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© 2025 AFPJapan's tourism boom prices out business travelers
By Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Newgirlintown
And continues to turn Japanese people against foreigners as the Japanese media creates a modern folk devil.
Pukey2
I remember the days when an oridnary business hotel could cost nearly the same price.
Last year, I stayed in a Tokyo hotel with friends who had come from abroad and paid for my room so that we would be together. The price doubled on the weekends! These hotels are laughing all the way to the bank.
diagonalslip
I always stay at the same business hotel in Shinjuku..... they keep the same tariff year-round, with Fridays and Saturdays only slightly dearer than weeknights. prices haven't changed in the years I've been going there and I pay not very much more than the 'starting' capsule price mentioned in this article. stayed at other hotels too during Covid, but of course, as soon as that was over, almost all hotels doubled or tripled their prices.....
Asiaman7
A hot spring town?
Kojima begins by telling us that business hotel prices have become so high that his company’s employees must now stay at cheap ¥5,000 capsule hotels.
And he concludes by saying he might even resort to “organizing a meeting in a hot spring town near Tokyo”?
Accommodations at a hot spring town are going to be far greater than ¥5,000, even if that hot spring town is near Tokyo.
John-San
Well foreigner are the modern folk devil. The white tourist yokai with their strange clothing, The female nakedness with their skin tight revealing form fitting outfits, the man wearing silly looking tight denim shorts. Their alien speech and alien patent of speech, The tourist yokai opposition to conformity. Their demanding mannerisms or non manners, rudeness to be blunt to the everyday Japanese worker who is getting exposed to a totally different world where getting a decent night sleep in a comfortable hotel has diminished due to the tourist yokai who has plenty of money to throw around. This is what in the minds of the everyday salaryman. The Tokyo Tourist boss seems to be targeting the tourist potential of the Shizuoka Izu Peninsular eastern coast line without actual say it. It has a kind of pop culture feel to it. The surfy easy going relaxed attitude of the area would be of akin to Cal tourist yokai.
Pukey2
Some people are down-voting everyone here simply because we have one or two legitimate complaints.
P_C
France, Spain, Italy and Turkey all have had over 60 million visitors for decades with little negative outpour ;-
You can do it Thomas the Train Japan
Geeter Mckluskie
Nothing wrong with capsule hotels. I stay in them often, they're comfortable, clean and cheap.
Also, there are capsule hotels that are half of what is claimed to be the "starting rate" of ¥5000 a night.
And this guy is mewling about ¥5000 a night?!!
JeffLee
I predicted at the outset that promoting international tourism would create more negatives than positives. Pushing an industry that that pays rock-bottom prices in an economy with a severe labor shortage is madness. I think it's more about vanity than economics. Well, we're all paying the price now.
divinda
Being that Tokyo is a major int'l city, when priced in dollars and compared to what's available in comparative places like NY or London or Dubai or Paris, those Tokyo hotel rates are pretty cheap.
Geeter Mckluskie
Pushing the severe labour shortage narrative is naive. There are 125 million people in Japan. There is no shortage of labour...only a short-changing in terms of remuneration.
Abe234
Why not have two prices. One for tourists and one for residents in Japan. Just show your license or my number or health card to get the residents price.
i know some countries that do that. The local popu get to enjoy their country without feeling being ripped off and the tourists pay the extra.
Japan often has two prices for men and women to go to certain places, so it’s doable.
sakurasuki
Govt think that all traveler are the same, while in reality there is business traveler, domestic traveler, tourist traveler and international traveler.
kurisupisu
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In the 21st century meetings can be held internationally without even leaving the office.
The businesses in the article need to upgrade their tech.
WeiWei
That’s the inflation for you. Narrative pushed for 30+ years that it is a good thing.
Don’t forget, normal people ALWAYS lose in an inflationary situation.
