Japan has seen a marked increase in tourist arrivals since the start of the current decade, and this paper presents a case study of the country as a destination for overseas leisure visitors and recent trends. The factors and forces underlying the upturn are examined to reveal the importance of national conditions in the country as a whole alongside government tourism policy, attractions and amenities, access and mobility and destination marketing. These emerge as key determinants of the destination development process with international conditions also playing a role. Further growth in Japan's inbound tourism is expected in the years leading up to 2020 when it will host the Olympic Games, but the multiple influences at work create some uncertainty about the future as well as new opportunities. While exhibiting distinctive characteristics, the case does afford more general insights into how and why states acquire the heightened popularity attendant on destination development. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.