30% of tourists to Japan experienced overtourism problems in 2024

Talk about fake news.

The solution is to up the tourist taxes, which would be accepted, and get repeat visitors to visit rural areas - farm-stays, fruit-picking, snow/ski tours, sake breweries etc. Places like Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu should be promoted a lot more.

The overwhelming majority of foreign tourists want to visit rural Japan, so it just needs better promotion.

Talk about fake news.

How is a story about a survey of foreign tourists "fake news".

Bizarre take.

30% of tourists to Japan experienced overtourism problems in 2024

Seems like a misleading headline. The tourists problems are from the response to the hysteria over so-called 'overtourism'.

They are enjoying their strong currencies and free spending and Japan's rentier class is enjoying the windfall profits, so it is a win win for them.

For the rest of Japan's population going about their day to day work with no benefit it is a different story.

Who really invite them to Japan in the first place? Currently number of tourist is over 30 millions.

https://www.travelvoice.jp/english/international-visitors-to-japan-exceeded-30-million-at-the-fastest-rate-in-history-with-3-31-million-in-october-2024

.

Japan has target to reach 60 million tourist.

https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/pilot-shortage-in-japan-threatens-its-goal-for-60-million-tourists-by-2030-124082800114_1.html

We've visited Japan 5 times starting in 2004 and the last time was May this year. We based ourselves in Osaka near Shin-Osaka station to make use of our JR West rail passes for the first 8 days and a further 8 days staying next to Namba station. We booked all our Shinkansen trains at the same time without any problems, visiting Hiroshima, Okayama, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara and Hikone. Not once did we find any over crowding and very few white people. Strangely the only time we encountered any other English people were whilst visiting gardens in Okayama and Hiroshima.

The only time we experienced any over crowding was the Hiroshima Atomic memorial museum which I'm afraid to say was an horrendous experience, due mainly because of the masses of school children. The actual exhibits were very poor.

63 percent said they would accept higher charges at tourist destinations and other facilities in Japan if they would help ease congestion and protect those cites, up from 43 percent in 2019.

How about asking the tourists how they would feel being charged more or having to pay a tax, well, simply because you are a foreign tourist? Something tells me the results would be like 10% who would be willing. How a question is phrased has a lot to do with the outcome of a survey! "Would you be willing to pay 20% more as a tourist if those funds supported a children's hospital for disabled orphans?" maybe 90% would approve.

Only seen overtourism in the snow in Australia. It was the reason why I return to Japan for the uncrowded Snow conditions and stayed.

Japan had ample time to plan for this during Covid under the ‘regional revitalization’ banner. The idea was to get people off the over worn single track lines of the regular destinations and spread it out to other lesser known areas like my hometown of Fukui, which is a perfect little hidden gem of a place less than two hours from overtourism ‘central’, Kyoto.

My wife was actually involved in a small promotion company that worked with the tourist bureaus and other government entities. She came away from the experience disappointed and disgusted.

What an absolute self-serving , small minded bunch of useless idiots they turned out to be. Lots of infighting and personality conflicts, lots of pretending to work on these short term ‘this’ll do’ fist pumping projects with no sense nor imagination. They would give the public access to suggest and make proposals only to choose the most mediocre one ‘that had the right connections’. A few posters were made, a few talks were held, but nothing of any real substance could ever be achieved and all of the money and resources just went up in smoke. We still have very few foreign tourists here despite its massive potential. She left the job disenchanted, bitter and disappointed. The amount of time and money that was wasted on these jokers is unforgivable, and the act like gods only chosen ones too.

So yeah, there’s that. Hopefully AI comes in and sweeps them all away, because it’s the only way Japan will ever really improve.

Luckily tourists can just make the efforts themself to choose a place they’ve never heard of and then go and discover its charms. Every single prefecture in Japan has them so travelers choose a random city or town and check it out. You’ll find a piece of the real Japan.

more than 60 percent said they are willing to accept higher charges as a way to ease congestion

Higher charges would not necessarily lead to fewer tourists. Entry limits would be needed to ease congestion.

Look at Nikko. Entry charges have continually increased, as have the number of tourists.

The solution is to visit rural areas - farm-stays, fruit-picking, snow/ski tours, sake breweries etc.

Witnessed the promotion of a winery and sake brewery tour in the Tachikawa area the other day. Didn’t even realize beforehand that Tachikawa had such!

The sake was decent, but both venues were rather unsightly. I’m doubtful many foreign tourists, who just love the clean, fashionable Ginza and Harajuku/Omotesando areas (as demonstrated by the numbers visiting and yen spent), would come in droves.

Rural areas lack the infrastructure for mass tourism.

The only time we experienced any over crowding was the Hiroshima Atomic memorial museum which I'm afraid to say was an horrendous experience, due mainly because of the masses of school children. 

