This is an English translation of our Japanese article. The Japanese version and official announcements from the Japan Tourism Agency and each prefecture are authoritative. Booking start dates differ by prefecture and by sales channel — check before you book. For individual tax decisions, consult a tax office or a licensed tax accountant.
Last updated: 22 September 2026. Based on the announcement by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on 28 August 2026, the Japan Tourism Agency’s official page and each prefecture’s own disclosures (as of 22 September, both Nagasaki and Kumamoto have suspended their booking-site allocations). All seven prefectures now have a booking outlook. Kagoshima (national program), the last one outstanding, published an outline on 17 September: bookings are expected from mid-October, covering stays to the end of February 2027. In Nagasaki and Kumamoto, the Jalan and Rakuten allocations have hit their budget ceilings and applications are closed. Details may still change — check official sources before booking.
Update (21 September 2026): Nagasaki's early sales have been suspended. The advance sale through Jalan and Rakuten Travel, which opened at 10:00 on 15 September and was meant to run until 29 November, hit its budget ceiling in six days; the prefecture's official page now states that applications have been suspended. The next windows are unchanged: direct booking with accommodation providers opens at 10:00 on 28 September (for check-outs up to 26 December), and travel agencies and other booking sites follow on 30 September. Bookings for December stays through Jalan and Rakuten are expected to go on sale from mid-November.
Kumamoto’s booking-site allocation has now sold out too. The Jalan and Rakuten quotas hit their budget ceiling immediately after sales opened on 15 September; Jalan reopened at 10:00 a.m. on 16 September and closed again the same day[Jalan: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari]. On Rakuten, the 9,090 one-night coupons and 3,390 two-night coupons have all gone on a first-come basis[Rakuten Travel: Kumamoto]. Direct bookings with accommodation providers and bookings through travel agencies continue, with each operator selling as it becomes ready. Next come Saga and Fukuoka on 24 September (noon), then Miyazaki at 10:00 a.m. and Oita at noon on 25 September. Kagoshima (national program) published an outline on 17 September: bookings are expected from mid-October, and eligible stays run to the end of February 2027 (excluding 26 December to 3 January) — the only one of the seven that crosses into the new year[Kagoshima Prefecture: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (updated 17 September)]. As Nagasaki showed, there is no reliable tactic other than booking on the day sales open. Reservations made before the sales start date are not eligible, so booking early costs you the discount.
The short answer. To revive tourism hit by the July 2026 Kumamoto earthquake, Japan will subsidise travel across Kyushu under the Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (Kyushu recovery travel discount) from stays on 1 October 2026 onward. The discount is 50% across Kyushu's seven prefectures, and 60% in Kumamoto and Kagoshima, capped at ¥20,000 per night for accommodation, ¥30,000 for multi-night packages with transport, and ¥35,000 for multi-prefecture tours. The budget is ¥15.5bn of MLIT reserve funds, and the scheme ends when the money runs out — in 2016, some discounted products sold out on day one. This article works out the room rates that use the discount fully, and covers a point most travel sites skip: the discount counts as taxable occasional income.
The scheme on one page
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Recover travel demand after the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake (28 July, maximum intensity 7) triggered mass cancellations |
| Area | Stays of one night or more in Kyushu's seven prefectures (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima) |
| Discount | 50% of travel and accommodation costs; 60% in Kumamoto and Kagoshima, where cancellations were heaviest |
| Caps | Accommodation or one-night package with transport: ¥20,000 per night / packages of two nights or more with transport: ¥30,000 / tours spanning two or more prefectures: ¥35,000 |
| Start | Stays from 1 October 2026. Each prefecture sets its own booking start date; six of the seven had published theirs as of 18 September (see the next section) |
| End | Expected to end when each prefecture's allocation is used up |
| How to use | The state funds each prefecture; the discount is applied at booking through travel agencies, booking sites and hotels — no application forms, no reimbursement paperwork |
After the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the similar "Kyushu Fukko Wari" (budget about ¥18bn, up to 70% off in Kumamoto and Oita) saw popular discount packages sell out on the first day. Expect the same scramble: decide where to go before bookings open, not after.