Japan’s best years were the ”lost decades” when inflation was 0. It’s only gone worse since then.
yildiray
My wife works for a major hotel chain in Tokyo and the bit this article seems to have missed is that they can’t open all their rooms like they used to. Weak yen means foreign staff are really hard to bring over, so hotels are closing up to 30% of rooms on a given day. This means prices have to be raised to cover the lost opportunity, and the demand makes that possible.
Bobby Franks
Interesting idea, but what would be the benefit to the hotels/accommodations?
They’re already operating at nearly full capacity, so how would lowering prices for residents benefit them?
The government could cover the balance for residents, but we don’t really want our taxes used to subsidize hotel stays, do we?
wallace
In the first half of 2024, the occupancy rate for hotels in Tokyo was almost 78%. This is slightly higher than the previous year's rate of 76%.
Geeter Mckluskie
France's land mass is 551,700 km²
MarkX
Weiwei, exactly, we kept hearing deflation is bad, people put off buying goods, the economy stagnates. Well, I think people were buying, traveling and things were humming along much better than they are now. For the poster who said that Tokyo hotel rates are cheap compared to other international cities, most of the places you mentioned, the remuneration is much higher so even the locals can still enjoy their own countries!
TokyoLiving
Rise prices only for foreign tourists..
Problem solved..
factchecker
Japanese hotels, by and large are horrible. Too small, mean with pillows and a disgusting breakfast in the morning awaits. All manageable if cheap. Now they've jacked up the prices to cash in, forget it
Geeter Mckluskie
https://adventure.com/venice-locals-squatting-against-overtourism-photography/
This regarding the false claim that overtourism in Europe has had "little negative *impact"
Blacksamurai
Please - 'fighting back against over-tourism'? J Business people can't find their usual capsule hotel accommodation in a crowded city and could have booked it beforehand or gone to an alternative especially as they are Japanese and have no language/other barriers?
I'm all for J people pushing back against rude tourists and rude foreign residents who contribute zip to the society and country but all these semi hysterical articles about tourism are sounding dumb and dumber. Reality check number 1 - the J govt is responsible for tourist numbers and wants them, go complain there. Number 2 - places like Kyoto and elsewhere in Japan that get big tourist yen had a lot of people there shaking their heads over no tourism during the Covid pandemic and saying they were losing too much money.
Reality check 3 - just ask Canadians and Australians how it is to not be able to buy or rent in their own country because their immigration/international student intakes are too high and aint keeping pace with housing. When I last visited Australia, a country I love, I was shocked by all the homeless in the cities I used to go to when they didn't have those problems. Same with Canada. I was also shocked by the big jump in foreign buyers with big money, often from the PRC, able to outpay the locals for buying and renting houses and apartments.
When Japanese people have this problem instead of a whine about hotels and tourism, I'll listen seriously.
Geeter Mckluskie
If you're rich, perhaps. In which case you can manage the "jacked up prices"
Geeter Mckluskie
The irony here is the mewling is coming from a guy in the IT sector
Lindsay
Karaoke bars are the cheapest overnight stays in Tokyo. Most are only around ¥1,000 from midnight to dawn plus meals and drinks.
didou
Oshogatsu, Golden Week and Obon mass move all over the country have never been an issue, as part of the tradition.
It took me one 7 hours to do 120km on the highway. Never moved again during that overbusy periods.
There is no overtourism but all tourists are around the same spots and that’s the problem for a small country like Japan
jib
Even with a weak yen, you get a good hit in the 1st week,
By the end of the 2nd week, you are ready to go home.
owzer
And hotels won't rent to locals. Duh.
didou
Total spending by tourists in 2024 estimated to be over 8 兆円、or more than 50 BUSD., a record.
The few complaints are not an issue for the government
Antiquesaving
And the xenophobia is in full swing.
Reminds me when I first arrived in Japan and the hotel cancelled our reservation when they found out my Japanese wife was with a gaijin telling us the policy didn't permit Japanese women with foreign men. (It was a regular hotel).
