@@aldrickespen6863 i guess there are levels to "casual". Someone who does enough research to be sure to be respectful is for sure different than the IG tourists
We welcome them as long as they are not people with special backgrounds like Johnny Somali or Logan Paul who receive money from China and insult Japan. We feel happy when we see Westerners. If possible, we would like them to obtain dual citizenship and emigrate. This country has its limits with only Japanese people. Politics is corrupted to the depths.
Please take a look at the results of a TV survey that showed that 90% of Japanese people dislike Chinese people. In contrast, non-Chinese tourists are wonderful people.
I visited Japan for the first time in 2019 (Tokyo and Kyoto) and found 99% of Japanese people I've interacted with ultra friendly and accommodating. We did make a point to stick to 'touristy places' because there was no way to in the short term learn sufficient Japanese to be able to navigate the non-English-accommodating 'lesser known' spots of Japan. We learned enough phrases to be able to ask for the way, for an English menu, for prices of things, say where we need to go, and of course our polite hellos and thank yous. A thing we always do wherever we travel. But we knew that this most likely wouldn't suffice for less touristy spots, so we stayed clear of those. Btw. our own native language also isn't English. It's not like we expect anyone in Japan to speak our language. It's just a fact that it's hard if you have no common language to communicate in. Between the two of us traveling, we could have offered German, French, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi or English, but alas, no Japanese. So that's why we felt it was safest to stick to spots that are used to tourists. That being said, I do understand and accept why certain touristy place are now choosing to restrict tourist access to certain areas. We went to Kyoto in fall (big recommend, it was BEAUTIFUL), but it was already insanely crowded. Masses and masses of tourists (mostly Chinese around that time). And yes, some people seem to forget that a city no matter how historic or beautiful is not a theme park but a place where actual real people live and are trying to go on about their lives calmly and efficiently. And yes, if people disrupt the locals' life in a significant way, then I find it just fair to at least protect those people's private areas (like those private streets). I hear some tourists not only blocked locals' way but also attempted to touch their hair and traditional attire. That's just harassment at this point. It's sad, but I absolutely understand why the locals don't want that and put an end to it. As far as I gather there are still enough great views to see for tourists, so I think there's no issue here. In the long run if tourism is increasing for those places like it is I think it would also be fair to raise daily tourism fees/taxes for people visiting a place (as did Venice recently, but lots of places around the world raise a tourism tax generally per night you stay as a tourist in a hotel). Also higher entrance fees to sights for non-locals are a common thing all around the world. It helps value a place if it doesn't come all for free to see it, but also it enables a city to raise a fund for additional cleaning and repairs of damages and littering caused by tourism.
I'm a Japanese guy, and in my opinion, Japanese society and city systems are based on just Japanese behavior. Like there are no bins in the city, many roads are not separated by footpaths, etc... If the Japanese government wants to build up the tourism industry they must manage good systems, and services for everyone even for NON-JAPANESE PPL. They have to understand well, human behavior is not the same everywhere
Russia, for example, had around 24 million tourists every year before 2019, and nobody cared too much about them. Your idea has the same problem as “for reduced traffic jams, we should build more roads and parking.“
People visit Japan for its uniqueness. If Japan tries to accommodate everyone's behaviours in favour of tourism, Japan will eventually lose its charm and people will no longer be interested in visiting Japan.
as a European, I was amazed by the cleanliness of Japan's cities, especially since there are hardly any public bins. So we learned quickly to pack an extra bag for our waste. European cities, quite often resemble a dump. ... I really don't think Japan should accomodate to tourists. quite the contrary.... if you see a tourist litter, fine them - you have my permission :D
Sunny, this is a great video as always. As Japanese who lives in the US for long time, I am more like 'foreign tourist' every time I go home. As you mention, Japanese people love tourists. But they want them to respect the culture. At least tourists who come to Japan should know minimum Japanese languages and UNSPOKEN ROLES. I'll say this again, Japanese people don't mind to have tourists IF they respect local and places. You would not act like an idiot when you are invited by your friend's house, wouldn't you? RESPECT others!!! Thanks for sharing this video 💓
Thank you for sharing your advice. I agree that this is a minimum requirement for visiting any country as a guest. It is a shame that a handful of bad apples are ruining it for everyone else 😢
I agree! It's also important that both tourists and the destination culture have the right mindset of learning and teaching each other. Being open minded when someone offers suggestions on how to act and being willing to take part in that feedback are key to a harmonious relationship!
Make the JR Pass extremely cheap to areas that needs tourist dollars. Then make public transit to popular tourist spots for tourists expensive. I purposely avoided Keihanshin and Tokyo for my 1st trip, and visited less popular spots. However, I’m the exception not the rule. Some of these lesser known area actually could use some more influx of traffic!
I live in the very touristy place in Tokyo and honestly most of tourists I see are respectful. I don’t want to give a specific name of country, but… some people from mainland China tend to behave badly and make bad impressions of other travelers.
We know which people you’re referring to , and yes, you are absolutely right. probably ‘1a’ and ‘1b’ with the Russians, as the worst, cringe-inducing tourists in the world
I am Japanese, but I feel that highly civic-minded tourists of Western descent visit Japan for sightseeing, having thoroughly researched and understood Japanese rules and morals in advance and observing moderation. However, tourists from several anti-Japanese Asian countries do not change their own values and lifestyles, but rather visit Japan as they please with their own faces. Some of them consider causing trouble in Japan as “patriotic innocence” as a way of getting back at history. I sometimes feel that if they don't like Japan, they should not come to Japan!
I think I know who you're referring to. The people who go to Japan and cause trouble also cause trouble in their own country too. As far as I know, they don't hate Japan, they just hate the world as a whole; Japan (and other countries) just gets caught in the fire.
Mhm understandable but I think you shouldn't categorise either way , cuz it's majority of the westerners that are streamers , and the things that they do on camera for views affects more so
The problem will become worse for foreigners as more and more people begin to choose Japan over other travel destination. When the foreigner to Japanese ratio becomes like 10 to 1 in some places, the foreigners visiting there will be shocked to see too many foreigners and no Japanese people around so sometimes things will not go according tor your plans.
I've been studying Japanese for months after making several Japanese friends last year. I wont be going to Japan and contributing to this problem. If overtourism there subsides, I'll probably visit, but if it doesn't, I'll just travel my own country. I dont want to be an additional burden on the locals and I dont want to see Japan through a crowd of non-Japanese people. We can admire a place without having to be in it. We can learn from a culture without having to be in it. We can even contribute to the Japanese economy without having to be in it. You arent so special that you have to see everything with your own eyes even if it comes at a cost to everyone else.
You are very wise..Chapeau! But as it is mentioned here already - not all places are crowded with visitors in Japan ( as everywhere), so if you visit some parts of the country where they are in a lack of people you might even help them. Also it depends, how you are travelling...if you take your time, not in a hurry, you will have more awareness for the specialities of other cultures and the people and animals and nature you meet. Maybe you can contribute in a positive way like working on a local project, helping with an eco farm or anything like that. Your experience will get deeper and you are not destroying but cherishing the country you visit. And of course, in our times we have to think twice of taking a long distance flight. But I also think, if you are really dreaming to see another country, you should do it at least once or thinking of maybe other ways to get there than by plane.
