"Gen Z travelers are flocking to Japan in record numbers, and many say they are chasing something they no longer expect to find at home: everyday civility. American Express Travel data show bookings to Japan among Gen Z and millennials have surged 1,300% since 2019, turning the country into an idealized escape where trains are on time, streets are spotless, and strangers are unfailingly polite."
"What began as a niche interest in anime, manga, and sushi has hardened into a full-blown obsession for young Americans, especially Gen Z. Netflix reported in 2025 that anime viewership has tripled over five years, mirroring a travel boom that has made Japan one of the most coveted stamps in a Gen Z passport. For many first‑time visitors, Tokyo is the must‑see, less as a historic"
"The roots of this fixation go back decades, as Japan slowly shifted from an economic juggernaut to a cultural superpower exporting everything from Tamagotchi toys to Pokémon and "Naruto." Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye called this kind of influence "soft power"-a quiet seduction built not on military might but on ideas, aesthetics, and entertainment. This comes as even Nye says President Donald Trump is leading a notable decline in America's soft power."
Gen Z and millennials are traveling to Japan in record numbers, with American Express Travel reporting a 1,300% surge in bookings since 2019. Young Americans' early interest in anime, manga, and sushi has expanded into a broad cultural obsession, with Netflix reporting anime viewership tripling over five years. Tokyo functions as a living set familiar from online videos, offering punctual trains, spotless streets, and polite strangers that appeal as everyday civility. Decades of cultural export—Tamagotchi, Pokémon, Naruto—have built Japan's soft power, while scholars note Japanese cultural elements have become normalized in Western life.
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