Next they will blame foreigners for the thousands of izakya bankruptcies we saw and are seeing despite the business they bring.
You mean like hiking prices and taxes which makes it more expensive for Japanese also?
We'll start by example.
15 years ago where do you thing my children's public school tip was to? That's right Kyoto and Nara, where was my wife's school trip to? Again Kyoto and Nara, my friends Jr high son's trip this year? Again Kyoto and Nara.
Seems funny that the government wants foreigners to go to different places but the Japanese all go to the same places that are complaining.
Company trips, school trips business meetings all go to the same "tourist" destinations.
Antiquesaving
It isn't tourists, it is the cost of living.
Why did my local Izakaya raise prices? Because the cost of food is up, cost of utilities are up, my cost for these are up and it has nothing to do with tourists.
I have to go to Niigata soon, if I remember an article, Niigata gets about 0.6% of the foreign tourists coming to Japan, but all the places we usually stay have increased their prices and when we asked why, the reply wasn't over tourism, it was the general costs of everything.
mu-da
That guy is working in the IT business? I cursery glance at the largest business hotel chain reveals that Toyoko Inn offers several hotels in Tokyo locations for just under ¥10,000. Seems like a really badly researched article or someone doesn't know how to use the internet.
GuruMick
Have the meetings in Laos.
Antiquesaving
I remember back during the Bubble places like Canada were complaining about Japanese tourists and that they were paying high prices and taking up all the accomodations in all the top tourist sites like Banff, Lake Louise, etc...
The reaction was to call anyone complaining "racist". Food for thought.
Geeter Mckluskie
"And the xenophobia is in full swing."
>
Antiquesaving
Read the article.
You get what you give!
Chabbawanga
there is always a bar open somewhere
Blacksamurai
And all the talk about 'funneling visitors elsewhere' will do jack if those other places especially in regional Japan where nature is the attraction don't have infratructue or staff or services/conveniences/shopping to accommodate non J tourist numbers.
Mr Takuto Yasuda needs to get out of his little bubble of a research office if he thinks 'funneling' is an appropriate way to talk about tourists who don't want to go to places that are not up to hosting them. Paris is a huge destination for tourists and always has been but the French Govt or people in research institutes or tourism organisations are not angsting about that and talking about ways to get them to go elsewhere in France.
Japanese people and foreign residents known of great places to go all over Japan because we live here. You can't tell foreign visitors who don't to go off to the regions and support places like the Tohoku region for example that simply aint got the youthful population to be flexible enough to offer tourist services especially in different languages. Nor the infrastructure and shopping areas that tourists like. Saying tourists can go to a ryokan doesn't magically transform the people running it into people capable of hosting and making comfortable international visitors.
And when you've got places all over Japan like Tottori that have breathtaking nature but depressing and shabby old shopping areas, with many shops shuttered, it's not encouraging for international visitors to hang around there. The Japanese people mentioned in this article seem to live on Planet We Used To Be.
wallace
I am happy to live in a location that does not see many tourists.
Hiro
The solution isn't difficult: build more hotels. If you can really sell out small rooms in a business hotel for Y20k a night, there's a profit to be made.
kohakuebisu
and
How dare you challenge the thrust of this article with FACTS! I want some outrage to go with my cornflakes.
We stayed in Kanto twice last year, once just past Disneyland and the other time (Toyoko) near Saitama Stadium. Not Tokyo but both by big nearby attractions. Both times were 20,000 yen for a four beds with parking. The mystery then is how they make any money.
grc
Newgirlintown - superb comment
MarkX
This exactly! The area I live in has some remarkable scenery and natural beauty! But it is spread out, and there is no good public transportation, so you'll need a car, or taxi, which is pricey and not so convenient. Also, there are just not the facilities that foreign tourists want. The hotels are old, from the bubble era but have never really been updated. The newer hotels are all business type, which are pretty small and budget minded. Finally a lot of places don't have menus of staff who can communicate in other languages leading to a lot of problems.