This is such a great topic and well approached. I have a strong personal opinion on this. I have been travelling to Japan frequently over the past two decades and have seen a drastic difference. My wife is Japanese, and my 3 children are Australian-Japanese. We have spent long periods in Japan, living there part time. We speak Japanese and understand the culture and the impact of over tourism on certain areas of Japan. As an Australian who is well travelled in Japan, I strongly advocate for tourists to visit towns and cities outside Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Actually, some of my best Japanese experiences have been outside these three major cities, and some of my worst travel experiences have been in these cities. Tokyo is so large, that it can easily absorb the increase in tourism. Kyoto absolutely cannot. Sadly, this has meant that I no longer visit Kyoto when I am travelling and tourists that visit today, no longer experience the once quiet and serene Kyoto of years past. But that's okay. Kyoto is a city which offers a wide range of cultural experiences and that is its draw card. That said, there are other cities that will have a better version of what Kyoto offers, elsewhere. Kyoto might have Nijo Castle for example, but most other castles are better. Kyoto offers nice temples and gardens but the best ones are not in Kyoto (e.g. Kenroku-en in Kanazawa). Kyoto to Japan is really like Venice is to Italy. Overrun and the locals also suffer. There are areas of Japan outside the three main areas that could benefit from increased tourism. The Tohoku region for example, only caters for < 1% of all Japanese tourism, and that is primarily from Japanese locals. Now here is the kicker...... The absolutely best way to encourage tourism to be broad across Japan **IS** the Japan Rail Pass. .... okay, I need a correction. The absolute best way to encourage tourism to be broad across Japan **WAS** the Japan Rail Pass. Sadly, with the massive increase of the Japan Rail Pass, Japanese tourism will increase, but the problem in the major areas will be exaggerated. (The increase was equivalent of the inflation between 1978 and 2024 - a serious price gouge). And many Japanese will simply say (a) the price was unfair to Japanese locals and (b) that American tourists can obviously pay the price. (this misses the whole point..... and the fact that American tourists are not representative of all tourists). I have spoke to many tourists since the change. Tourist were venturing out using the pass to move away from major centres. But this is no longer seeming to be the case. This also has another side effect of decreasing the number of days that foreign tourists travel to Japan. In the past, some might consider 3 weeks and use a 3 week Rail Pass to travel on itineraries such as those recommended by Japan-guide.com. This includes areas such as Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Takayama, Okayama. But tourists are striking day trips and region trips off their itineraries because the purchase of individual tickets may be seen as time consuming or no longer affordable. Some will fly between cities instead of taking the Shinkansen as well. I feel the increase in the Japan Rail Pass is a knee jerk reaction to over tourism and is an attempt by JR to cash in on the weak Japanese Yen. It is a complete failure and I hope Japan Rail's marketing department comes to realise this. I think a solution to over tourism using the Japan Rail Pass could be something similar to this (I have thought about this ever since the Japan Rail Pass increase): 1. Reduce the Japan Rail Pass almost to the old price 2a. Put a surcharge on the Osaka-Tokyo portion - which would encourage tourists to take the northern route via Toyama and Kanazawa. Benefit: The main line is able to be used again by Japanese who need availability for business between Osaka and Tokyo. 2b. Put a surcharge on any trips to and from Kyoto. Benefit: Reduce travel to Kyoto and/or discourage it as a Kansai base. 3. Allow people who have travelled to and spent extended period of time in areas needing tourism (e.g. Tohoku, Shikoku, Kyushu), to offset the Osaka-Tokyo portion. Benefit: By giving a credit to offset a surcharge above, it would encourage people to think about other areas of Japan. The suggestion here is to encourage tourists to come for longer periods, but spend their time in areas that suffer from under-tourism rather than over-tourism. This would be better for Japan as a whole.
Thank you for your comment! I can tell this is a topic you have put a lot of thought into. I think you make some really great points - do you have a blog or something? It would be great to get these recommendations out to reach the ears of the Japanese government and corporations that could make changes to the current tourism landscape.
thanx for bringing up this topic. I have been to and around most of Japan. and It´s one truly amazing country.I am from Sweden. but had for a long time a passion about Japan and Japanese culture .First time to visit was during golden week back in 2001. It was so crowded but other than that so amazing. For first timers to japan. please read up a little before you arrive.And if you can get in touch with someone living in Japan. lastly it´s sad when it gets out of control , I think most people visiting Japan have no reason to litter or destroy sights in Japan. Sadly this is not a problem for only Japan. So please keep an open mind and show respect to all people. lastly thanx , and please keep those videos of yours coming.
Thanks for your comment and insights Golden Week must have been a crazy experience but I’m glad you still had a good time I hope you are able to come to Japan again in the future and keep exploring your passion 🙂
@@Sunny_in_Japan I haven´t been to Japan for some time. travelled to Japan so far 6 times. way less times than yourself.Must admit Japan holds a special place. Always want to return.
Hi, My son and I will be visiting Japan this October for the first time. I get the over tourism thing but we intend to see as much as we can without being a nuisance to local Japanese people. We totally respect the culture and are making an effort to learn some phrases and learn from experiences shared by you and other good you tubers. We are from Wales in the UK and it would be great if parents and schools adopted some of the Japanese culture to teach children to be respectful and tolerant. There is litter everywhere here it's disgusting and the anti social behaviour is unacceptable. Our language is rarely used which is a real shame. We can't wait to visit Japan and are so looking forward to the experience.😊
I believe it differs by region, but in my experience, tourists from Europe and the Americas who visit the countryside spots where I live generally come to Japan with a good grasp of Japanese customs. Since I usually drive, I occasionally help foreign visitors who struggle to dispose of their trash while hiking or engaging in other activities. 地域によって異なると思いますが、私が住む地方の観光地を訪問する欧米圏からの観光客は総じて日本の習慣を理解して来日していることを体感しています。私は普段車を使っていますので、ハイキングなどでゴミを捨てるのに本当に困った人のゴミを私が好意で預かって処理をすることがあります。
@@Justcetriyaart The Japanese government's Tourism Agency also shares etiquette awareness videos on its website. They provide posts in English, Chinese, and Korean. However, due to the sheer volume on social media, they may be challenging to find through search.If you like, please search for "JAPAN TRAVEL". You will find Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site).
@@Justcetriyaart The Japanese government's Tourism Agency also shares etiquette awareness videos on its website. They provide posts in English, Chinese, and Korean. However, due to the sheer volume on social media, they may be challenging to find through search.If you like, please search for "JAPAN TRAVEL". You will find Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site).
The negative effects of overtourism have led to an increase in the number of foreign tourists who not only disregard Japanese rules but also engage in behavior that lacks basic human decency.
My husband and I have been visiting Japan for 9 years. Being retired we stay for 5 to 7 weeks at a time and usually in 2 to 4 locations. We would not be able to stay this long in hotels and eating at restaurants from both a financial and digestive point of view, so we mostly stay in flats or houses. This year we visted Shikoku for the first time and had a great time. We would like to visit other areas of Japan outside of the typical ones, but accomodation (or the lack thereof) is a major problem for us. There just does not seem to be short term (1 to 3 week) accomodation available; at least not that we have been able to find. For example we would like to spend a week or 2 in Sendai, but there just isn't any suitable accomodation.
