Japan National Tourism Organisation encourages foreigners to visit other parts of the country

The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) is urging foreign tourists to consider less popular destinations within the country rather than focus on Tokyo and Kyoto.

The call was specifically made to Australian tourists whose numbers in 2024 exceeded those last seen in 2019.

JNTO’s executive director in Sydney Naoki Kitazawa declared: “We strongly recommend Australians to consider lesser-known destinations. Responsible travel is now more important than ever, especially in popular places where the impact of tourism can pressure local communities.”

For her part, Japan Holidays agency head Judy Laxton expressed her agreement with the directive.

Laxton said: “When there are so many people, there is no peace, so many of our tours now offer all the wonderful experiences, but we try to avoid the most popular tourist spots.”

Where to go instead

While the major cities remain the most popular destinations for foreign tourists, the JNTO encourages them to consider lesser-known places, including the rural areas of Tohoku and Kanazawa.

As of 2023, the Japanese government developed a plan o combat overtourism in the country.

Key strategies involved distributing tourists to less popular areas, and some areas are taking on hard-line approaches such as barring tourists from certain historical districts.

Despite best efforts, however, thousands of tourists are still making their way to Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo.