Japan’s earnest welcome to overseas tourists aims to stimulate its domestic economy; however, with the influx of tourists from around the world, this island nation is facing many problems due to the environmental carrying capacity being overloaded. Challenges include dealing with garbage, noise pollution, and the growing inconvenience in local residents’ lives. This has sparked discussions on how to achieve a sustainable model that can maintain the development of the tourism industry while ensuring the quality of life for residents.
Notably, Japan has set ambitious goals to attract 60 million overseas travelers by 2030. To tackle the so-called “overtourism” issue, Japan is drawing on experiences from Europe to formulate strategies within the country. These attempts are not only applicable to Japan but also provide conceptual insights for the tourism industry in China.
In the face of the many consequences of overtourism, a specific example emerged in Fujikawaguchiko Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. This town, with its famous social media photo spots, has unique and compelling scenery, but the gathering of large numbers of tourists brings a great burden.
Prior to the May Day holiday, to prevent traffic accidents caused by tourists trying to take pictures of the landscape, the local government had to erect a massive screen at intersections to block the view of tourists. Although this caused complex emotions of pride and regret among local residents, they could only take this measure out of safety considerations.
Japan is not the first country to use screens to block beautiful views. In fact, in Austria, Hallstatt, hailed as “the world’s most beautiful town,” has also taken similar measures. The number of tourists received daily may be more than ten times the local population, and the excess tourists have brought an unbearable burden on the town, necessitating the erection of wooden fences to restrict photography activities.
Places like Kyoto, receiving over 50 million visitors annually, have already severely impacted the lives of local residents. It is clear that the excessive development of the tourism industry has attracted the close attention of local residents and administrators, urgently requiring a solution.
In September 2023, a restaurant in the area of the Kiyomizu Temple, known for its Gojo-zaka slope, suffered a massive fire. Due to a bus parking lot being adjacent to the fire scene, traffic congestion caused by numerous tourist buses made it difficult for dozens of fire trucks and ambulances to arrive in time, greatly hindering rescue efforts.
In Kyoto’s Gion district, known for its geisha culture, there have been frequent unwanted intrusions into private areas by tourists, disregarding local culture and rules, and even impertinent acts of harassing geishas or maikos for photographs. Facing such behavior, local residents urgently called on the government to take immediate action. In response, as of April this year, the “Gion Hanami-koji” announced a strict photography ban, with violators facing fines up to 10,000 yen.
Moreover, in the “Funaya” area about 130 kilometers north of Kyoto City, with 230 seaside wooden houses whose first floors are often used for parking fishing boats, forming a unique landscape. Unfortunately, this quiet town of only 2,000 people attracted up to 400,000 visitors in 2023, forcing local residents to adjust their daily lives and avoid shopping peaks on weekends as much as possible. Residents express their helplessness: “Our once quiet town is now comparable to a bustling pedestrian street.”
In Kamakura, a city with an annual tourist volume of 20 million, there’s a crossroad made famous by the manga “Slam Dunk.” Each time the Enoshima Electric Railway passes by, people can relive the classic scenes from the manga. However, the excessive activity of photography enthusiasts, even encroaching onto the lanes, has made this spot one of Kamakura’s most dangerous intersections.
In the beautiful town of Biei in Hokkaido, despite the vast fields and scenic beauty, the agriculture resources of the village are damaged by tourists who occasionally trample the fields. Unauthorized parking often occupies local roads, causing great inconvenience to villagers. Noise, traffic congestion, and garbage issues are the visible and significant negative effects of “overtourism,” which also leads to deeper changes in neighborhood structures.
In some areas of Japan, the rapid growth of bed-and-breakfast hotels has hindered the plans of residents who wish to purchase land and build houses, requiring the longstanding population to pay the price for the development of the tourism industry, which in turn affects their quality of life. Local favorite small eateries are gradually being replaced by chains catering to tourists, adversely affecting the residents’ daily lives.
Take Barcelona as an example, Spain’s second-largest city has seen a dramatic increase in the number of tourists over the past decade, with local monthly rent rising by an average of 200 euros, undoubtedly adding economic pressure to the lives of residents. Clearly, overtourism is not only a trouble for local residents but also diminishes the travel quality for overseas tourists.