Stop. Using. AirBnB. If you can't afford to go for as long staying in hotels, shorten your trip. You don't have a right to be wherever you like. Do it properly or don't do it.
This is a great video to raise awareness where it is needed. Good job Sunny. Living in Hawaii I have noticed that they sometimes show videos on the plane of things that you should refrain from doing while in Hawaii. Like petting turtles entering sacred areas and so forth. Maybe they could start some type of campaign like that for flights entering Japan.
Thank you for your comment Such a great idea to have an orientation video on the plane as you land I think Japan having something similar would be great 👏
Thank you for this video~ I've been dreaming of going since I was in my teens and will finally have a chance this Autumn season. Can't wait to discover all the hole in the wall shops run by the locals and learning more about the culture.
From my personal experience, Japanese people by and large are very polite and accommodating to visitors! Unfortunately, as the number of tourists to Japan increases, there is invariably a (very?) small percentage who don't necessarily appreciate this hospitality and/or behave boorishly. It is not too much for Kyoto city government to ask for tourists not to take pictures of geisha and respect their privacy, but these kinds of tourists don't care, unfortunately!
as someone who has been wanting to visit japan for years, i finally got the opportunity to do so! while planning my 2 week itinerary, i decided i definitely want to hit the main touristy spots (tokyo/osaka/kyoto) to see what the hype is about, and i'm pretty sure many first-timers want to visit these spots too ☺️ although these popular tourist spots are overcrowded, that doesn't deter me from going as i feel these are places i really want to experience! there are many other beautiful places in japan that have been promoted on social media, but these places are usually pretty far out and may require a day trip or overnight stay for you to properly enjoy them 😓 however, i personally would give these places a chance if i do decide to visit japan again ❤️
Thank you for your comment! I agree, the popular spots are popular for a reason and I also prioritised them the first time! I hope you get a chance to visit Japan again so you can tick more places off your list 🙂
My spouse is Japanese, so we visit every year. We were there earlier this month. I was hoping to travel to Osaka from Tokyo. I'm so used to rocking up to the station and buying a Shinkansen ticket for travel the same day, but this time I couldn't find a reserved seat for a 3 day window. We'll probably try avoiding Sakura season going forward.
Great video! I was a little concerned when me and my brother would walk away from tourist hot spots and ordered food from a small Japanese restaurant by pointing at the item or using my limited speaking skills because it felt like I was using cave-man speak. However, everyone was very kind and it put me at ease when they said OK after we finished ordering. I swear, we went to this torikatsu place that had to be on the first floor of this families apartment, and despite the stern look on the chefs face as he cooked, they were happy to serve my food. It was delicious. I’m glad you mentioned the Japanese government’s plans to funnel people to the non-touristy places. I don’t know if you’ve read google reviews of restaurants, but people will knock down their rating if they don’t have an english menu or speak only Japanese. 😮
In my experience and from other friends I’ve spoken to, as long as you’re showing respect, you will only be shown kindness and welcome. I’m glad you had a good experience at that more local restaurant, it’s such a shame to hear they are receiving negative reviews for not having English! Especially since we can just use Google translate on our phones…
I feel that Google Translate also has some problems. I feel that accuracy in languages other than English is inferior. When someone from a non-English speaking country is translating complaints or important issues, I think it's better to insert English in between and not translate directly. Native language → English → Japanese There are fewer mistakes this way.
On the flip side, despite negative reviews on Google, it's quite common to have a delightful experience and enjoy delicious food at a restaurant. As a Japanese individual, I occasionally feel the adverse impact of social media when I witness long queues of foreign tourists at certain eateries.
@@gotakazawa408 Yeah, people can be weird on social media. I've learned not to trust google reviews and sometimes even the info can be outdated or just plain wrong. Also, we had a tour guide say if you see a place with a lot of foreigners in line, it might be overhyped. Instead, He told us to check whether or not Japanese people were lining up for the food. It was a pretty good tip.
I just found your channel now. I’ll be travelling from Germany to Japan for the first time in October/November and decided to skip Kyoto, because of the photos and videos I saw. I’ll be going to Tokyo, Fuji Five Lakes, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Nara and Koyasan and hope that I can beat the (foreign) crowds at least a bit by hiking and visiting places in and around the cities (Yamanobe no Michi-Trail near Nara for example). I’m a bit nervous about the language, but I got Google translate and DeepL and try to learn some very basic sentences in Japanese so I can enter restaurants and stores without starting to speak English immediately and make people may feel uncomfortable.
Thank you for your comment! Kyoto has a lot of areas that are not overrun by tourists (they seem to concentrate in certain spots) but it sounds like you’ve got a great itinerary going! November is a beautiful time to visit too, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time 😍
The difficulty about visiting Japan to explore less-known places, for me at least, is that traveling is expensive. Tickets I bought to go there are $1,200 each, and that's not considering the costs I'm going to incur while there, and the income I'm losing by not working. I've never been to Japan before, so it's a risk to opt for the less-traveled road in the small window I'm there as opposed to just getting a hotel in Tokyo where I know it's a place dense with things to do. I think Japan bears the burden to attract not only tourists, but Japanese, to other parts of their country. Afterall, the Japanese population itself is highly centered in the exact places overtourism is being experienced. I certainly think they need to adopt more strict rules and harsher penalties to deter bad actors over there as well.
Thank you for your insights, this is so helpful. My guess is many people travelling to Japan feel the same way, which is exactly why we’re seeing congregation in accessible and large cities. I’m curious to see how Japan will respond. They’ve begun now with fines in Gion and restricting numbers to Mt Fuji, so let’s wait and see what happens I guess.
Maybe you can't afford to visit Japan right now if you can only afford to do it in a way that contributes to the problem. I'm sure there's beauty where you already live that you haven't seen yet - and it's affordable!
Great video and great discussion points! As an American couple moving to Kanazawa soon, we’re very keen on trying to be the best representatives in our daily habits and relationships. I know that may be different from a tourist perspective no doubt… but we do love you pointing out supporting local eateries, shops, and hole in the wall izakaya’s. Great channel as we prep for our transition and great topic, Cheers!
I’m glad you found the video helpful 🙂 Kanazawa sounds like a beautiful place to move to - I hope you have an amazing time! Are you planning on working while you’re there or more of an extended holiday?
Former Floridian here who moved to Asia prepandmic Orlando has hit 70 million tourists before, and our beaches that are ranked #1 are crowded with tourists Yeah, it can make things difficult, but we have healthy boundaries It doesn't completely solve the problem, but it helps 😅
@@Sunny_in_Japan I found a beautiful 'Foodie' film you might enjoy, or you may have already seen. It's called 'A Documentary film (Ryokan 'Sakamoto') 😀
I've been watching foreigners in Japan since RUclips first came out. Heck I used to marathon TokyoCooney's videos from 2006-2014 at times to cheer me up. I have learned a lot of Japanese since then and I'd say I could most likely have a full conversation in Japanese no problem. A big issue is that there is a HUGE overconsumption going on in those tourist area's you mentioned. I live near Buffalo and Niagara Falls in New York. so Tourist Traps are literally always 15 miles away.