Booking start dates by prefecture — Kagoshima runs from mid-October to the end of February 2027
The discount applies to stays from 1 October, but booking start dates differ by prefecture — and within a prefecture they differ by sales channel: online booking sites, direct booking with the hotel, and travel agencies. Combining the Japan Tourism Agency’s page (updated 18 September), each prefecture’s announcements and the booking sites’ status as of 22 September:
| Prefecture | Discount | Bookings open | Eligible stays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto | 60% | Sales opened 15 September, 10:00 a.m. Booking sites (Jalan, Rakuten): budget ceiling reached, applications suspended (16 September) Hotels and travel agencies: operators sell as they become ready | 1 Oct – 25 Dec |
| Nagasaki | 50% | Booking sites (Jalan, Rakuten) 15 September = budget ceiling reached, applications suspended Hotels: 28 September, 10:00 a.m. Travel agencies and others: 30 September | Hotel bookings cover 1 Oct – 26 Dec check-out December stays on Jalan and Rakuten expected from mid-November |
| Saga | 50% | Booking sites: 24 September, noon Travel agencies: 2 October Hotels: early October | 1 Oct – 25 Dec |
| Fukuoka | 50% | 24 September | 1 Oct – 15 Dec (ten days shorter than the rest) |
| Miyazaki | 50% | Booking sites: 25 September, 10:00 a.m. Hotels and travel agencies: 28 September | 1 Oct – 25 Dec |
| Oita | 50% | Booking sites (four sites): 25 September, noon Travel agencies: 9 October Hotels: 16 October | 1 Oct – 25 Dec |
| Kagoshima | 60% | Mid-October expected (announced 17 September) Three channels: hotels, in-prefecture travel agencies, booking sites | Mid-October – end of February 2027 (excluding 26 Dec – 3 Jan) Discount funding of up to ¥3,023,120,000 |
Four things worth noting.
- Within one prefecture, dates can differ by up to three weeks. In Oita, booking sites open on 25 September but travel agencies on 9 October and hotels on 16 October. Nagasaki is split too: booking sites 15 September, hotels 28 September, other agencies 30 September. "Oita starts on the 25th" is not enough — the channel you actually use may not be selling yet.
- Eligible stay periods differ too. Five prefectures run 1 October to 25 December, but Fukuoka stops at 15 December — ten days shorter. On top of that, Nagasaki's Jalan and Rakuten tranche covers only stays to 30 November (checkout 1 December); December stays go on sale later. If you are planning something close to the year end, check your destination's cut-off first.
- Kagoshima (national program) is the only one that crosses into the new year. The outline the prefecture published on 17 September puts the booking start in mid-October, covers stays from mid-October to the end of February 2027 (excluding 26 December to 3 January), and sets the discount funding at up to ¥3,023,120,000[Kagoshima Prefecture: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (updated 17 September)][Travel Watch, 17 September]. The other six finish in December, so Kagoshima is the only place where the discount can be used for a January or February trip to Kyushu. The prefecture’s own “Kagoshima Kanko Ouenwari” (up to 60% off, ¥20,000 cap) runs to stays of 13 October, and the national program picks up from there.
- Booking-site allocations run out within hours. In Kumamoto, the Jalan and Rakuten quotas hit their ceiling immediately after sales opened on 15 September, and even after reopening on the 16th they closed again the same day. Nagasaki lasted six days. When the booking sites close, the allocations for direct hotel bookings and travel agencies are separate, so that is where to try next.
If you book first, you lose the discount. Kumamoto states explicitly that "travel products already booked are not eligible," and Nagasaki that "only reservations made on or after the sales start date qualify; earlier reservations are not eligible." Reserving a room early to secure it means you cannot switch to the discounted rate later. The right move is to wait for the booking start date and book the discounted product itself. If you have already booked, ask the property or booking site whether you can rebook before cancellation fees apply.
Helplines differ by prefecture: Fukuoka 050-1732-4650, Saga 050-1732-4649, Nagasaki 050-1732-4652 (customer call centre), Kumamoto 0800-111-9449 (Kumamoto Fukko Ouenwari office), Oita 050-1732-4651, Miyazaki 050-3515-5832, and Kagoshima via the prefectural switchboard on 099-286-2111. None of them takes accommodation bookings.
