Foreign visitors to Japan top 33 mil in Jan-Nov, breaking annual record

The photo of Asakusa looks like a scene from Dante’s inferno…

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And the media keeps pushing this idea that they’re all going around being badly behaved and breaking all these secret rules that only Japanese people know.

Addressing issues related to overtourism, such as traffic congestion and disruptions to local residents' lives, will be essential for the government to achieve its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.

The media wants to distract from the fact that only a tiny minority of Japanese property holders are actually benefiting from this tourism boom. The vast majority get only busier minimum wage service positions and strain on taxpayer funded infrastructure,

But look! A foreigner is standing in the road to take a selfie!

Victim of your own success. Tourism can create a lot of unwanted outcomes.

dagon Today | 07:20 am JST

Spot on! Up-voted!

Japan is a slowly declining industrial country and needs the tourism industry to keep its economy afloat.

That’s a fact that the government knows.

A few media just like to show the examples of a few breaking the tacit manners

A few media just like to show the examples of a few breaking the tacit manners

Most media in Japan just will go to what JGovt narratives, tourism will revive Japanese economy.

Addressing issues related to overtourism, such as traffic congestion and disruptions to local residents' lives, will be essential for the government to achieve its goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.

Overtourism is a problem for local Govt not central JGovt, so from central point of view no problem at all

I always advice people who listen the same thing.

If you work in tourism, remember, this won't last either. At most I give it another 3 years after Banpaku, before people get tired of "cool Japan". Boom time is the perfect time to save majority of your earnings, so when hard time comes for your industry, you have money to invest and don't stress out on your finance.

Save at boom, invest at doom.

Maybe I've been here too long, but Japan doesn't really strike me as a tourist paradise.

Kyoto / Nara? Yeah, lots of culture, but overcrowded to hell and back.

Tokyo / Yokohama? I mean I like Tokyo. I live there. But I'm hard pushed to think of large numbers of iconic, must-see things. Tokyo Tower, Sky Tree, Asakusa, Shibuya crossing, some decent gardens, maybe.

Shizuoka has some great places, but how many people are going to risk going off the beaten track to see them?

Nobody goes to Nagoya for tourism, and I don't think Osaka is high on most itineraries.

Outside that, you're looking at going further out, places like Kanazawa, which is a good place.

Maybe just over-familiarity on my part.

goal of attracting 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.

On current trajectories Japan should get there.

If the boom continues, the next goal could be to overtake France as the most visited nation on earth with 100 million+ by 2040. Japan is certainly well placed geographically to achieve this. Is there enough accommodation and staff? Probably not...yet.

Good grief.

The photo of Asakusa looks like a scene from Dante’s inferno…

Not far off. I made the mistake of going to the Asakusa Donki Hoti looking for a replacement for a broken kitchen item the other day. Big mistake. The place is a zoo. Douchebags sitting on the stairs and floor, eating in the store.

The media wants to distract from the fact that only a tiny minority of Japanese property holders are actually benefiting from this tourism boom. The vast majority get only busier minimum wage service positions and strain on taxpayer funded infrastructure,

But look! A foreigner is standing in the road to take a selfie!

BEST COMMENT here today could not agree with you more mate...SPOT ON

J gov wanted more tourist money J gov did not invest in the infrastructure to support many more millions of inbound tourists. See situation today.

Maybe provide someplace to eat if you don't want people standing around in the stairs eating. Maybe provide someplace for trash to be thrown away if you don't want litter. etc.

Maybe put a limit on Chinese and Korean tourists, that seems to be most of it by itself. Everything I hear on here is about how evil US citizens are as tourists, yet they are barely represented at all by these numbers.

My small town with less than 6000 residents got over 2 million tourists by itself in 2024. You think you got it bad?

Get a car and a naviguide and drive away from all the big cities. Most of Japan is surprisingly empty with all the cultural things still around.

The first three years here , in only my area, I seem to have found something new nearly every day.

But agree ,crowds ruin the fun. Country roads and little Shrines by the wayside for me.

Maybe put a limit on Chinese and Korean tourists, that seems to be most of it by itself. Everything I hear on here is about how evil US citizens are as tourists, yet they are barely represented at all by these numbers.

The clowns in my example spoke North American English, or Slavic sounding European languages.So you're wrong.

Glad to see people coming to visit Japan, good for everyone.

Mass travel is described with the Japanese words 安・近・短　(an-kin-tan, inexpensive, close and of short duration). China's huge population and close proximity to Japan make it a logical choice for people wishing to take short foreign vacations. Likewise for South Korea and Taiwan. And Vietnam, which is also prospering economically. The number of visitors is likely to keep growing as long as peace prevails in East Asia.