I have also been travelling to Japan for a long time now and I understand that people who are there for the first time want to see the most important or known places, I did that too...but maybe if you travel for the second and third time, you should go to other places. I always go back to certain places, but I also go to places off the beaten path, where you have to travel longer, but it´s so worth it...and you should have manners everywhere, but I guess it is "more important" in Japan because it plays such an important role to show respect to their manners and culture and maybe everyone should put more effort in it and also research more before they go...
As a Japanese person, your opinion is very valuable to me. As you know, in Japan, you can discover great nature, culture, and scenery even in the countryside outside of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. We look forward to seeing you again.
Anyway to answer to Your last question: to have a little more "sustainable tourism" in Japan should mean to extend the already impressive organization and "omotenashi spirit" of the Country also in other, relatively less known, areas... just a bit of support, some upgraded means of transportation and local offices which could help foreign tourists to navigate and comprehend also smaller and more local realities without having the latter to "internationalize" too much and too suddendly... and too a little bit of stricter rules and more controls (in a friendly and curteous, yet firm, way) are also to be implemented in a way it does not scream for "discrimination" or "intimidation" but more of information and education...
I don't mind visiting "non-touristy" places but I am afraid that many eateries there do not welcome foreigners especially those who don't speak Japanese. I can't imagine only eating konbini/vending machine food throughout my visit. Other than that I do much prefer the countryside, far far away from the crowd.
So when Japanese people come to your country, do you speak to them in Japanese? Or do you expect them to speak your language (English)? Why is it different the other way around when you go to THEIR country? Just learn how to order your food.
I’ve loved Japan (both her people & her culture) for as long as I can remember, owing to my US Navy grandparents living there post-WW2. I have long waited to travel to and visit Japan, but I would NEVER seek to create an international incident by asserting myself so aggressively into the culture that I’d involuntarily seek to disrupt it…rather, I seek to continue to foster a mutual admiration between the best elements of our respective cultures. I’d LOVE to explore less-touristy places, just as I’d equally love to be able to be as “invisible” as possible. Domo arigatougozaimasu for the video…can’t wait to set foot there for myself one day. 🇯🇵❤️
I live in Kyoto and see many tourists every day, but I don't find them particularly bothersome. Rather, I'm even proud that they are impressed by Kyoto.In order for Japan as a whole to develop further, I would like to see many foreign tourists visit places other than major tourist destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but whether or not local governments in each prefecture in Japan want inbound tourists is something that the local people themselves have to decide. If they want to attract more tourists, they should actively promote their city to the outside world.
Thank you for your insight, there is so much to be proud of in Kyoto! It’s so beautiful 😍 How do you think smaller cities can promote themselves to attract more tourists? Using more English, or perhaps enlisting the power of more online influencers?
@@Sunny_in_Japan As a Japanese individual, I believe that effectively utilizing social media and promoting English support will pose a challenge. In reality, Japan's countryside boasts stunning nature, delectable cuisine, and a vibrant culture. However, regrettably, the proportion of English speakers is significantly lower compared to urban areas, partly due to the aging population.
In German we have a word called "Fremdschämen" , to be ashamed of someone else's actions. Fits well because especially German tourists tend to just go off disrespecting other cultures... I desperately want to visit Japan, but these landscapes and rural streets look so beautiful in anime because they're EMPTY. A huge crowd of people blocking the ways and taking photos ruins the charm and I don't understand how they don't feel that themselves... There should be small guided tourist tours allowed which are booked in advance so there's no stress for neither tourists nor inhabitants. And people on the airplane should receive information sheets about society rules and no gos. And sign that they understood them.
I don’t know what the answer is but travel, world over, definitely grew when social media became a thing . Beautiful places were being seen and everyone who could afford it wanted to see it and then show themselves there. I’m nearing 60 and only saved to travel from Australia to Finland originally because that’s my heritage and the need for connection was important to me. Then Japan and then Singapore in the early 90’s (2 years and then 3 years) only happened because of my husband’s work. So I am very grateful experiencing these countries with very minimal crowds. Having finally being able to take the family to Japan in 2014 (relatively more crowded than I remember being summer) and again in January 2020 (a good time for less people being out in general) I am still wanting to visit again but not with crowds like now, and am wondering how many years I should wait until this great desire to travel lessens. Same goes for central European cities that I have never seen but dream of strolling in. Flights were a lot cheaper before Covid compared to many years ago. Perhaps making them expensive again is an answer. Travel certainly was a luxury once, whereas it became something very doable for your average working person. As for all those enormous cruise ships pulling into places…. Well they certainly add to the problem!
It definitely is interesting to see and hear how travel has changed over the years. I am so grateful to have grown up in a time where world travel is so accessible but of course with it comes many challenges. I’m curious to see how things will keep changing and the conventionally popular locations become more and more crowded but hopefully this will lead to more opportunities for economic growth and less well known places to show their charm to the world.
I was surprised to find out that the majority of tourists in Japan are from neighboring countries like South Korea and China. Only 35% of tourists are from the West, I hear. I guess that makes sense. Anecdotally, of course the European-looking people stand out in the footage I see, but when I pull back, most of the tourists are Asian-looking. I've also talked to several of people living in Japan and they don't have a negative view of tourists. That's encouraging as I felt discouraged to actually ever visit Japan if there's people arriving ahead of me giving me a bad reputation purely because I share the same skin tone.
Yes, Japanese media also seems to broadcast a lot of European-looking tourists. Perhaps because they’re just easier to spot like you say haha Agreed, I’ve been met with only positivity from Japanese people I’ve spoken to about tourists, but I do sometimes worry about being clumped in with a few bad apples I superficially look like
We do not have any problems with over tourism, not at all. in fact we love people from different countries visiting us. We only have problems with bad behaving tourists who ignore/disobey obvious rules, and have no sense of etiquette. The tourists whom I've met here in Tokyo asking me for directions, most of them are very polite and courteous. .....Personally, one thing that does somewhat bother me sometimes are people who come up to me for directions do not have any sense to speak even a word of Japanese. They just start speaking in English or Chinese or whatever as if they expect i'd somehow speak their home language... Oops, am I speaking English right now??
Thank you for sharing this video with us. I actually didn't know what was happening in Japan especially in Kyoto. Surprising. I feel sorry to see it for local people living there. However, I believe Japan should handle this and keep working to make it more profitable business. In reality and sadly, we are losing the competitiveness of economy in the world and tourism on Japan should be one of the few promising industries left for Japan. Good luck to my native country.
It is a challenging situation and hopefully the Japanese government will support local cities and their businesses to handle the increasing tourism to maximise the benefits to the local people 🤞 I hear there are places in Europe that are actually holding protests due to the overtourism they are experiencing, so it looks like it’s a problem countries outside of Japan are also facing at the moment 🤔
I fully understand and agree with you. The Japanese government should support local cities. People in trouble should be well supported. I just wanted to say that we might need to turn this problem into an opportunity. Unfortunately, we are facing a lot of problems in Japan like drastic reduction of the population and losing the competitiveness in major industries. Inbound tourists could be a great opportunity for us and out future benefits, if we can handle this situation in a good manner. They seem to be overwhelming right now, though. No pain, no gain, right?
