Overtourism, the New Rising Sun Taking Over Japanese Minds
By: Ty Tan
Just four days after opening the 2024 climbing season on July 1, Japan began restricting climbers to Mt. Fuji, installing caps on the number of people, alongside tolls, to enter the mountain.
Despite the swift action, this problem—that of overtourism—does not look so easily solved.
Every new strategy Japan tries to tackle overtourism in every sector gets the same response:
「解決の切り札となるのか、それとも？」, “Will this be the trump card for the solution, or?”
Every approach taken by the Japanese government appears to follow the same logic. Taking a page from China’s book, they have begun to place restrictions on tourist sites while building up infrastructure. However, to understand this approach, one must first understand the problem.
In a report issued by EY Strategy and Consulting (EY Japan), an awareness survey conducted on overtourism in 10 major cities found that 50% of people—in a sample of nearly 1900 individuals—believe overtourism is a problem.
The rise in tourism is outlined in a comprehensive article done by Nishikawa Ryo, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Tourism at Rikkyo University. Professor Ryo attributes the surge to the revival of post-Covid tourism, low-cost carriers that have expanded access to Japan, and social media being the glue drawing tourists to specific destinations. These elements have brought an influx of foreign tourists unacclimated to Japanese cultural norms, leading to overcrowding and overtourism.
Professor Ryo highlights the four most visible issues caused by overtourism within Japan: congestion, noise, littering and invasion of privacy. Beyond these, he underscores five fundamental problems inherent to overtourism.
First, tourists have shifted to targeted tourist destinations. This dramatic shift has turned these tourist-friendly areas less friendly to locals, displacing local businesses and residents with soaring costs. This could create a multiplier effect, making the local and regional economies weaker as large chains settle in formerly local areas.
「その行き着くところは、地域の「テーマパーク化」です。」[The end result is the transformation of the region into a "theme park."]
Second, a shift in culture to focus on tourism. The stimulation of consumption by tourists boosts the tourism sector while leaving others to suffer, leading to an unhealthy dependency for the Japanese economy.
Third, it increases costs to local communities. Infrastructure was developed for local communities, disregarding tourists. Many Japanese prefectures are overburdened, pushing additional infrastructure costs to local governments and thus, local communities.
Fourth, it sows regional division. With tourism being such a divisive industry, there is fear that differing opinions on the benefits of tourism could split communities.
Lastly, the risk of damage to local resources. Many cultural sites, such as religious temples, historic townscapes, and residential spaces, have become overwhelmingly attractive to tourists. Inundated with tourists, these places are losing their original function, and the regional treasure is becoming lost due to the external pressures of overtourism.
These five impacts highlight a common trend—tourists can negatively impact Japanese life and society. Many of these impacts have been recognized by local and regional authorities alike, leading to the implementation of various solutions in an attempt to solve them all at once. Yet none of these solutions have fully addressed the problem.
Balancing a Japanese approach to overtourism has remained a never-ending struggle for Japanese policymakers. Within Japan, governmental approaches have revolved around three key areas—tourist management, industry management and infrastructure building. Despite the diversity of approaches, these strategies have yet to deliver promising solutions.
To limit tourists, some parts of Japan have engaged in tourism management, typically in the form of restrictions. In Kyoto, incidents of individual harassment in its Geisha district through the ripping of kimonos or swarms of photo-opping tourists have forced the local government to enact bans on tourist access. In 2019, Kyoto banned photographing geisha in their traditional homes, with the Gion district local council banning tourist access to certain areas entirely. Alongside fines, these new measures have upset tourists while acting as a proper deterrent to tourists. Other forms of tourist management, such as the spatial displacement of tourists by encouraging different periods of travel, reminding tourists of Japanese etiquette and manners, and an entrance or island tax are all in consideration. With these measures being implemented in some capacity throughout Japan, the worrying rise in overtourism makes increased deployment of such measures a requirement for maintaining Japanese tranquility.
To accommodate more tourists, Japan has also engaged in industry management. By managing the housing/accommodation industry, legal and voluntary measures are now being put in place to limit private housing. For example, the 住宅宿泊事業法 [Private Lodging Business Act] details limiting private lodgings to 180 days a year, allowing for the regulation of the location of tourism-based industry businesses. Furthermore, voluntary measures put in place by city or regional councils set common guidelines and visionaries for communities to follow, allowing them to promote sustainable tourism through their actions.
Lastly, the simplest way, yet most controversial way of combating overtourism is by expanding the tourist industry. With Ichiro Takahashi, head of the Japan National Tourism Organization, setting a goal of 60 million tourists every year by 2030, such an ambitious goal requires the infrastructure to support it. Japan appears to be taking steps to build up this infrastructure, such as investing 609.27 billion in construction in 2024, with this number expected to reach 716.66 billion by 2029. These construction projects include roads, trains, housing accommodations and more, all set to increase tourism capacity in major cities.
Via these methods, Japan is not limiting overtourism. Rather, they are building up infrastructure and making it the burden of local governments to properly manage the rise in tourism they are being forced to contend with. The fault noted most commonly in their approach is the lack of encouragement and support for local councils. The Japanese government should engage in more restrictive measures against tourists to protect local culture, while also encouraging off-season travel to limit the damage felt during peak-season travel. Methods like these provide insight into future policy measures Japan can implement.
As the saying goes, tourism is a passport to peace. Japan must acknowledge the detrimental long-term effects overtourism can cause to Japan’s culture. Yet Japan is stubborn, tied so deeply to their ways as to not properly support local councils. Only time will tell whether the land of the rising sun can reset their minds, and find a new way to approach overtourism.
