What Will Lure Japanese to the Islands When Costs Soar? Maybe Genki Balls?

Every month, Japanese tourists join local residents to fling small balls containing bacteria and yeast into the Ala Wai canal that defines the northern edge of Waikīkī. 

These so-called “genki balls” are designed to kill the organic matter that fills the canal and causes unpleasant odors. The activity, organized by Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan and a Japanese-based travel company, aims to give Japanese tourists a stake in preserving the places they love to visit. 

“Responsible tourism works because Japanese understand island nations,” says Eric Takahata, Managing Director of Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan. “Groups and incentive travelers want to do more corporate social responsibility and give back.” 

It’s one of a few strategies that local and Japanese companies are deploying to bring more Japanese visitors to Hawaiʻi. 

For decades, Japanese travelers have been a vital source for Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry, but in recent years, the flow of visitors from Japan has slowed. 

Now, Hawaiʻi’s tourism leaders are working to rewrite the playbook by targeting younger travelers and harnessing the power of social media in hopes of rekindling Japan’s love of the islands despite a weak yen. 

Photo courtesy: Genki Balls

The recent decline in visitors echoes prior downdrafts. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million Japanese tourists visited Hawaiʻi. By 2024, that figure had plummeted to just over 720,000, and forecasts for 2025 predict a 20,000 decrease. The main reasons cited by tourism officials is the weak yen rate, continuously rising travel costs and lingering aftershocks of the pandemic. 

According to JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., more Japanese residents are now choosing destinations such as South Korea, Thailand and the continental United States over Hawaiʻi. 

“The consumers in Japan will continue to look at Hawaiʻi as the top destination that they want,” says Ted Kubo, President and CEO of JTB Hawaiʻi, the state’s largest travel company for Japanese visitors. “The problem is figuring out how to bring the tourists back.” 

JTB Hawaiʻi is adapting by meeting travelers where they are – online. The company has ramped up its presence on YouTube and Instagram, showcasing the islands’ beauty and culture to a new generation of Japanese consumers. The travel company offers hotel, transportation and flight packages. 

Japanese flights to Hawaiʻi increased in frequency from late spring into the summer of 2025, with All Nippon Airways resuming daily flights and some incremental upgrades by Japan Airlines. Kubo says that while he cannot disclose visitor numbers, he predicts that online promotions will show an increase by the end of the year. While visitors were cautious at the beginning of the year, he says that August through October numbers show more activity. 

“I hear this from other companies in the industry as well, this springtime wasn’t very active,” he says. “Back then, there were discussions about this new administration coming up with tariffs, and people didn’t know how that would play out in their corporate environment. 

“And when the economy is uncertain, then consumers, due to the uncertainty, kind of wait and see, not spending a lot of money…. 

“People’s behavior has changed,” Kubo adds. “People’s experiences have changed. It is important for Hawaiʻi to be on top of their mind, in every consumer’s mind, when they consider overseas travel.” 

But the financial barriers are steep; Japanese visitors today are paying nearly twice as much for their trips compared to pre-pandemic years, Kubo says, primarily due to the unfavorable exchange rate. While first-time visitors often report that their trips exceed expectations, repeat travelers, who make up more than 70% of the market, are harder to impress and retain. 

The DBEDT’s 2025 forecast is cautious and predicts that Japanese arrivals aren’t expected to surpass 2019 levels until 2030. 

“The Japan market has been kind of recovering in 2025, but it’s been a long road since the pandemic,” says Jennifer Chun, Director of DBEDT Tourism Research. “We see a negative growth for Japan in 2025, but we do expect that the situation with the federal government and our international relations with all the countries, including Japan, should normalize in 2026, [even] 2028.” 

Social media, famous landmarks and movies filmed in Hawaiʻi remain powerful lures for visitors. A recent DBEDT study found that 40% of Japanese visitors cited these influences in their decision to visit Oʻahu. In April 2025, there were 393 scheduled flights from Japan to Hawaiʻi, offering 110,945 seats which was an increase in flights but not in capacity. 

“For Japan, Hawaiʻi is still a very much desired destination, it’s just harder for them to come,” Chun says. “It’s not that they don’t want to come versus Canadian visitors who have said that they don’t want to go to the U.S.” 

The competition for Japanese tourists is fiercer than ever. South Korea and Okinawa offer similar tropical experiences at a lower cost. Mitsue Varley, country director for Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan, says that direct flights to more of the island chain, especially Hawaiʻi Island, could help attract more visitors. She works with airlines and wholesalers to develop new travel products tailored for the Japanese market. 

Photo courtesy: Genki Balls

There isn’t much that can be done in Hawaiʻi about the Japanese yen rate, so Hawaiʻi Tourism Japan, under contract with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, is focused on keeping the market open through partnerships with airlines, hotels and attractions. Campaigns like “Yappari Hawaiʻi” (“Gotta Be Hawaiʻi”) use a multimedia approach, racking up nearly 90 million impressions in 2024 alone. 

With splashes of Waikīkī beach and the big whale from Bishop Museum, one of the most viewed videos of this campaign, features a multi-generational family enjoying the sights. A young couple brings their children and parents around Oʻahu. The short video with 6.2 million views depicts how Hawaiʻi can be a destination location that is fascinating for visitors with young kids or adults. 

The Malama campaign, meanwhile, leans into regenerative tourism highlighting how visitors can give back to the land, and collaborates with Instagram influencers, children’s book publishers, and skincare brands to promote Hawaiʻi’s culture and natural beauty. 

But while Japanese people spend more per trip, their stays are getting shorter. Varley believes the focus should be on attracting so-called “quality tourists” rather than focusing on overall numbers. 

“Japanese visitors are ideal, and people who are coming currently are ideal visitors,” she says. “The Japan market is over 70% repeat visitors, so we need to increase the first-timers.” 

Varley says the Sister City Summit, where 33 Japanese cities send representatives, can be a great start in the process, by creating relationships with two-way exchange programs. The next event will be in Honolulu in May 2026. 

The event will host hundreds of government, business and cultural leaders from Hawaiʻi and Japan to create new projects and initiatives that will mutually benefit both areas. 

Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), says its 2025 forecast projects a 4 percent total arrivals decline over the next two years, with a $1.6 billion reduction in real visitor spending by 2026, largely due to tariff wars and higher vacation costs. 

Financial concerns remain the biggest obstacle for Japanese travelers. UHERO said more than 64% of vacationers told DBEDT they won’t return because of high costs, financial constraints and the yen exchange rate. 

Yet, HTJ’s Varley remains optimistic. “The Japanese market has a long history of relationships, and also still the largest market in international market,” he says. “So you’ve got to be patient, and we cannot give up. We have to keep putting the resources [in], and then when it’s slowly coming back, it’s coming back.”