The matter of overtourism in Japan is something that we at Travel Daily Media have been covering for the past several years.
It is a critical issue for one of the most popular destinations in the world as it has led to locals getting overwhelmed on a sensory level by the sheer number of tourists coming into their communities, whilst putting utilities and services under severe strain.
While we have pointed out that we may not see an immediate end in sight for overtourism, Japan has been actively working to take much of the edge off its impact on people and places.
Kanko kogai
The Japanese have actually created a term for overtourism: kanko kogai, which is literally translated as “tourism pollution,” or the perfect storm caused by the entry of over 30 million annual visitors following the world’s reopening post-pandemic.
Per a report by German news agency Deutsche Welle (DW), Japan welcomed 36.9 million foreign visitors as of end-2024, reflecting a 47.1 percent increase from 2023 and significantly surpassing the record high last seen in 2019.
However, Japanese citizens, especially those living in Golden Route locations Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo, are anything but happy with the surge of foreigners, many of whom willfully disregard local custom and tradition whilst overloading already challenged local transport services and leaving their detritus just about everywhere.
Locals also deplore drunken behaviour among foreign travellers, especially late at night, along with the desecration of sacred sites by influencers who “do their own thing” with absolutely no regard for local beliefs.
This perfect storm of sheer numbers and bad behaviour gets significantly worse during specific times of the year like the sakura season in spring, along with culturally visible events like the Hina Matsuri in March.
As Kyoto’s director-general for tourism Toshinori Tsuchihachi put it: "Problems are primarily caused by the concentration of tourists at major attractions, at certain times of the year and certain times of the day… Concentrations tend to occur during the cherry blossom season in spring and when the leaves are changing color in autumn, causing congestion on surrounding roads, on city buses; and etiquette problems.”
Steps in the right direction
A report in Kyodo News from last week states that the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) pointed out how 47 regions throughout the country have been advancing anti-overtourism initiatives based on resident feedback.
Along with this increase in the number of areas proactively tackling overtourism, JTA is working to encourage foreign travellers to venture outside major metropolitan areas.
By doing so, the agency hopes to achieve a balance between accepting inbound tourism and ensuring residents' quality of life.
At the same time, the JTA’s Sustainable Tourism Promotion Project has been in place since April of last year; developed with local stakeholders, the project is meant to drive the sustainable development of the Japanese tourism industry whilst providing a vision of societal resilience that supports inclusive economic growth.
Admittedly, mitigating the worst effects of overtourism remains an uphill climb for Japanese tourism authorities and their counterparts in the private sector.
But if these lead to a form of tourism that spreads the benefits equally between foreign travellers and local stakeholders, then all the efforts will be worth it in the long run.