The blogger Wangwang, who once posted a “May Day travel to Japan deterrent post” on social media, mentioned that his trip to Japan during last year’s May Day left a “profound” memory. It is worth mentioning that “May Day” is not only China’s traditional golden week but has also become a period of mass holidays in Japan. At that time, overcrowded tourist spots and surging accommodation fees are unavoidable realities.
Recently, a lady shared her experience staying at a hotel near the Sensō-ji Temple in Tokyo. Back in April, she only had to pay 500 RMB per night, but soon after, as the holiday approached, the same room’s price skyrocketed to around 3000 RMB. Meanwhile, a Chinese blogger living in Kyoto also warned on social media to avoid visiting popular spots like Kiyomizu Temple and Fushimi Inari-taisha during specific holidays due to the overwhelming crowds, making it difficult to take good photos.
In response to overtourism and public dissatisfaction, Japan has been promoting the “Tourism-Oriented Country” strategy since 2003, with the following key points:
- Encouraging domestic consumption, especially by revitalizing small and medium-sized enterprises, such as retailing, catering, accommodation, and transportation industries, to compensate for the declining domestic demand caused by an aging population.
- Stimulating local economic development and job creation. For regions suffering from depopulation and economic decline, promoting tourism can create many job opportunities.
- Promoting Japanese culture to the world and fostering international friendship. With the widespread international audience of its entertainment industry, such as anime, movies, and music, Japan is propelled as a travel destination.
Twenty years of effort have led Japan to set a series of goals, including attracting 40 million overseas tourists and earning 8 trillion yen by 2020; and by 2030, it hopes to attract 60 million overseas tourists and achieve a revenue of 15 trillion yen. Before the pandemic in 2019, Japan had already nearly reached 31.88 million visitors, generating revenue of about 4.8 trillion yen. Although there is still a gap from the target, it is evident that tourism has become Japan’s third-largest export industry, trailing only behind the automotive and semiconductor industries.
However, with the growth in tourist numbers, the problems associated with overtourism have become increasingly prominent. The University of Tokyo gathered a hundred community leaders for assessment and found that while the “tourism-nation” policy has had positive economic effects, its impact on improving the quality of life for citizens is not clear. People commonly feel that the benefits of tourism are polarized and that it also poses a threat to the habitability of communities. Nikkei Asian Review points out that despite the apparent welcome of foreign tourist spending, the public’s sense of rejection is gradually intensifying.
Not only in Japan, but Europe has also long experienced problems with overtourism. Even as early as 1992, Spain’s Barcelona witnessed protests against the negative impact of tourism and extreme examples of unfriendliness towards tourists.
To alleviate the pressure of tourism, Barcelona introduced a series of policies in 2016 that strictly prohibited the establishment of new commercial facilities, hotels, and apartments in historic districts. Subsequently, in 2017, the city established a tourist monitoring system aimed at diverting visitors based on their activity patterns. Currently, Japan is also continuously learning from successful experiences around the world and implementing similar measures to address the surge in tourist numbers.
In the implementation of specific policies, Japan has adopted various measures to respond to the challenges posed by the surge in visitors:
- Adopting a ticket reservation system and crowd control measures to alleviate congestion at popular tourist sites. For example, in Miyajima of Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, starting from October 1, 2023, visitors to the famous Itsukushima Shrine will have to pay a Miyajima visitation tax of 100 yen per person.
- Promoting multilingual services, not only through real-time translation apps to enhance service levels, but also Japan has relaxed the restrictions on the gig economy in recent years, allowing the public to participate in the tourist service industry during their free time.
- Innovations in technology are also continuing. Kyoto has introduced large rental vehicles capable of carrying 10 people; and local companies donated smart waste bins to the municipal government to address the problem without trash cans. These smart waste bins have built-in sensors that regularly compress waste and notify municipal workers via text message when the bin is full for collection.
- Shodoshima Town in Kagawa Prefecture, facing the challenge of an aging population, is testing unmanned vessels to support the local tourism industry.
