I used to go on travels to nearby Asian countries with some of my Japanese friends back in my student years, and later on I started going on holidays with my Japanese partner and in-laws.
When statistics show that most Japanese do not travel abroad, I fully understand them. One thing is the price, but another issue I have noticed is the mindset, which stems from their low amount of holidays they have. Going abroad in my experience has rarely been about relaxing or getting immersed in different cultures. Instead it's more about checking boxes and getting all the "required" pictures and gifts before going back home.
I remember this being my first culture shock when I started going on trips with friends back in university. When going to a new country (in our case Malaysia) there was ZERO interest in learning anything about the country unless there was a tour for it. Going off the beaten track? Visiting local restaurants instead of the overpriced tourist traps? Forget it! Everything HAD to go according to the Japanese guidebook, and we were on the move constantly to see what the guidebook told us to see.
The same experience happened again when I started travelling with my Japanese family. There is never any spontaneous decisions. If I dare to suggest we try out a smaller more authentic restaurant where locals eat, they will immediately ask if there is anything famous about the place, or they will take out their phones and see if there are any Japanese reviews about the place. If not, then it's a no-go.
Since I am working with a European company I luckily have 6 weeks holiday compared to the 10 days my Japanese partner have, so we have actually made an agreement that whenever we go on holiday somewhere I will stay 1 week longer by myself and do all the off-track activities. It has honestly been a blessing, because after spending a holiday the "Japanese way" I am so exhausted that I actually need that extra holiday.
If this is how the majority of Japanese people spend their holidays, I fully understand why many choose to simply stay home or go to onsen.
by Cph265