Chugoku, in Western Honshu: What Kind of Trip Would You Like to Take?
Chugoku is a region in the western part of Honshu, Japan’s main island. It consists of five prefectures: Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi. “Chugoku” here is the name of a region within Japan; it does not refer to the country China.
The Sea of Japan lies to the north and the Seto Inland Sea to the south, with mountains stretching between them. You can find many different landscapes, including islands, historic streets, and hot spring towns in the mountains.
You might explore a coastal town or visit an island. You can also take your time enjoying hot springs and food along the way.
If you have been here before, think of the hotels or other places you stayed. If you are planning a visit, imagine somewhere you would like to stay.
Take a moment to picture your own journey.
How have Chugoku’s hotels and ryokan—traditional Japanese inns—changed through the pandemic?
We will compare guest nights in 2019, before the pandemic; 2021, during it; and 2025, after it, through a map and a data card.
As a way to get to know Chugoku, shall we explore together how its hotels and ryokan have changed?
Explore Hotels and Ryokan in Chugoku on the Map
Select a prefecture on the map to see total guest nights, the share accounted for by foreign nationals, establishments, guest rooms, room occupancy, and other figures. Switch between 2019, 2021, and 2025 to compare changes through the pandemic.
You can also search by prefecture name, use voice search, or move to other regions using the buttons at the bottom of the screen.
Start with a prefecture you have visited or somewhere you would like to go.
How Have Guest Nights Changed in Chugoku?
Total guest nights in Chugoku’s five prefectures fell from 27,582,920 in 2019 to 17,755,500 in 2021. They then rose to 27,192,960 in 2025.
The recovery rate for 2025 compared with 2019 was 98.6%. Guest nights in Chugoku as a whole rebounded substantially, but remained just below the pre-pandemic level.
Guest nights for foreign nationals exceeded the 2019 level, and their share of total guest nights increased.
The number of hotels and ryokan declined compared with fiscal 2019, while the number of guest rooms increased.
Switch between the data card’s tabs to see the breakdown of guest nights, establishments and guest rooms, and licenses issued and closures across the lodging industry as a whole. Comparing the card with the map reveals differences between the figures for Chugoku as a whole and those for each prefecture.
What I Noticed While Making the Map
Guest nights in Chugoku as a whole remained just below the pre-pandemic level. But the picture varies by prefecture: the map also shows a prefecture where guest nights exceeded their earlier level.
Guest nights for foreign nationals exceeded pre-pandemic levels in all five prefectures. The changes in each area look different depending on whether you explore total guest nights, their breakdown, or room occupancy.
From places you remember to places you would like to visit next.
Shall we explore how hotels and ryokan in Chugoku have changed, moving between the map and the data card?
Sources: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Report on Public Health Administration and Services; Japan Tourism Agency, Accommodation Survey.
- Accommodation figures cover the calendar years 2019, 2021, and 2025 (January–December).
- Figures for establishments, guest rooms, licenses issued, and closures cover fiscal years 2019, 2021, and 2024.
- Guest nights count each guest for each night of their stay. One person staying for three nights counts as three guest nights.
- The maps and data cards use the Japanese labels “日本人” (“Japanese”) and “外国人” (“foreign nationals”) to reflect the statistical categories. Guest nights for Japanese nationals are calculated by subtracting guest nights for foreign nationals from total guest nights.
- The recovery rate is calculated as total guest nights in 2025 ÷ total guest nights in 2019 × 100.