In exploring the path to sustainable tourism, the balance between residents and tourists is key. Professor Tsuyoshi Sazawa of Josai International University’s Faculty of Tourism stresses that although the problems of overtourism have been present for over a decade, they cannot be solved with a single measure. Only by combining a variety of effective methods that have been proven in practice can this balance be achieved.
In recent years, a special forces-type tourism has become popular domestically due to its low per capita expense. However, this rapid check-in style of travel lacks in-depth understanding of local culture, and its effect in promoting the local cultural and tourism economy is questioned.
Therefore, Japan is seeking to transform its tourism model. It’s not just about consumer spending but valuing tourists’ contributions to the local economy. On top of ensuring conventional tourism needs, some regions’ strategy is to increase service prices and develop more valuable high-end tourism, aimed at attracting affluent tourists for a deep experience of the local natural scenery and culture, boosting foreign exchange earnings, and meeting the personalized needs of specific tourists.
Regarding tourism expenses, the domestic discussion in Japan notes that with the devaluation of Japanese currency, the cost of travel is currently quite inexpensive, making it a good time to position Japan as a competitively priced travel destination.
With the surge in the number of overseas tourists, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for local residents to book travel and hotel services, which has also pushed up prices. For instance, a ramen priced at 10,000 yen was widely noticed and discussed domestically.
Public opinion generally believes that Japan should reconsider its tourism strategy. While it is inevitable to earn profits from international tourism, it might consider implementing a dual-pricing system to distinguish between domestic and international travelers. The strategy aims to charge foreign travelers higher prices to increase revenue and maintain service quality, while offering more reasonable prices to domestic travelers to ensure their standard of living. However, this suggestion has also sparked discussions about potential unfair treatment of overseas travelers.
It is reported that some scenic spots have proposed adjusting their ticket pricing strategies to attract foreign visitors with higher prices while offering discounts to local residents.
High-end tourism services targeting wealthy tourists are also on the rise. The travel company JTB, in collaboration with Mitsui Real Estate, announced at the end of 2023 a plan to develop tourism projects aimed at the overseas affluent class. These practical tourism projects include cancer diagnosis, Japanese cuisine and sake tasting, as well as natural local experiences. According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization, the consumption by wealthy tourists from certain countries has reached nearly 4.7 trillion yen, almost nine times that of average tourists, with 30% of spending on medical services.
Additionally, Japan’s tourism industry attempts to provide more valuable tourism services and guide tourists from the main golden tourism route of Tokyo—Kyoto—Osaka to local areas. It has been noted that European and American tourists, due to the long journey, are willing to stay for a longer period in Japan and spend more on accommodations and cultural experiences, while Asian tourists tend to focus more on shopping experiences. Catering to different needs, the tourism industry has already launched various customized “deep experience tourism” products.
JTB has also recently announced a strong development of “adventure tourism,” directing tourists to the suburbs and nature. Adventure tourism typically combines sports activities, nature exploration, and cultural experiences, now offering one to two weeks of highly customized travel products. Examples include hiking tours in Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido and cycling tours in the Seto Inland Sea; there are also relatively easy experiences, such as sumo match tours and hot springs cherry blossom viewing.
According to statistics, adventure tourism has formed a market of approximately 70 trillion yen in Europe and America. In 2017, the United Nations World Tourism Organization designated it as the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development,” highlighting the protection of culture, environment, and the economy, and enhancing the satisfaction of local residents’ lives, while promoting the active development of regional economies.
Whether in Japan or within our own country, the tourism industry faces very similar issues. Popular destinations, such as Beijing and Shanghai, experience huge crowds almost every day, to the point where an increasing number of residents resort to posting “This is a private residence” signs at their doors. So-called “special forces” tourism mainly caters to young people with limited economic strength, but for those who desire deeper travel and look forward to enjoying the beauty of every detail, the current travel experience clearly falls short of their expectations.
It is important to realize that the current hurried and efficiency-oriented travel style does not allow one to truly relax and enjoy. One day, each of us will yearn to slow down, immerse ourselves in beautiful scenery, and only then will travel truly achieve its purpose of relaxing the mind and body.