@@YukiGawinski As a Japanese, I pretty much agree with your viewpoint. The Japanese government has set ambitious targets for attracting foreign tourists to Japan. It's essential that we assist local governments in ensuring the safety and well-being of local residents while also benefiting them.
I have visited Japan several times, I would gladly pay a surcharge /tourists tax , with the extra revenue, spend that money on more street cleaners ,and tourists facilitaties, or pay the people that work in the tourists industry more money .
From the perspective of someone who works in tourism . I have not been to a Japan yet but I will be at the end of the year. I mainly work on how to gain tourism to a town, city, shire etc rather than over tourism. In general a big part of the tourism problem for both under and over tourism is the lack of resources whether it is staff, infrastructure, interpretation, signage, supply etc. Another problem would be over marketing. Marketing destinations that do not have the capacity for more people. Encouraging people to “hidden spots”, “less known places” is good IF they have the adequate resources otherwise we’d just have over tourism is another location. A sudden rise in over marketing can head to suddenly one day there’s overcrowding, it becomes a safety issue, staff are being way over worked, people are annoyed that they didn’t get what they want. I personally like to either go on offical tourism websites (assuming they actually know there own destination (hidden and well known)) or on social media when you can tell that there was consent of the place and they’re grateful, just so that there’s a piece of mind I’m actually welcomed. You mentioned that the lesser known places don’t have English available, so one way around that is to market the domestic travellers. Locals not knowing what has to offer has always been a thing (not exploring your own back yard) tho the cost of living is a huge issue.
Thank you for your comment. It’s great to hear from the perspective of someone working in this area. In terms of your point on resources, which comes first, an increase in tourism or an increase in resources? Or is it a bit of an egg-and-chicken situation?
@@Sunny_in_Japan I don’t really know how to answer that question. In a perfect world we would love to have all the resources we require. In every city or place there is a need for some type of resource but can’t obtain because of many barriers. Plus It can take many years for some resources to take action, there are heaps of steps like planning, approvals, funding, construction, hiring, oh and if the higher up don’t care it’s not going to happen anytime soon. We need more tourism so we have the funding to make a place more accessible, but people won’t come if a places isn’t accessible enough and too many people we start to see negative impacts.
Spent a week in Tokyo. You know it’s overpriced and really there is nothing there especially. I went to some Temples. Strolled Shinjuku etc. Nothing to pull me back.
Went to Japan alone for the first time when I was 19. Had a great time, made a friend and had overall good experiences with locals. I did get the Japanese death stare a couple times but I understand. It's the same look I give Japanese tourists for walking on bike lanes here in the Netherlands.
Japan's in a tough spot b/c culturally, their deeply ingrained belief system of not causing trouble for others are at deep odds with people from other countries where it's anything but that. But we saw the economic damage from Japan closing to the outside during the pandemic. Kyoto for the first time in decades was actually pleasant to visit without the craziness of the tourists and the ill-mannered folks that come with that. Finally Kyoto was back in the hands of the Japanese. But then businesses suffered greatly and many shuttered... so like it or not, Japan needs outside tourists. and you can't levy a fee or tax on just the tourists since that would get you in legal trouble for being discriminatory, so if you levy something like that, it has to be applied to everyone, including the Japanese, which in turn comes back to the locals as collateral damage. I think social media, while opening eyes for so many in terms of where to visit, which restaurants to go, is largely responsible for what's happening now. Prior to Insta and TikTok revealing all the secrets of an area, you could go enjoy yourself in those areas but now they're swarmed with tourists that found out on social media. Information comes too easily now. I'm now very careful about sharing spots that I'd like to keep preserved as local spots. I think it's perfectly fine for small towns and mom and pop shops to strictly operate in Japanese with no English menus, if that means creating a barrier to foreigners from easily enjoying the place, if that's what they want (but then again, you can't openly shun foreigners from entering your place). Many major onsen regions have been overrun with foreign tourists and along with that comes lack of proper bathing etiquette and the last thing I want to see are neighborhood sentos being overrun with outside tourists the same way onsens have become.
I was in Gion just a few days ago. Aside from photography restrictions in certain areas, which people followed, I didn’t see any streets closed to the general public. Perhaps the problem has abated somewhat.
That's self inflicted for one, and most tourists "ruining Japan" are the Japanese tourists themselves. Japan is nowhere near dealing with over tourism yet. The Japanese government wanted mass tourism but didn't prepare and invest properly to absorb that influx of tourists and doesn't apply it's own laws to tackle the bad tourists showing bad behaviour. All they can do is pretend the problem comes from foreigners as usual and ban instead of addressing the real issue.
nah, way off. Japanese tourists are almost always well behaved and follow the rules. Anytime I see visitors in Japan acting obnoxious, entitled, blatantly breaking rules it's gaijin tourists.
@@unkopower7899 Because you're supposed to be our barometer now for a country 380K km² big and its 125 million inhabitants? We'll let you know when we'll need you to be our source to assess anything in Japan. Oh? And just so you know the foreign tourists are also almost always well behaved and follow rules which aren't even rules 99% of the time in the first place but simple common sense applied all around the world.
@@puccaland and you'r the expert. LOL. "And just so you know the foreign tourists are also almost always well behaved " Obviously you've never even been to Japan.
@@unkopower7899 I have been living there for 19 years and have traveled all around Japan since the 90's. You know? When foreign tourists were a rare sight? I am no expert but I for sure know Japan better than you. And I also have businesses in hospitality business and invest in tourism. So you might wanna try someone else.
As a Chinese who lives in the Netherlands, I plan to visit Japan with my family this year. I have to say that Japan is now one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. Almost everyone around me is interested in Japan. I think it's a good thing if everyone recognizes Japanese culture, isn't it? Of course, tourists lacking respect will undoubtedly cause significant problems, and Kyoto seems to be the most severely affected at present. I hope Japan can find a balance in this regard, as Osaka is also set to host the World Expo in 2025, right?
That’s right, so much construction is happening around Osaka right in preparation. I’m so glad Japan’s culture has become world-renowned, it really is such a special country! Unfortunately as the number of tourists increase anywhere, the number of disrespectful tourists will inevitably increase. I guess it’s just a matter of how the Japanese government responds to minimise the negative impacts of that many people. I hope you have a lovely time when you visit with your family this year! I’m sure you will all have a great time 🙂🇯🇵
Im a Colombian-American, living in Medellin as of 5 yrs ago so I have 2 different views of this... 1) Im planning on visiting Tokyo in the near future so Ive been watching alot of videos and trying my best to learn all the rules and customs because I would hate to be viewed as a pest by the locals, I say this because... 2) Here in Medellin weve experienced a bit of a boom as well, not just tourists, but Digital Nomads also. Having been raised in the US, its a unique experience for me, because the locals here are quite fed up with the situation. The influx has caused prices to go up, on everything, but especially rent. And alot of the guys that come here are coming here to partake in the seedier side of what dollars can buy you in a third world country, hint hint. So people here are not happy about it, and understandibly so. Because Im also American, I deal with alot of the "gringos" that come here, theyre not all bad of course, and some of them do genuinely want to immerse themselves in the culture, and thats great, the exchange rate doesnt hurt either! On my trip to Japan I really do want to take in the culture and the history, Ive been in love with Japan all my life and its been my life long dream to travel there. Saying that, I will also have to do some of the more touristy stuff, cuz you kind have to right? But if anyone has some tips or recommendations for my stay in Tokyo, I will definitely appreciate that. Ive done alot of research on the rules and customs so i dont expect I will be offending anyone. at least i hope not.
