2026 Golden Week: Regions with "158% Parking Demand" Emerge, Japan Faces "Parking Shortage" Amid Domestic Travel Shift ~ The Era Where "Inability to Park" Dictates Travel Satisfaction ~

Parking Science Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Naoya Inoue) has analyzed and announced the results of its prefecture-by-prefecture parking demand forecast for the 2026 Golden Week, based on parking data from its own free point-earning parking search app "P-Collection" and public statistical data.

For the 2026 Golden Week, there is a possibility that international travel will become more difficult due to global affairs (closure of the Strait of Hormuz), leading to a concentration of demand for domestic travel. At the same time, due to the impact of rising prices, a preference for "cheap, close, and short" (low cost, short distance, short duration) trips is also expected to strengthen, making it a very unpredictable year where both concentration and dispersion of travel demand occur simultaneously.

In this context, our company focused on the often-overlooked aspect of "parking." The analysis revealed that we are entering an era where "whether you can park your car" rather than "whether you can reach your destination" significantly influences the travel experience.

■ Analysis Overview

This analysis integrates the following data to uniquely calculate parking demand:

Number of parking spaces: P-Collection parking data

Population: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau e-Stat

Number of overnight guests: Japan Tourism Agency "Accommodation Travel Statistics Survey"

Private car usage rate: Japan Tourism Agency "Travel and Tourism Consumption Trend Survey" (49%)

■ Calculation Logic

(Population + Number of overnight guests × Private car usage rate 49%) ÷ Number of parking spaces

This indicator visualizes the "parking load" closer to the actual situation, taking into account car usage by both residents and tourists.

■ Analysis Result ①: Severe "Parking Shortage Areas" Emerge, Up to 158%

It became clear that in the 2026 Golden Week, many regions will experience parking demand significantly exceeding normal demand.

■ Parking Demand Forecast Ranking (Top)

1st: Okinawa Prefecture 158%
2nd: Yamanashi Prefecture 135%
3rd: Nagano Prefecture 132%
4th: Ishikawa Prefecture 129%
5th: Kyoto Prefecture 127%
6th: Hokkaido 127%
7th: Oita Prefecture 126%
8th: Tochigi Prefecture 124%
9th: Nagasaki Prefecture 123%
10th: Mie Prefecture 123%

Exceeding 100% indicates an increase in demand compared to normal, and Okinawa Prefecture, in particular, is expected to experience approximately 1.6 times the normal demand.

This is not just congestion; it means there is a possibility of situations where "you cannot park your car even after arriving at your destination."

■ Analysis Result ②: The Era Where "Inability to Park" Dictates Travel Satisfaction

Until now, what has been emphasized in travel was the destination (where to go), price (how much to spend), and means of transportation (how to get there). However, from this analysis, it is believed that in the future, "whether you can park smoothly at the destination" will become a new factor that greatly influences the quality of the travel experience. In reality, factors such as long hours lost due to waiting for parking, changing destinations due to full parking lots, and increased stress due to traffic jams significantly reduce travel satisfaction. Especially in situations where car travel is expected to increase, such as the 2026 Golden Week, the risk of "inability to park = failed trip" increases.

■ Analysis Result ③: "Cheap, Close, Short" Demand Concentrates in Regional Tourist Destinations

This analysis showed a tendency for demand to concentrate in tourist destinations near the Tokyo metropolitan area, such as Yamanashi, Nagano, and Tochigi prefectures, as well as popular tourist destinations like Okinawa, Kyoto, and Hokkaido, as the "cheap, close, short" preference strengthens. In these regions, car travel is often chosen over public transportation, highlighting a structural bottleneck where parking shortages are likely to occur.

■ Analysis Result ④: The Real Danger Lies in "Mid-sized Tourist Prefectures"

Particular attention should be paid to mid-sized tourist destinations such as Yamanashi Prefecture (135%), Nagano Prefecture (132%), Ishikawa Prefecture (129%), and Mie Prefecture (123%). While these regions are often chosen as "hidden gems," parking supply often cannot keep up, potentially leading to a paradoxical situation where "you went thinking it would be empty, but it's the most crowded."

■ Analysis Result ⑤: Urban Areas are "Congested but Manageable"

In large metropolitan areas such as Tokyo (113%), Osaka (116%), and Aichi (110%), demand is high, but parking supply is also abundant, and the supply-demand balance is relatively stable. Therefore, due to the many parking options and the ease of dispersion, it can be said that these areas are "congested but functional."

■ Structural Risks of 2026 Golden Week

The following factors will overlap in 2026:

"Decrease in overseas travel → Concentration on domestic travel • Increase in car travel → Increase in parking demand"

As a result, a new congestion structure of "domestic travel × car travel × parking shortage" will emerge.

■ Parking Search App "P-Collection"

The parking search app "P-Collection," which supports this analysis, covers over 150,000 parking lots nationwide, representing 83% of the total.