Japan a choice destination for Pinoys for spring – Klook

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March 5, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Prices of basic goods may be rising, but Filipinos are still planning to visit Japan between March and May for the spring season to see its one-of-a-kind cherry blossoms, according to a survey.

Based on Klook’s Spring Readiness Index, Japan is preferred by 78 percent of travelers in Asia, including the Philippines, as their spring destination this year.

Klook, a booking platform, surveyed about 900 travelers from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India about their spring plans.

Japan emerged as the preferred destination of the travelers, with many of them excited to see the full bloom of cherry blossoms. South Korea came next with 52 percent, as the country showcases flower festivals and vibrant landscapes during spring.

Klook Philippines general manager Michelle Ho said Filipinos are one of the most inclined to fly to Japan in the March-to-May stretch. Apart from wanting to travel, they are trying to escape the Philippine dry season, when temperatures usually climb to the mid-30 degrees Celsius.

Citing data from 2025’s spring travels, Ho said Filipinos tend to wander Japan’s secondary cities, avoiding the usual crowds of Tokyo.

In particular, Filipinos go to regional cities like Hiroshima, Nagoya and Sennan, with short stops in Fukuoka, Ono and Sapporo.

In South Korea, beyond Seoul, Filipinos visit the scenic provinces of Gangwon-do, Gyeonggi-do and Jeju, as they also explore historic sites in Gyeongju and Chungcheongnam-do.

Ho said the index showed that Filipinos are becoming more confident in planning trips, including to costly destinations like Jap an. Just as affordability is a factor, Filipinos also value experience in their travel, prioritizing time-limited spectacles like Japan’s cherry blossoms.

The results of the Klook index comes at a time when Filipinos are dealing with successive price hikes. Inflation – the average increase in goods prices – rose to an 11-month high of two percent in January on higher utility and leisure costs.

The survey was also conducted prior to the ongoing war in the Middle East, where Iran is firing back to avenge its leader who died at the hands of US-Israel attacks.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East is igniting unprecedented damage to oil trade, pushing up fuel prices in import-dependent economies like the Philippines.