It’s interesting to hear about what’s happening in Medellin, it sounds like there’s a few places around the world experiencing this challenge 😕 I do hope you get to visit Japan and enjoy it to the fullest 😊 I’d be so curious to hear how you find it. Japan has just recently introduced a digital nomad visa (granted it’s just six months) but it’ll be interesting to see how that will change the landscape here too
Japan may have many rules, but there is no need to remember which side of the escalator to stand on. All we have to do is read the signs and imitate those around us.😄
I always find the escalator thing so interesting. In some places it's stand on the left, other places its stand on the right. Up here in the Sendai area (where I live), there is no "rule" for the escalators and people stand wherever they want.
I think going the way Singapore has would be a start...might deter the less respectful tourists but not effect those who respect culture and know how to keep to themselves so to speak. Highly popular and overcrowded areas like Kiyomizudera could maybe charge an entrance fee at the entrance to the streets leading up to the temple, I first went in 2010 and every years for 5 years and its astounding to see it in videos now ! Quite disturbing in a way, I feel for the locals who just want to go about their daily life, yet catch 22, it must be great for the shop and restaurant owners. I'm heading back in Nov/Dec but have no intention of visting the popular areas this time, doing plenty of google map zooming in and research for outer areas and more countryside exploration. (Although a quick shopping spree in Nishiki market can't be avoided haha)
It truly is a hard problem to solve, but I do believe that the issue with over tourism is a real problem. I have seen it happen back home in Mexico, we’re small town that had its charm grew into a big city and lost that charm. I have visited Japan on several occasions, and I’ve seen how harder it gets to enjoy each city without feeling overwhelmed. Let’s be clear. I’m not an expert, but I truly wish there was a way to limit the amount of tourist coming in, don’t ask me how that could be managed or done hahaha. But as you said, maybe there should be more marketing and more encouragement to visit other places in Japan. Nonetheless I just discovered your channel today and I am going through all your videos and they’re amazing.
Thank you for your comment. It seems really hard to balance the benefits of tourism without negatively impacting the local environment I think each region will have to sit down and figure out how it is best for them to tackle the challenges because like you said, I don’t know how you could control the number of people coming in I’m glad you’re enjoying the channel 😁
I visited Japan for the first time in the late 90s and I remember there were hardly any tourists compared to today; not even 3 million IIRC. In 2001 I lived for a year in Kyoto and visiting Gion was no problem at all (taking decent pictures with a smartphone didn't exist yet). Last year I went to popular hot spots like Kyoto, Akihabara and Kamakura I felt like more than half of the people there were tourists. It definitely felt overcrowded.
I live here in Japan in a non-touristy area (Tohoku region). I *maybe* see 1-2 tourists a week AT MOST up here in my little city. Anyways, I went down to Tokyo last weekend. It was shocking to say the least. Every single train I got on probably had more foreigners than Japanese people. Any restaurant you would go into was basically gauranteed to be 1/2 tourists. The last time I went to Tokyo was last summer, and I thought it wasn't too bad then. Less than a year later, it's gotten way way worse. I remember thinking there were a lot of tourists in Tokyo 10 years ago...I would've never imagined that it would end up getting THIS bad.
@@BC33714 I had the same experience with the inaka: I lived in 2010-13 in Niigata prefecture and there were hardly any western people in that region and visiting Tokyo back in 2013 I though there were already too many tourists. Little did I know...
Oh, one more take from me on overtourism is that people should visit Japan more not on a high season. Hanami is great, but it’s a just couple of weeks and it’s already overcrowded with locals so tourists trying to go there during that time creates a bit of a problem. I think Japan is great almost at every season, excluding summer for me. I can’t stand Japanese summer 🫠 I think my favourite season for travelling in Japan is somewhere in between September and mid November. I really love momiji, but I prefer to travel Japan before their season because, again, it helps to avoid crowds. Also flights are cheaper during that time.
I experienced my first Hanami this year and yes it was beautiful but I was surprised by the amount of people 😱 I get it though. It’s probably on a lot of people’s bucket lists to see at least once, but yeah, this year’s late Sakura shows how hard it can be to time your trip. This is my first time going into a Japanese summer and I am so nervous 😬 I really liked autumn the one time I went too, it’s so beautiful 😍🍁
I find it weird that people are going without doing research on manners, customs, etc. I did research for YEARS before finally having enough money to go to Japan post-Covid. The idea that soooo many people are just going to Japan in the spur of the moment is so weird and unbelievable to me.
I'm Japanese, and there are many wonderful places in Japan other than Kyoto and Osaka. I'm thinking of leveling out overtourism. Would you want to go to a place that doesn't require a big city as long as you can enjoy five things at the same time: gourmet food, temples and shrines, hot springs, nature, and experiencing Japanese culture at a price that families can afford?
Those all sound like fabulous things to me! I guess to find these things, I often look them up on social media in English, so there’s more likely to be info about places in Kyoto and Osaka, but whenever I find a place that looks good outside of those areas, I also bookmark those for if I can ever visit them in the future 😊
I think this number of French 90 million tourists is a good example of statistic misunderstanding. People from Germany, Italy, or especially Swiss, who went into the neighboring community on the weekend are also part of this 90 million.
I decided to go with that figure to give a relative comparison of the scale of Japan’s Inbound’s tourism, however there are many factors like length of stay, pop density etc that I brushed over. What do you think would have been a better figure to use?
I am Japanese. There are areas of Japan, especially in urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, that are adversely affected by excessive numbers of foreign tourists. However, there are many minor cities and regions that are rarely visited by foreign tourists. If possible, avoid Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto and visit regions such as Kyushu, Tohoku, and Shikoku.
@@Sunny_in_Japan As you know, many foreign tourists visit Japan after getting information through social media. The Japanese side understands this, and local cities are disseminating information to overseas visitors through SNS, RUclips, and other platforms. However, these efforts have not received much attention. In fact, many influencers refer primarily to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Okinawa. Unless a significant number of influencers grasp this situation, sound the alarm about overtourism, and create a major trend to direct tourists to the regions, it will be difficult to disperse tourists.
@realstage1925 thank you for your thoughts. I’m excited to see how this SNS landscape changes as Japan continues to push for and support content creators that funnel foreign tourists into lesser known areas 🤔
As you say, getting tourists to visit places other than famous tourist destinations or big cities is an important issue. I have seen your past videos and I think you could write a program to address this issue. Visit the Japanese countryside, uncover its attractions, and create new businesses to help solve this problem.
I just wish more people would go to OTHER places in Japan that aren't Tokyo Osaka Kyoto (ok of course people who have never been before would be interested to go and I understand that but...) there are so many amazing prefectures and places in Japan that really don't get that much tourism. Many are so easy to get to because of Japan's fantastic rail system. Even if people are less likely to speak English there it is not a big issue and shouldn't be a deterrant. I just think everyone would have a better time if they expanded their horizons a little bit instead of clogging up the same tourist hot spots.