Can’t agree more. That museum was an overcrowded mess of loud school kids even before this surge in overseas tourists. It’s hard for a thoughtful visitor to have a solemn moment. The Nagasaki museum offers a much better experience.

“72 percent want to see the upcoming 2025 World Expo in Osaka.”

They will be disappointed. The Expo won’t be ready by the planned opening day.

Taking Tokyo's subways -- overcrowded to begin with -- has become that much more uncomfortable for us locals due to so many tourists from overseas lugging their suitcases and back packs aboard.

“72 percent want to see the upcoming 2025 World Expo in Osaka.”

They will be disappointed.

Agree. Why would any foreign tourist waste their time in Japan basically viewing other countries’ tourist promotions?

Spend your time and money exploring a castle, soaking in an onsen, viewing a taiko drum performance. Even the “fruit-picking” Fighto! recommends above seems more gratifying.

When traveling during Golden Week, Obon, or going to Dysneyland, the locals also experience overtourism or overcrowd.

The overtourism is localized to a few spots.

Asakusa, Kyoto, Hakone, Karuizawa for example have always been busy

The ‘higher charges’ is just a scam. That’s how Australia works. If something is popular, gouge!!!

it will never deter cashed up tourists, it will only bring in more money for those services and businesses.

so if 60% would be willing to pay more..... seems likely that the crowded places would at best be 30% less crowded, which would still be pretty crowded probably.... but more money for someone.

@fighto

I’ve suggested that several times here.

Have a tourist tax of say $100 (or more) & use that money to pay off the country’s debt.

Kill two birds with one stone

The foreigners experienced overtourism? How about the tax paying residents? Oh right, nobody cares about them. As long as the foreign tourist are happy and impressed with “amazing” Japan everything is just dandy.

My wife was actually involved in a small promotion company that worked with the tourist bureaus and other government entities. She came away from the experience disappointed and disgusted.

What an absolute self-serving , small minded bunch of useless idiots they turned out to be. Lots of infighting and personality conflicts, lots of pretending to work on these short term ‘this’ll do’ fist pumping projects with no sense nor imagination. They would give the public access to suggest and make proposals only to choose the most mediocre one ‘that had the right connections’. A few posters were made, a few talks were held, but nothing of any real substance could ever be achieved and all of the money and resources just went up in smoke.

Shades of Alex Kerr's classic "Dogs and Demons". Death by bureaucracy and cronyism.

Have a tourist tax of say $100 (or more) & use that money to pay off the country’s debt.

Do you actually think Japan’ bureaucrats would use that money to pay off the country’s debt?

To really drum it up for some of the rural areas, they'd have to have a big campaign about onsen; because that's the big draw. For many of the best onsen areas, there isn't much else to do there. (other than some cool festivals, but then there's the other 51 1/2 weeks in the year).

Yet, many Westerners have a weird hangup about getting naked in front of strangers. It would be comical to see how they'd have to go about their campaign. "Let's enjoying naked together!" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

My wife's family is from Akita, deep up north in Tohoku. When we fly in for our visit every year, we usually disappear for a couple nights into the mountains to stay at some top-notch, rustic onsen. You might see the odd gaijin in for an afternoon soak, but they always have the air of "local ALT" about them, not tourists.

I'm not sure they'll have to increase the amount of trains on the Akita Shinkansen line anytime soon to accommodate an influx of tourists

Then there's the issue of how they'd be received. Every little town is "very famous" for this or that, and the locals will make you think it's their biggest dream for the world to discover their little town. But should Yuzawa, Akita suddenly be flooded with foreign tourists chasing after a slurp of some "very famous" Inaniwa udon, I'm not so sure it would be their biggest dream anymore.

As Japan seeks to reach some outrageous tourism goals for 2030, beyond, it would be wise to monitor effects such goals have upon national treasured sites, as well as local Japanese citizens.

Recent defacing of temples/shrines is one great cause for concern. Some tourists think these ancient treasures, sites were put up last week by Disney.

Everyone eagerly wants to recover covid tourism yen losses, but the trade off may be quite a steep price to pay.

Recent defacing of temples/shrines is one great cause for concern. Some tourists think these ancient treasures, sites were put up last week by Disney.

Many of these attacks on shrines - graffiti, urination, fire-starting - were sadly done out of a hatred of Japan.

CCTV needs to be built up even more to catch and jail those responsible - foreigner and Japanese.

The solution is to up the tourist taxes, which would be accepted, and get repeat visitors to visit rural areas - farm-stays, fruit-picking, snow/ski tours, sake breweries etc. Places like Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu should be promoted a lot more.

The overwhelming majority of foreign tourists want to visit rural Japan, so it just needs better promotion.

