Travel

In 2026, Japan's luxury hotel industry is undergoing a major transformation. International brands are shifting from simply entering Japan to broadcasting Japanese cultural context globally. Discover how hotels are moving from traditional prestige-focused service to immersive experience-driven hospitality, featuring Aman, Andaz, Bulgari, and more.

JUNGLIA Okinawa opened in July 2025 to a backlash: 430-minute queues, a review-deletion controversy, and attendance below plan. At its first anniversary in July 2026, first-year attendance came to about one million against a 1.5-million break-even benchmark, while the local economic ripple effect was put at 49.4 billion yen.