So don't talk about funneling people to local areas they are not equipped or ready for these tourists. Thus Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto are in such demand!
Alongfortheride
People are down voting this story as 80% of the people reading it are either foreigners living in Japan or tourists.
SarcasmOnly
Another day, another tourism article.
Geeter Mckluskie
Your comments say it all
Abe234
sakurasukiToday 08:01 am JST
Domestic/business travelers wouldn’t need to pay extra if they live and work in Japan if there were two prices. The international business travelers don’t pay it because their company is paying and they aren’t sticking them in cheap places anyway,so they can afford it(or adjust the accommodation style accordingly) international toursist could pay the extra charge leaving the people I. Japan to enjoy the country we now call home.
The only people that want inflation are the politicians to reduce the value of the national debt. Investors so they can beat inflations and cream the profits from companies (at the expense of the workers) and to allow home owners to think their home is more valuable today than it was 20 years ago. To then sell it, take the profits, and give it to the nursing home who forced you to sell up, so they can take your money, make a profit, and pay out dividends.
when inflation is zero, I didn’t need a wage increase, I could still invest and still make money. Now salaries will always but always be behind inflation.
salary inflation is very very bad, but profit inflation, house inflation is somehow seen as good. It’s all smoke and mirrors and only benefits National debt, politicians, homeowners,landlords, and investors.the rest of us………
Abe234
AlongfortherideToday 11:08 am JST
People are down voting this story as 80% of the people reading it are either foreigners living in Japan or tourists.
I disagree. They’re downvoting it maybe because they are being forced to pay extra for something they should have access too but we’re being squeezed out by greedy companies.
I think the Japanese are also upset at paying extra for basic nothing extra.
I still think a two tier price system might be better. Residents in Japan pay one price and non residents can pay the surcharge. (That would be my suggestion) residents are happy, hotels still get to fill the rooms and the city get their tax surcharge. Everyone’s a winner.
Abe234
Bobby FranksToday 08:12 am JST
Interesting idea, but what would be the benefit to the hotels/accommodations?
They’re already operating at nearly full capacity, so how would lowering prices for residents benefit them?
The government could cover the balance for residents, but we don’t really want our taxes used to subsidize hotel stays, do we?
they would still be able to charge the extra for international tourists, and it’s still more than before. Extra benefits be residents don’t feel financially punished, and can still afford to go somewhere, so that’s still profitable. The extra charge applied to international tourists could reduce the number of international tourists and some could be used to keep resident prices lower , possibly increasing availability of rooms, but also the hotels wouldn’t see a reduction in the money if they increase the surcharge to take into account the local prices.
but this doesn’t have to apply to just hotels, it could apply to famous shrines, Hiroshima,Mount Fuji, museums, shows, etc. We also need to think it’s not just about an industry (people actually live in those areas,quality of life,) and not just tourists who want to get their instagram snap, tik tok vid and then disappear. Too much pressure could cause local resentment (in the future) and I think that’s the main intangible benefit d the tax money could be used for schools, social services and tourism.just an idea!!!!
Negative Nancy
Maybe its time to start re-thinking whether the business trips are necessary. Can't some of the meetings be done online? I have two or three conferences to attend in the course of the year, some of which are inevitably in Tokyo. There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying a half an hour or even an hour away from the venue because the train system can always get me there on time.
Alongfortheride
And how many of the 126 million Japanese are reading this english news site?
Geeter Mckluskie
To the English print media and their readers...the devils are the "xenophobic" Japanese
That this comment gets deleted by JT moderators while the slander against the Japanese media comment remains...proves my point
Thanks for proving my point JT moderator...keep feeding those mewling ex-pats with your pap and disdain for the Japanese. It's the amusement I keep returning for
Geeter Mckluskie
My guess is about 7
Antiquesaving
Yep but do the Japanese tourists go in large numbers?
How many school trips, business meetings/trips go to these places.