Frankly, most of the Japanese countryside features cheap-ass hotels and poor services, which of course most visitors are not looking forward to (for example, ryokans have so many rules and most of them are falling apart, which means that they do not attract the foreign crowd with full wallets and ready to spend to enjoy luxury).

Also, I'd like to add, tourism is a flimsy industry which does not contribute to the development of society at large. Bangkok was the most visited city in the world for many years, yet it suffers to basic problems which should not exist in developed cities. Japan needs to choose whether its model is that of Thailand or of a wealthy European country.

Hint: focusing only on tourism will not provide benefits for the country.

I agree with some views that in general over-tourism is centred on a few very popular places/areas and also it's seasonally influenced.

Away from those points a much more mellow experience can be had.

Although crowding can occur anywhere there is a difference between a busy place and a sardine-packed place.

And on re the comment from Sapper Jon above mentioning the situation at Hiroshima Dome museum.

My nephew and wife visited us here last year and travelled to many popular places. They were really disappointed that the museum was so overcrowded and they couldn't take in much at all. I suggested that because it was around Golden Week time it couldn't be helped.

They returned this year in late September (my suggestion as it's off peak). Went to Hiroshima again and enjoyed the city, the surrounds and Miyajima. But to their dismay the museum experience was much worse. So crowded with 1,000s of school excursion kids and others of course. They were ushered in one entrance and couldn't do anything but move along with the flow of people. There was no stopping to look/read, turning back or circling around as it's designed to be used. His wife was really disappointed as she is a writer and wanted to write an article for a journal. They both love Japan - coming again next year - but said that experience was horrendous.

A set ticket allocation system could help alleviate that problem. But who's going to do it?

 found that congestion of tourist destinations was the most common problem, with 32 percent of respondents saying they experienced it during their stay.

The result compares to 30 percent in the 2019 survey conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 2% increase in overcrowding is the story? This makes a 5 yen increase in the price of Umaibo sound like 9/11 or the lunar landings.

Places like Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu should be promoted a lot more.

The overwhelming majority of foreign tourists want to visit rural Japan, so it just needs better promotion.

They are. Many smaller airports have been offering flights from China, Korea and Taiwan. The major tourist spots in Japan may have seeing a ton of Western tourists but the smaller places have had tons of tourists from East Asia of late. I just came back from packed Dogo Onsen in Ehime and it had to be 80% non-Japanese people.

It's all about how they worded the questions, and knowing how Japanese do these things I'm sure that's not how foreigners interpreted the questions. If they straight out said they would single out tourists to pay more than Japanese tourists and that would mainly be based on how they look I think most would shocked the question would even be asked.

Sadly, Japan has become the world's Disneyland.

Offcourse the tourists are happy to pay more for various services. For them, due to the collapsed Yen, the prices are one of the cheapest in the world, on pair with Thailand or Phillipines.

The salaries value in Japan are more than x2 or even x3 times compared to those in Europe or North America.

Things will only get worst for the local population and local residents who can no longer afford or enjoy going to a holiday, due to exaggerated hotel prices, services, overtraffic on the expressway, etc, etc.

JROToday 11:03 am JST

exactly!

I witnessed Japanese people littering every day. They’re called smokers and discard their cigarette buds on the street wherever they go. Ignoring the signs even when they say don’t walk and smoke. Foreigners I think get upset way more with the Japanese people‘s mentality for non-customization. As for littering, it’s probably from frustration of not having any rubbish bins provided anywhere in this country. They say it’s for security, but I frankly think it’s because they’re too lazy to clean up and have a central location to discard waste. There seems to be a lot of tourist bashing going on and trying to manipulate situations that could be avoided with traditional friendly behavior. It’s very accusatory now and very aggressive with many of the Japanese. I witness that deal with tourists especially in shinjuku and ueno.

Some Japanese litter, throwing bento boxes and drink cans out of their car windows. When I walk along a beautiful river, I'm disgusted to find even a single piece of litter that could harm the wildlife. Unfortunately, there's always more than one piece.

Where my Japanese are from, there a very few number of foreign people. And happy about it.

Foreigners in swarms going to onsen would be like asking to set the cat among the pigeons, destroying the atmsophere, rules and purpose of such places.

I don’t want personally to read everywhere English !

In Japan do as the Japanese do.

Japanese family are...

Surprised the figure is this low, as all well-known tourist hot spots are now a nightmare. Smart tourists are staying away from hot spots, just like all the residents of Japan.

For example, in a tourist trap like Hakone, must stay outside of town, so best to find remote accommodations near the lake or in the mountains etc.

This tourist market research proves another point...those visiting Japan are very polite, surely at least 99% could have easily answered in the affirmative.