Tokyo GuyToday 08:28 am JST

Maybe I've been here too long, but Japan doesn't really strike me as a tourist paradise.

I think it really depends on what kind of tourist they are - and Japan has a huge range of very different aspects that appeal to different people. It's a cliche to say there's "something for everyone," but Japan definitely has more overall appeal than, say, a country that only has beaches.

Some very rough areas that tend to draw tourists:

Pop-culture: visiting famous spots from games and anime, maid cafes in Akiba, etc. Perhaps the number one reason?

Traditional culture/very "Japanese" things: onsen, gardens, temples/shrines, kabuki, food, sumo, etc.

First-time visitors: curious to see what the Japan they've heard so much about is actually like (many of them then end up loving the country and come back)

Location: interesting, reasonably convenient destination for the growing number of Asian travelers with disposable income

Great news for cultural exchanges and some much needed boosts to the economy.

Hopefully the tourists really enjoy their time in Japan.

*Pop-culture**: visiting famous spots from games and anime, maid cafes in Akiba, etc. Perhaps the number one reason?*

Good point, I'd overlooked that. Probably a result of seeing too many foreigners in Akihabara dressed up like anime characters despite being about ten sizes too big for it. That kind of trauma takes time to dissipate.

By the time the target of 60 million visitors is reached, the seafood rice bowls at Tsukiji fish market, which used to cost 1,500 JPY and now cost 4,500 JPY, will likely reach 10,000 JPY!

This place has also transformed into a scene reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno.

Tourism can be a pain irritation, especially so, the entitled ignorant littering rude.

However tourism is vital for Japan economic growth, hospitality, etc.

It would be a huge plus if the hospitably sector, the hotels, shops, supermarkets, restaurants passed on more of their good fortune to the hard working, loyal, sometime harassed staff!!

Amazing isn't it, flood of tourists spending like crazy due to yen weakness. They're simply giddy, buying meals for less than half price of home in most cases, usually far healthier.

Yet even with above spending and inflation, Japan's overall consumer spending is contracting, even though such spending is NOT Inflation Adjusted. Translation?

Real Japanese consumer spending, taking into account huge tourism $boost and inflation, contracting b/w 5-10% on a Yr over Yr basis, any surprise Politicians SO Unpopular?!

That photo, not remoted appealing encouraging, a turnoff. unpleasant, a huge over crowded horde

Another benefit of living in a rural prefecture.

I guess this triggers people, myself included, because the number is rammed down our throats as top news every single month. It barely affects GDP, doesn't employ many people, and the winners tend to be corporations like Mega Donki, Hoshino Resort, and that far right APA Hotel woman. Any serious publication talking about economics would not pay such heightened attention to tourism, especially when Japan's 2nd and 3rd largest car manufacturers are talking about merging to avoid eminent demise.

The "it comes with problems" issue is best summed up by the poster who described TV crews hanging out at the Fuji Lawsons all day waiting to film someone running across the road. Its like all those silly TV reports that balance 99% of scientists saying there is man-made climate change with equal time to one voice saying there isn't. That is no balance. Ninety odd percent of tourists cause zero trouble and it is brain dead to focus on the odd one who does. There are actual issues with tourism, but they will be more subtle than people carrying suitcases on the train or taking photos where unwelcome. Misallocation of public money on unnecessary tourism projects like the Banpaku and on consultants producing expensive content that does not deliver tourists to rural areas would be my concerns.

I don't see "crowding" as an issue because Japanese like crowds. You will be able to confirm this at any large temple in two weeks' time.

Time to make money.

Plenty of opportunities.

There is absolutely no reason to languish in a japanese company if you have a good command of Japanese and a few foreign languages.

¥50.000 in just a few hours in the morning bringing a big group of foreigners from Asakusa to a Ski resort, Fujisan, etc. and come back home to enjoy your day.

Do the same next morning and you already got that cash to buy your round trip to Hawaii :)

Like it or not, given the lack of manufacturing, resource extraction jobs, and general lack of technological innovation outside of video game consoles and anime - and partially because of the games and anime - tourism is going to be one the major income streams of the future for Japan. And I think it will only improve

if you cater to tourists better, and if the Yen goes up in value at least a little bit in the future.

From a Japanese website "The travel spending by visitors reached 35.05 billion USD * (5.3 trillion JPY) in 2023, a record high of 10% more than the pre-COVID-19 level in 2019 (Figure 2)."