The news, Kyoto, the cities like Tokyo, Kyoto etc .. are only complaining about foreign tourists and saying they want them to "see other places" in the country but the Japanese themselves will all end up in the same places the foreigners are going.
So lead by example, have school trips in another place not Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.
ZEN-zero
Yeah 20-30 IT guys showing up for meetings with cramped legs and wrinkled suits in Tokyo! No we can't have that nonsense. So why not use Zoom for meetings, work remotely, move to Jamaica, and wear swim suits all day?
iron man
tourist come, tourist go. complaints about w/e plus rates in hotels. been with all major cities for decades. why no complaints about w/e charges for a doc or dentist. (who are on a w/e away break). Approach a problem at source. tax the air carriers to the limit for w/e flights. But all govs are crying out for tourists. for their national debt imbalance? Acept tourism or get the cheque book out for higher taxes!
iron man
and to get us all back to the actual topic of business. business=corporate operations surely, they already offset the costs against their corporate taxes, whiny whiny, but maybe offset the dinner wine bottle as a corporate. apologies to all the discomforted business guys, you only do it 'cos of yr avarice and a free trip to glorious japan.
Geeter Mckluskie
Why in the world would I want to be accepted as Japanese? I'm not Japanese
Weird take
>
kurisupisu
.
I’m pretty sure the impoverished locals up that way wouldn’t agree with you…
リッチ
Japanese companies are having record profits and employees care about the cost of a room for a business meeting? lol. And rooms have always been 15,000 to 20,000 in tokyo. Capsule hotel prices have doubled in 10 years but who really cares. It’s companies paying and they have profits. Most business meetings could be held in zoom calls like the rest of the world. Lots of complaining for nothing. The Japan past time.
wallace
kurisupisu
I am happy to live in a location that does not see many tourists.
.
They are not impoverished. They live in 6-10 LDK houses. Drive 2-3 cars. The elderly are well cared for. The children attend modern schools.
Out of interest how would tourism decrease impoverishment? Did that happen in Kobe with its large number of tourists?
kurisupisu
@wallace
.
Of course, having big houses in the countryside and the link to agriculture is the norm (market value low) and usually children live with their parents so having two or three cars (kei cars) is the norm not a sign of wealth but necessity.Attending public school, no matter how modern doesn’t give the children access to anything other than rote learning which is designed to place kids into the strict hierarchical system which the Japanese still place their faith in.
Ok, your question.
Tourism is basically one of only one of three or four industries which is growing in Japan.
Growth in tourism, since the pandemic is at a record.I saw a figure of recent growth at around 4.5%
Personally, I know that the hotel industry (Kyoto) presently has a high staff turnover with many staff seeking higher pay.
In Kobe, apart from the higher number of tourists that I see walking around annd hear and the number of foreigners in bars and restaurants, I can only recall a fairly recent personal experience.
On walking into an Italian restaurant on the south side of Motomach, the guy behind the counter, seeing two foreigners enter began shouting “cash only,cash only!”That was a first for me in Kobe so I guess the guy had had some problem with foreign credit cards.
So, yeah, more foreigners spending,eating and drinking in Kobe for sure.
wallace
kurisupisu
They are not impoverished. They live in 6-10 LDK houses. Drive 2-3 cars. The elderly are well cared for. The children attend modern schools. Out of interest how would tourism decrease impoverishment? Did that happen in Kobe with its large number of tourists?
.
You are wrong about that. Single couple families are living in 6-8DK houses with two to four children who don't work in agriculture or fishing. They have 2-3 cars.
We have many private young students for English and all are doing well with their learning. Your answer is cynical.
You didn't answer my question how does tourism help the ordinary person and impoverish?
We don't regret moving from Kobe to our location.