I can feel what You are meaning... this is why in my upcoming trip to Japan (the very first time, after having dreamed of it for almost 20 years) I will limit my time in Kyoto (only day trips from Osaka) and I will try to keep "off the too beaten path" looking for "my" favourite places.... The most important problem is that looking for less crowded places require time and comparatively more effort... that's a big dilemma...😅 Any suggestion before those supposedly "less known" places become a mess too?
Thank you for your comment How exciting to be visiting Japan for the first time 🤗 I really like the areas around Shinsaibashi in Osaka and Nakazakicho for cafes and thrift shopping. Umeda is also pretty amazing! Downtown Osaka is the one that is very busy, but undoubtedly iconic. In terms of Kyoto, I really do love Kiyomizu-dera, Arashiyama and all the other very busy spots - they’re popular for a reason! If you are brave enough, going early in the morning is pretty bearable 😊 If you like tea, I hear Uji is THE place to go for matcha. Otherwise, if you like just chilling, anywhere along the Kamo river in Kyoto is 👌👌 Best of luck!
I have a favor to ask. As you're aware, Japan has a strong culture of adhering to traffic signals, and laws are built upon this principle. In essence, there's no equivalent Japanese term for "Jay-Walk." Lately, this has become an issue in Kamakura, Mt. Koya, and Fujikawaguchiko Town, so I'd appreciate it if you could help spread awareness about it someday.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that is happening. It is a shame the visitors are not following local laws Unfortunately I don’t know how much power or sway I have and I think most people watching my videos, like yourself, have nothing but respect for Japan and its laws. However, if I’m ever in a position to be able to help in any way, I will do my best 💪
@@Sunny_in_Japan Your videos are incredibly informative. I believe it's crucial for them to keep disseminating such valuable information, and we Japanese truly appreciate their efforts.
Japanese here. This might not be a popular opinion, but I think if Japan promotes the influx for economic profits, we should be responsible for these issues and take actions despite it being quite painful. As much as I contempt disrespectful tourists, it is pretty clear that the infrastructure and overall urban planning is not suited to inviting 60M tourists, and if we really aim to be a tourism-oriented nation, which at this point is pretty much inevitable with our economy falling, we should plan our cities to have tourist districts just like Paris, Rome, Istanbul etc. I think we should make certain areas almost like theme parks and distance tourists from locals. This is certainly going to blemish Japans tradition and uniqueness to some extent but in order to share and monetize our cultural heritage, we really should consider such drastic measures or else keep suffering on either over tourism or economic stagnation. I mean, I think that is what the government is up to like they aren't aiming for 60M without considering such issues right? It's just that most people don't understand what it means and being naive to think tourist would magically spend billions of money without locals having to adjust.
It's tough balancing wanting to travel to Japan and being afraid to contribute to the 'over-tourism' problem. I'm going in August and are there any regions you recommend that wouldn't contribute to the issue?
Hi there, honestly anywhere north of Tokyo and south/west of Osaka is still pretty -underexplored. I don’t know Tokyo very well, but Osaka (apart from Dotonbori region) is so fun in my opinion. Kyoto is where you might feel a bit overwhelmed imo. It’s beautiful and popular for a reason, so I would recommend exploring in the mornings and on weekdays for a more pleasant experience 🙂 Overtourism is definitely in part an infrastructure issue so as long as you’re respectful and considerate (which sounds like you are!) I think you’ll be welcomed and have a great time 🙂
i dont understand why Japan can't cope. I mean millions of people visit New York without it causing a meltdown. More people visit the Statue of Liberty then any japense tourist hotspot and that functions well
That’s literally simple matter😂 Japanese people never warn you directly but American would be like 😡😡 In other words, Japanese people are looked down on by them
I read a preliminary statement by the Japanese Tourism Board that most of the influx of tourists concentrate in the Kanto and Kansai regions and that they are adjusting their growth plans to increase growth in the other regions. Which is why, for one, I don't understand why they increased the prices for the JR Pass by on avg. 70%. I will visit Japan a third time this year and still have not included Kyoto in my itinerary. Instead I will rent a car and discover Shikoku and Kyushu. Really looking forward to it.
That’s a good point about the JR pass haha. Did they ever provide an explanation as to why it was going up by so much? Is this your first time renting a car in Japan? Was it simple enough to transfer over your licence?
@@Sunny_in_Japan It was the first increase in decades, so afaik they gave increasing costs as the main reason. I guess we will have to see and wait, how this and maybe next year's tourists will get around. Tbh, with carriers like Jetstar and Peach, flying is currently the cheaper and more convenient option on many routes. Regarding driving, it will be my first time in Japan. I am currently getting my German driver's license translated by a recognized provider, because Germany is part of the Vienna Agreement on Road Traffic from 1968 while Japan (like Australia btw) is part of the Geneva Agreement from 1949. Thus, my International Driver's Permit is not recognized, like it was when I rented in the US and Canada, for example. So I will need to show my national license together with the authorized translation. Fingers crossed, that everything will go smoothly. I'll gladly send an update in July.
Yeah I have to agree, at the moment flying domestically seems like the cheapest and fastest way to go but I’m keen to check out some more regional train lines and if they have any passes foreigners are eligible for 🤞 Best of luck for July, I’m sure it’ll be grand and can’t wait to hear updates! 🚗💨
@@Sunny_in_Japan Hey Sunny! About two months ago I promised you an update regarding our Japan trip, which I now like to deliver. :) Our plans changed a bit and after a 4-day stopover in Seoul we headed to Tokyo for a week before spending one week in Nagano prefecture, close to Lake Nojiri. We are having a blast enjoying the rural (and not crazy hot!) side of the country and renting a car for a few days has been the easiest thing ever. My translated German license was no problem and the whole thing took maybe 15 minutes before happily driving off. Driving itself was also super easy, despite being my first time driving on the left. Tomorrow we will head on to Osaka for two nights, before flying back to Germany. Those three weeks flew by like nothing and I am sure to miss Japan after a few weeks back home. All the best for you!