Also from a Japanese website "Japan anime production market grows to record $2.3bn"

"Revenue in the Video Games market of Japan is projected to reach US$28.00bn"

So tourism is bringing in more than both anime and video games combined, and these are the two major exports most people think about when they think of Japan (from outside the country). I Mean there's also some food and booze related line items, apparently exported Japanese Whiskey/beer/sake was 62 billion lol. It is quite good I'll say.

¥50.000 in just a few hours in the morning bringing a big group of foreigners from Asakusa to a Ski resort, Fujisan, etc. and come back home to enjoy your day.

You'll need a Type 2 Driving License and a Hi Ace, but yes, there is money to be made moving folks around.

I've discussed this with my high schooler son, who likes cars and motorbikes but hates studying.

You'll need a Type 2 Driving License and a Hi Ace, but yes, there is money to be made moving folks around.

I've discussed this with my high schooler son, who likes cars and motorbikes but hates studying.

You gotta do what you gotta do If you want to maintain your lifestyle and actually own your own time and spend it everyday wherever and however you want.

There is plenty of money to make from this tourist boom and staying in a office is not an option. Transportation + real estate + export business, all in 1 day and you can get ¥150.000～/day very easily and get home before 3pm.

Hopefully the number of tourists will double in a few years.

On current trajectories Japan should get there. 

If the boom continues, the next goal could be to overtake France as the most visited nation on earth with 100 million+ by 2040. Japan is certainly well placed geographically to achieve this. Is there enough accommodation and staff? Probably not...yet.

You should tone down a bit with the whatever Japan does is perfect narrative.

Actually Japan is not even in the top 10 most visited countries in the world for year 2024.

Not only France,but countries like Italy,China,The U.S,Mexico and Germany are ahead in numbers.

NewgirlintownToday  07:11 am JST

And the media keeps pushing this idea that they’re all going around being badly behaved and breaking all these secret rules that only Japanese people know.

Yea, cause foreign tourists are incapable of spending 2 minutes googling before hopping on a plane. LOL

Generally when you hear words like "temple" or "shrine" common sense dictates reserved behavior.

Thankfully far less round my manor recently. No doubt the masses will return come Springtime

My wife is Japanese, we visit Japan. People are still making up for Covid. There will always be some people that do not respect other nations values and culture, it is so sad. Getting the right balance of tourism is tricky, too few, too many....Japan is a most wonderful place.

All the people moaning about over tourism will be sorry. Many izakayas have closed this year in Japan already and more businesses will follow if tourist numbers drop. Stop biting the hand that feeds us.

Japan, the world's Disneyland.

Sadly, due to the collapsed currency it will also become the world's Disneysea.

And then, Disney World.

Joke aside, just remember how are the other Asian countries that relias in tourism are. To name a few, Tailland, Phillipines, Cambodia, etc.

While the tourism is booming, the life of the local Tanaka is getting worst my the month.

In this manner, in a couple of years Japan will be nothing more than a tourism place, same as the rest of the poor Asian countries...

All I can say as someone who has lived in Tokyo for the last 14 years, the commute to and from work has become unbearable with the extra people tourism has brought. Rush hour is truly impossible. And I'm confident I'm not the only one who feels this way - Japanese people on my same commute (which has not changed in the last three years) also look and seem much more miserable.

crowds ruin the fun

I was born and grew up in the quiet countryside of Japan. Visiting big cities as a child was the most exciting thing to me. I loved the chaotic, noisy crowds back then, and I still love them today when I visit the big cities.

SomeWeeb:

tourism is going to be one the major income streams of the future for Japan

I doubt it. Tourism accounts for only 2.3% of Japan's GDP. It's small compared to countries like:

Thailand: Tourism accounts for roughly 20-25% of GDP.

Spain: Tourism contributes around 12-13% of GDP.

Italy: Similarly, tourism contributes about 13% of GDP.

Even if Japan achieves its goal of 60 million visitors per year by 2030, it will still account for less than 5% of Japan's GDP.

I have couple of friends interested in "prank tourism" against locals and asking random young Japanese women about dating foreign guys for their TikTok channel and plan on going next spring.

Time to bring back the low priced Japan Rail Pass and encourage tourists to get out central Kantou/Kansai and see the best of Japan. Maybe get some of those international flights away from Haneda/Narita/KIX by establishing new gateway airports for foreign tourism. Hmm, how about Kumamoto or Kagoshima or Kanazawa or Hiroshima or Sendai or Niigata as candidates? Require international airlines to have no more than a 1:3 ratio to regional airports than to the big three. Diversify.