Tourists do in some sense become Japanese once they're here, as this is signature Japanese communication style!

Fighto!

The solution is to up the tourist taxes. Places like Hokkaido, Tohoku and Kyushu should be promoted a lot more.

NOMINATION

They are. Many smaller airports have been offering flights from China, Korea and Taiwan

Fighto’s repeated solution is higher taxes on tourists and more money for government bureaucrats.

He apparently doesn’t have knowledge of the situation on the ground. A whole lot of money is already being used to get tourists into local areas. What’s the benefit of raising more revenue for bureaucrats?

Why is everyone forgetting that a huge number of tourists in Japan are domestic tourists? So are we going to put the suggested 'tourist taxes' onto the Japanese sightseers also? Or just the foreigners? The people who have already paid thousands of dollars to visit and are already spending their hard earned money in our country, in restaurants, souvenirs, museums, galleries and all the other things that tourists spend their money on. You could solve this by just removing the tax free shopping. They give with one hand, and take with the other.

The most annoying thing about this tourist boon is when you go into a store and they see a foreign face, they try to talk pigeon english to you even though I've lived here 30 years. So annoying.

Not to mention the amount of foreigners blocking footpaths.

Like a new tribe of clueless idiots.

I agree with getting rid of duty free shops. And I wouldn’t mind seeing some kind of tax that is dedicated to debt reduction.

リッチToday 11:35 am JST

Exactly so!

Fighto’s repeated solution is higher taxes on tourists and more money for government bureaucrats.

I guess my question would be “Why?” Why more money for bureaucrats? Perhaps he’s stuffing his own pockets.

Yes, in Japan, "overtourism" is not hysteria; it’s a reality that many of us have to live with. I’ve been living in Japan for over 30 years, and I can clearly say that our lives have been affected.

We live near a very famous temple. We used to enjoy the surroundings of the temple as a family; we used to go there to meditate, if you can call it that. We attended the temple ceremonies every Sunday. However, in the past two years, the influx of tourists has been so overwhelming that we can no longer enjoy our walks or the sutras peacefully. The noise has become unbearable.

It’s frustrating to go to work and find the Keisei line packed with tourists carrying huge suitcases, placing them wherever they please without any consideration. What is tourism for them is a way of life for us—a lifestyle.

We’ve considered leaving Tokyo, but where to? We used to be very proactive and loved giving tourists good tips. Not anymore.

At least for me, I no longer feel comfortable sharing the names of my favorite places or the beautiful spots I’ve visited. We fear that someday, the last remnants of tranquility will also be taken away from us.

@Fighto

I agree with your comments, seems as though most people underestimate the beauty and capacity of areas other than those listed on tourism websites. With all the people confused with tourism bringing loads of money and uplifting economy in Japan, those visiting here nowadays are the lowest of the bottom since yen crashed historically and this is their time to actually visit and take advantage of the market and get the pricing of the third world country staying at airbnbs with really nice people and clean amenities.

Oh and Japan doesn’t rely on tourism for their GDP.

MattToday 04:47 pm JST

Why is everyone forgetting that a huge number of tourists in Japan are domestic tourists?

Come down here to Okinawa. Yes, we have a lot of Japanese tourists, but even more Chinese and Koreans. They are very rude and loud, and generally ruin things for anyone here. Plus the traffic with the " わ " plated cars is disgusting. They drive like they are in China or Korea.

Being the poorest prefecture does mean the money is needed, but the service industry jobs here are paying 1000 yen / hour, which in my mind is borderline criminal.

@Soros

I couldn’t agree with you more. Though I’m still in central tokyo my lifestyle has changed drastically. I used to love giving directions and even letting people avoid lines into places and all that has gone away. I no longer share my favorite venues either. To those who feel like bringing in dollars and trashing streets and disrespecting one’s country and culture, people here that I see ride bikes with kids and have Bentleys parked in their mansions.

I went to Nasu highland park last summer with the kids in our annual trip to Japan. There was almost nobody there which was perfect but at the same time I am worried that places like that cant keep going for long. They need to lure foreign tourists also to more remote location. This helps to combat overtourism in Tokyo and also to keep rural tourists spots alive.

So sad, tourists experiencing over-tourism.

Not once did we find any over crowding and very few white people

Not sure why people have this idea that tourists = white people. As per the data published by JNTO for the month of October 2024, just South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong together accounted for 1.99 million of the 3.3 million tourists for that month. 60% --- more than every other country in the world COMBINED. Add in the rest of Asia and that number balloons to 2.44 million; around 74%.

For every one western foreigner you saw, there were 3 that you assumed were Japanese.

Source: https://asset.japan.travel/image/upload/v1732246556/pdf/Number_of_Visitor_arrivals_to_Japan_in_October_2024.pdf