Sister Jane
I have to go to the Ginza in Tokyo every year for business, sometimes for 2 weeks and this year for just over 3 weeks. Before and during Corona there were few tourist, but after the pandemic many of the bars are gone and the hotels cost 4 times what they did before. My recommendation for business people staying for any length of time is use weekly or monthly apartments, sometimes they are half the price of the hotels. If business people are just staying for short stays I'm afraid the pandemic destroyed all options, and the capsule hotel is the only choice available, it will probably only get worse. If one keeps an eye on food and gasoline prices in Japan, you can quickly see how it's only going to go up and never, ever come down again.
OssanAmerica
Fact Check:
FRANCE: "Faced with surging numbers of visitors to historic landmarks and natural treasures, France wants to put a lid on the tourist crowds that flood in each year"
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230619-france-lays-out-strategy-to-combat-overtourism
SPAIN: "Third of people in Spain say local area has too many foreign tourists"
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/sep/13/third-spanish-people-local-area-too-many-foreign-tourists-survey
ITALY: "It’s changing the city’s face’: Locals share stories on how overtourism impacts Rome’s culture"
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/11/10/its-changing-the-citys-face-locals-share-stories-on-how-overtourism-impacts-romes-culture
TURKEY: "The other damage of over-tourism is at the economic level. Those who have experience in Turkey's tourism hotspots will know that this is a factor that drives up prices in everything from services to health; the local economy, temporarily inflated by tourism, spends the rest of the year suffering from this damage.
P_C
Must be an incredibly burdensome chore to be this individual on a daily basis with the constant negativity
tora
Plently of cheap accomodations options avaiilable in Tokyo. Not disclosing here though since want to keep it that way. Long term gaijin will know.
BertieWooster
Why do they call it "overtourism"? There are more tourists than there are facilities to handle them. So build them! And cash in on it!
Aaron J
I just want to say prices for international hotels in Tokyo are indeed outrageous. More than New York or LA or Chicago. Local chains are better, but in all cases you get less for the money. So much for ‘taking advantage of cheap yen”. I’ve been to New York, LA and Chicago (about 10 times) and Tokyo (7 times) since Fall 2022. Tokyo is outrageous.
Matt
Everyone be scared of the big bad tourists (who by the way are propping up the economy at the moment). It really is like the media in Japan are trying to turn everyone against foreigners with these constantly negative articles.
What about an article about the millions of tourists who come to Japan and don't cause problems, and just have an enriching experience? Oh no, that wouldn't be entertaining or following the agenda, would it?
kurisupisu
Without spelling it out, I thought the answer was fairly obvious in my rather lengthy opinion piece.However, if there are more tourists visiting then hotels,restaurants,tourist attractions all employ and need human staff.
Remember, the dynamic factories of yesteryears have moved on.
Personally, my own contacts and family are moving into hospitality due to the massive demand.
zulander
There are 4 capsule hotels I used to use for business near my office; it used to be 4000 to 5000 yen. Now it is 8000 yen+. This is our local reality.
kurisupisu
Overtourism is the Japanese government’s doing so any Japanese person not in agreement should write to their Diet member.
From watching parliamentary sessions in Japan it is obvious that little will be done…
bogva
How about rising salaries in all sectors, Japan!!! Then some of the economic (and inbound tourism) burden would be offset!
My country was the poorest in Europe and many basic things went up 30-40% per year for the last 2-3 years. But salaries are nearly double now!
In Japan rice is 100% the price from last year and many basic foods are more than 30% higher. Salaries haven't changed a bit!
DanteKH
I am not a hypocrite, I don't blame the tourists for the price hikes of hotels. I blame the lack of hotels.
The Government wants 60 million tourists, but where are they going to accommodate them??
The hotels are already at almost 99% capacity, with more than half of rooms already booked months in advance by the greedy and callous Tourism Agencies from Japan, China, Korea, etc.
You want more tourists? Fine! Then please provide more accommodations. That's why the hotel prices tripled almost in the past 3,4 years.
Yugawa
We just booked a new nice business hotel in Yokohama for $105 a night for two of us that also has an Onsen. Tight accomodations by western standards but fine But yes it is definitely getting more expensive.