How long will the ¥15.5bn budget last?
The ¥15.5bn is distributed by the national government to the seven prefectures, and each prefecture's allocation funds its discounts. There is no fixed end date — the remaining budget is the real deadline. At an average discount of ¥5,000 per person-night it covers about 3.1 million person-nights; at ¥10,000, about 1.55 million; if everyone maxes out the ¥20,000 cap, about 770,000. Oita's own numbers (about ¥1.08bn for 54,000+ person-nights) imply roughly ¥20,000 per person-night — prefectures expect bookings near the cap. In 2016 a larger budget (about ¥18bn) was used up in six months, so if you plan to travel this year, plan to book on day one.
The room rates that use the discount fully
"60% off" stops being 60% once you hit the cap. Working backwards:
| Product type | Cap | Full benefit at 60% (Kumamoto/Kagoshima) | Full benefit at 50% (other five) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation / 1-night package | ¥20,000 per night | Rooms up to about ¥33,000/night | Up to ¥40,000/night |
| 2+ nights with transport | ¥30,000 | Packages up to ¥50,000 | Up to ¥60,000 |
| Multi-prefecture tour | ¥35,000 | Up to about ¥58,000 | Up to ¥70,000 |
A ¥33,000 room in Kumamoto gets ¥19,800 off — nearly the full cap. A ¥60,000 luxury ryokan still gets only ¥20,000 off, an effective 33%. Rooms in the ¥30,000–40,000 range are the sweet spot. Cheaper rooms lose nothing either: a ¥10,000 night costs you ¥4,000 in Kumamoto or Kagoshima.
Accommodation tax and hot-spring tax will likely be excluded, as they were under Go To Travel and the nationwide travel support scheme. Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City and Nagasaki City levy accommodation taxes, and Kumamoto City plans to introduce one — a few hundred yen per night billed on top of the discounted price. See our nationwide accommodation tax list.
The tax angle: the discount is "occasional income"
Japan's National Tax Agency classified Go To Travel subsidies as occasional income (ichiji shotoku) for the traveller, and the same treatment is expected here. Before you worry: occasional income carries a ¥500,000 annual special deduction, so nothing is taxed unless your combined occasional income for the year exceeds that.
Example: a family of four, two nights in Kumamoto (package with transport)
¥50,000 package per person × 60% = ¥30,000 discount (exactly the cap)
Four people = ¥120,000 in subsidies
→ Well within the ¥500,000 deduction if there is no other occasional income. No filing, no tax.
The catch is that the ¥500,000 threshold applies to occasional income in total. Watch out if in the same year you also received: furusato nozei return gifts (also occasional income, roughly 30% of the donation — see the furusato nozei guide), maturity or surrender proceeds from life insurance, prize winnings, or other travel campaign discounts. Even then, only half of the excess over ¥500,000 is added to your taxable income.
How it compares with 2016
| Item | 2016 Kyushu Fukko Wari | 2026 Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (April) | 2026 Kumamoto earthquake (28 July, intensity 7) |
| Budget | About ¥18bn | ¥15.5bn (MLIT reserve funds) |
| Top rate | Up to 70% (Kumamoto, Oita); 50% elsewhere | 60% (Kumamoto, Kagoshima); 50% elsewhere |
| Period | July–December 2016 | Stays from 1 October 2026; ends when funds run out |
The top rate is lower but Kagoshima joined the top tier, reflecting heavy cancellations around Sakurajima and Kirishima. With a smaller budget and high rates, the money may run out faster than in 2016.
Support for earthquake victims themselves — housing, livelihood, tax relief — runs on separate schemes; see our Kumamoto earthquake support guide and donations and deductions.
Frequently asked questions
Is a trip I have already booked eligible for the discount?
No. Kumamoto states explicitly that "travel products already booked are not eligible," and Nagasaki that "only reservations made on or after the sales start date qualify; earlier reservations are not eligible." Other prefectures are expected to follow the same rule. To get the discount you must book again, as a discounted product, on or after your prefecture’s booking start date. If you have already booked, check with the property or booking site whether you can rebook before cancellation fees apply.
