with the world's "largest infinity pool bath," per Guinness World Records.

The park is about a 30-minute drive both ways from Churaumi Aquarium and the luxurious Treeful Treehouse resort. When Churaumi opened in 2002, its Kuroshio Sea tank set the Guinness World Record for "largest aquarium window." Though others have since eclipsed it, it's still one of the world's biggest sea tanks, and it certainly looks the part as you step back from it and see whale sharks and giant manta rays swimming high above human silhouettes.

Okinawa's best beaches, such as Yonehara Beach and Yonaha Maehama Beach, can be found on islands like Ishigaki and Miyakojima, both of which have their own regional airports with direct flights from Tokyo. One thing to keep in mind when planning a trip is seasonal weather patterns, especially if you're hoping to see the wall calendar image of beaches with blue skies overhead. Okinawa's rainy season starts in May, while typhoon season lasts from June to November. In April — before Japan's Golden Week holiday — the water's usually warm enough for swimming, and you can avoid the crowds and cloud cover of summer.