Japan plans to limit the number of visitors to some popular destinations to prevent the areas from being overwhelmed by tourists. Here’s what you need to know.
Japan’s enduring popularity among international tourists is having consequences as the country tries to balance the benefits of tourism with the impact on destinations, particularly in iconic destinations.
Recently, tourists were barred from certain private streets in Gion, Kyoto’s famous historic district, traditionally lined with teahouses where geisha and maiko work, mainly due to anti-social behavior. Misbehaving tourists have even been accused of harassing geisha, with The Japan Times reporting that one tourist had his kimono ripped and another had cigarette butts stuffed in his collar.
Japanese media reports that some tourists are harassing geisha in Kyoto © Patrick Foto / Shutterstock
What new policies are being considered?
New fees and restrictions have already been introduced on certain climbing trails on Mount Fuji to ease congestion, reduce the environmental impact (including cleaning up litter caused by too many climbers), and improve safety for all climbers.
Kyoto city is considering special express tourist bus routes to take visitors to the city’s most iconic sites in a bid to ease congestion, improve the efficiency of regular local buses and make a complicated system easier for travelers.
Raising fees for tourists has also been considered, but has so far rarely been done in Japan, where admission fees to some of the country’s most famous cultural attractions are surprisingly cheap. For example, admission to Kyoto’s famous Kinkaku-ji Temple costs 400 yen for adults, or about $2.50. Changing this fee would be controversial, and it seems likely that a tourist tax would be raised to fund tourist services.
What is the tourist tax used for?
Local tourist taxes, usually an additional levy on top of hotel rates, are common in many parts of the world but in Japan they are relatively low compared to US tourist destinations such as Honolulu or San Francisco, for example.
These are intended to cover some of the local costs associated with tourism. Kyoto’s rates are on a sliding scale, ranging from 200 to 1,000 yen (about 1 to 7 US dollars) per night, based on the price of a hotel room. Hatsukaichi city, home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Itsukushima Shrine (commonly known as Miyajima), famous for its torii gates that stand offshore from the island, recently introduced a 100 yen (about 60 cents) fee to fund the shrine’s preservation and care.
Some people may not be aware that Japan already has a tourist departure tax of 1,000 yen (about $7 USD) that is included in the price of your flight.
Capacity limits like those at Mount Fuji are likely to be introduced at major tourist destinations © MADSOLAR / Shutterstock
How will Japan manage its overtourism problem?
It seems unlikely that Japan will reduce overall tourist numbers due to overtourism, but rather there will likely be more instances of capacity limits at certain locations, such as Mount Fuji, where only a certain number of people can enter per day.
This has already been done in some cases in Japan: Tokyo’s famous Ghibli Museum and Nagoya’s new Ghibli Park have both capped admission tickets to maintain the quality of the experience and avoid overcrowding. The former costs just 1,000 yen, or about US$6.50, so it’s really a matter of capacity.
Some trains, particularly the fastest Nozomi and Mizuho Shinkansen trains west of Tokyo, are not included in the Japan Rail Pass. Slightly slower trains like the Hikari are, however, included. There is only a few minutes difference in journey time, but at peak times there can be as many as six faster trains for every slower one. There are various reasons for this, including the fact that the busiest sections of the Shinkansen are efficient like clockwork, so passengers get on and off the train in the shortest time, and that disorganized tourists (often carrying large luggage) have been known to disrupt services. As such, international tourists are concentrated on the slightly slower Hikari and significantly slower Kodama services.
A more recent change is the “Baggage 160” system introduced in 2020, which requires travelers to reserve space on popular Shinkansen routes for oversized luggage (those with a combined height, width, and depth of over 160cm/63 inches) or pay a carry-on fee. This change was mainly due to the complications travelers have with bringing large luggage onto trains that do not have large luggage racks. Japanese travelers tend not to bring large suitcases onto trains, instead using excellent and inexpensive luggage delivery services like Yamato Transport to have them delivered to their destinations in advance. Yamato Transport is well known for its logo of a black cat holding a kitten, hence the nickname “Kuroneko”.
Tour groups likely to be restricted first © Everything / Shutterstock
How does this affect group tours?
Beware of capacity limits or outright bans that may affect group tours first, which are highly unpopular with locals and other tourists alike.
The atmosphere of a place can change in an instant when tour buses full of tourists descend en masse. This is certainly true at many of Kyoto’s famous temples and shrines, such as Kinkasan-ji, Ryoan-ji, and Kiyomizu-dera. These groups are well known for their disrespectful behavior, such as talking loudly in quiet places, not following the rules, and interrupting locals and polite travelers alike.
If you’re a solo traveller, you’re unlikely to be affected, so a smart strategy is to visit when groups are still leaving their hotels, just leaving for lunch, or on their way back at the end of the day, and plan to explore the less-travelled parts of this fascinating country.