When does the discount start?
The discount applies to stays from 1 October 2026, but booking start dates differ by prefecture. As of 22 September, Kumamoto has been on sale since 15 September, but its Jalan and Rakuten allocations have hit the budget ceiling and are suspended (accommodation providers and travel agencies keep selling as they become ready). Nagasaki’s advance sale on the same two sites, also from 15 September, has likewise been suspended on reaching its budget ceiling; direct bookings with accommodation providers open at 10:00 a.m. on 28 September and travel agencies on 30 September. Saga and Fukuoka open on 24 September, and Miyazaki and Oita on 25 September (booking sites in each case). Kagoshima (national program) is expected to open bookings in mid-October, covering stays to the end of February 2027. Fukuoka’s eligible stays end on 15 December, ten days earlier than the other five. Within a prefecture, direct hotel bookings and travel agencies usually start later, so check the date for the channel you will actually use.
Where do I book, and which booking sites are covered?
Channels and dates differ by prefecture. Nagasaki and Miyazaki launched with an advance sale on two sites, Jalan and Rakuten Travel (15 September and 25 September respectively), with direct hotel bookings and other agencies following. Saga opens booking sites on 24 September, travel agencies on 2 October and hotels in early October. Oita runs booking sites 25 September, travel agencies 9 October, hotels 16 October. Fukuoka opens on 24 September, and Kumamoto lets operators start selling as they become ready. Because dates can differ by up to three weeks within one prefecture, go by the start date for the site you use.
How large is the discount?
50% of travel and accommodation costs, or 60% in Kumamoto and Kagoshima, capped at ¥20,000 per night for accommodation or one-night packages, ¥30,000 for multi-night packages with transport, and ¥35,000 for tours spanning two or more prefectures. The 60% rate applies in full up to a room rate of about ¥33,000 per night.
Is the discount taxable?
The National Tax Agency treated Go To Travel subsidies as occasional income, and the same is expected here. Occasional income has a ¥500,000 annual special deduction, so no tax arises unless your total occasional income for the year — including furusato nozei return gifts and life insurance maturity proceeds — exceeds that amount. Even then only half of the excess is taxed.
How long will it run?
There is no common end date. The budget is ¥15.5bn of MLIT reserve funds distributed to the prefectures, and the scheme is expected to end as each allocation runs out. The five prefectures with published dates — Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Saga, Miyazaki and Oita — cover stays from 1 October to 25 December, except that Nagasaki’s advance sale on Jalan and Rakuten Travel runs only to 30 November, with December stays sold later. Kagoshima (national program) alone covers stays from mid-October to the end of February 2027 (excluding 26 December to 3 January), so it is the only one that can still be used after the new year. In 2016 some popular products sold out on the first day, so book early once reservations open.
Sources
- Japan Tourism Agency: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari official page (booking dates and eligible stays by prefecture, updated regularly; this article reflects the 18 September update)
- Fukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari Fukuoka campaign (bookings from 24 September, stays 1 October to 15 December, 50% off capped at 20,000 yen)
- Kumamoto Prefecture: "Kumamoto Fukko Ouenwari" (10:00 a.m. start on 15 September, existing bookings excluded, helpline)
- Nagasaki Prefecture: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (Jalan and Rakuten Travel advance sale from 10:00 a.m. on 15 September; direct bookings 28 September; other channels 30 September; call centre)
- Oita Prefecture: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (about ¥1.08bn; bookings by late September)
- Kumamoto tourism site: accommodation subsidies by area (municipal top-ups; some have already closed)
- Kagoshima Prefecture: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari project (updated 17 September; reported by Travel Watch)
- Jalan: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (status by prefecture; Kumamoto and Nagasaki are suspended)
- Rakuten Travel: Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari (first-come coupon allocations and start times)
- Japan Meteorological Agency, 2026 Kumamoto earthquake portal
- National Tax Agency, Tax Answer No. 1490: Occasional income
- Nikkei, 28 August 2026
This article is general information based on the announcement as of 28 August 2026. Booking dates and product details are set by each prefecture — always check official announcements before booking. Consult a tax office or licensed tax accountant for individual tax decisions.
