Photo/Illutration The centuries-old Kenrokuen in Kanazawa is one of the most popular Japanese gardens in the country. (Yota Kosaki)

KANAZAWA–Despite a devastating New Year's Day earthquake in the prefecture, foreign visitors to the famed Kenrokuen garden here have topped 500,000 for the first time, setting a new record.

Thanks to the booming tourism, the number reached 502,505 at the end of November, surpassing the previous high of about 475,000, recorded in 2019, according to Ishikawa Prefecture.

The surge was driven by more visitors from the United States, Australia and Europe, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

A total of 209,639 people from these countries visited the iconic spot, one of the three most famed gardens in Japan, an increase of nearly 70 percent compared to 2019.

In contrast, tourists from Asia fell by more than 20 percent, with a total of 210,257 visitors from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The number of international visitors to the garden peaked in October at 73,569, followed by May at 71,244.

Data from Kenrokuen serves as an indicator of broader trends in inbound tourism across the prefecture.

With domestic visitors also on the rise, the garden is playing a key role in helping the local tourism sector recover from the challenges posed by the Jan. 1 earthquake that hit the northern part of the prefecture.

Related News