Its inevitable...unless bans comes to place. People have access to more flight options at reasonable price. Also Yen is so low against the dollar...people will flock like pigeons. And we know how tourist crowds behave. Places such as Venice, Bali or Paris face similar challenges
Always a difficult discussion with lots of nuance (and thus, difficult to discuss on the internet). As someone who didn't really get to travel until I was in my 40s, I've spent the last 10 years trying to make up for lost time. But I'm also very conscious of the "Ugly American" stereotype, so when I'm abroad, I try very hard to be respectful and not be a nuisance. Unfortunately, like most people from the States, I can barely speak English, much less any other languages, and I have no ear for them, in spite of watching a lot of non-English language films. That's a big barrier. I also live & work in a fairly highly trafficked, tourist destination city, so I'm conscious of how much of a pain influxes of tourists can be for locals. I've tried to get around crowds of 8th graders, or families from the Midwest who don't understand staying to the right on an escalator, to try to catch a train more times than I can count. My wife and I tend to travel at non-traditional times, which helps. We aren't usually part of a huge crowd of tourists. And folks in heavily tourist-trafficked areas tend to like those tourists just fine when they're not being overwhelmed. We're also not as into the "Instagram Shot" style of travel. Not that we're above hitting famous spots or anything. But we tend to enjoy seeing a place from the ground level, checking out local favorite spots, and maybe glimpsing what it's like for folks who live in a place. It's one of the reasons we tend to like to pick a city and just stay there for 4 or 6 days, and then just walking around and seeing what we see. We don't mind going to places when the weather isn't optimal. We'd rather be chilly and wet in a cool new country than chilly and wet back home. I've never been especially interested in Japan, but more and more, I'd like to visit. If we do, we're hoping to get out of the major areas and see more of the country. There's a scenic train somewhere in the south that I very much want to take, for example. For sure, the language concern is real. Traveling in Europe is usually so easy for us, because everyone seems to speak English, and can take pity on us when we try to stumble over a few phrases in French or German or Danish. We did OK in Argentina and Chile, because we've both had more exposure to Spanish, even if we can't speak it at even a conversational level. But somehow, I don't think my having watched a giant pile of Samurai films will end up being enough for me to do well with Japanese. I'm not very good with social graces in my own, familiar surroundings, so I can't imagine I'll be very good in a culture with unspoken rules I didn't grow up with. If I do make it there, I will make sure to throw away my trash, try to stay out of the way of commuters, not carve my name in anything, and keep my voice down as much as I can.
Thank you for your comment. I am envious of how many amazing countries you have traveled to 😍 I hope when you do make it to Japan you have an amazing time. I know you said you don’t mind going at sub-optimal times, but let me recommend avoiding rainy season (June/July) as there are typhoons and it can be physically impossible to leave the house and things like planes and trains get cancelled, and a week in early May called Golden Week. It is a national holiday the scale of New Year’s / Xmas in the West and everything goes x100 in price. Apart from that, wherever you go, you will have an amazing time, whatever you do 🙂 From my experience, Japanese people I have met have never expected me to know the intricacies of Japanese social rules and conform to them. As long as you’re respectful they are very welcoming and love sharing their culture 🙃
@@Sunny_in_Japan, that's some great info about the rainy season and Golden Week. Thank you. We normally travel in September, January, or February. So we should be good. My wife works in tourism here in the States and those tend to be the least busy months. From the middle of March through early August, and then around the bigger holidays, she works almost all the time and we don't do much traveling. We often do budget travel, so we go wherever the best flight or hotel deals take us, as opposed to choosing a place to go and then figuring it out. But I think we've both warmed up to the idea of visiting Japan, so we might start planning for it. It'll probably be a couple years before we can make it happen. Maybe by then I'll at least be able to say "please" and "thank you" in Japanese. For convoluted reasons I won't go into, I spent a week mostly by myself in Rome last year, and my inability to communicate in Italian was very frustrating and embarrassing. I went into it thinking I was going to do better.
@matthewconstantine5015 inability to communicate can be very frustrating, I totally get it Seeing where a flight takes you seems like a super fun and spontaneous way to travel I love it haha
I would love to visit less-explored areas of Japan. My own problem, though, is general accessibility - I cannot stand or walk for long periods of time, and use a wheelchair instead. I have had bad luck with accessibility in historical and rural places in the past. I would have to do a lot of research to see if going to these less-frequented spots is even feasible for me.
Thank you for your comment. I have always wondered how accessible Japan was for tourism compared to other countries When you say research - are there RUclipsrs or specific places you look that provide good quality and reliable accessibility information regarding travel in Japan?
For the sake of Japan, i won't visit there anytime soon. Might sound controversial and impossible, but I want Japan to expand and spread with peace and alliance. I'm not sure how that's possible, though.
You can visit, but when you do, just avoid the major Hotspots of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. If you go to a city like Matsue in Shimane Prefecture they will be glad to have you there.
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As someone who has loved Japan for 20+ years, it pains me to see casuals ruin such a fantastic country.
If you dont live there you may also be….a casual…..
@@aldrickespen6863 i guess there are levels to "casual". Someone who does enough research to be sure to be respectful is for sure different than the IG tourists
This.
We welcome them as long as they are not people with special backgrounds like Johnny Somali or Logan Paul who receive money from China and insult Japan. We feel happy when we see Westerners. If possible, we would like them to obtain dual citizenship and emigrate. This country has its limits with only Japanese people. Politics is corrupted to the depths.
Please take a look at the results of a TV survey that showed that 90% of Japanese people dislike Chinese people. In contrast, non-Chinese tourists are wonderful people.
I visited Japan for the first time in 2019 (Tokyo and Kyoto) and found 99% of Japanese people I've interacted with ultra friendly and accommodating. We did make a point to stick to 'touristy places' because there was no way to in the short term learn sufficient Japanese to be able to navigate the non-English-accommodating 'lesser known' spots of Japan. We learned enough phrases to be able to ask for the way, for an English menu, for prices of things, say where we need to go, and of course our polite hellos and thank yous. A thing we always do wherever we travel. But we knew that this most likely wouldn't suffice for less touristy spots, so we stayed clear of those.
Btw. our own native language also isn't English. It's not like we expect anyone in Japan to speak our language. It's just a fact that it's hard if you have no common language to communicate in. Between the two of us traveling, we could have offered German, French, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi or English, but alas, no Japanese. So that's why we felt it was safest to stick to spots that are used to tourists.
That being said, I do understand and accept why certain touristy place are now choosing to restrict tourist access to certain areas. We went to Kyoto in fall (big recommend, it was BEAUTIFUL), but it was already insanely crowded. Masses and masses of tourists (mostly Chinese around that time). And yes, some people seem to forget that a city no matter how historic or beautiful is not a theme park but a place where actual real people live and are trying to go on about their lives calmly and efficiently.
And yes, if people disrupt the locals' life in a significant way, then I find it just fair to at least protect those people's private areas (like those private streets). I hear some tourists not only blocked locals' way but also attempted to touch their hair and traditional attire. That's just harassment at this point. It's sad, but I absolutely understand why the locals don't want that and put an end to it.
As far as I gather there are still enough great views to see for tourists, so I think there's no issue here.
In the long run if tourism is increasing for those places like it is I think it would also be fair to raise daily tourism fees/taxes for people visiting a place (as did Venice recently, but lots of places around the world raise a tourism tax generally per night you stay as a tourist in a hotel). Also higher entrance fees to sights for non-locals are a common thing all around the world. It helps value a place if it doesn't come all for free to see it, but also it enables a city to raise a fund for additional cleaning and repairs of damages and littering caused by tourism.
I'm a Japanese guy, and in my opinion, Japanese society and city systems are based on just Japanese behavior.
Like there are no bins in the city, many roads are not separated by footpaths, etc...
If the Japanese government wants to build up the tourism industry they must manage good systems, and services for everyone even for NON-JAPANESE PPL.
They have to understand well, human behavior is not the same everywhere
Russia, for example, had around 24 million tourists every year before 2019, and nobody cared too much about them. Your idea has the same problem as “for reduced traffic jams, we should build more roads and parking.“
People visit Japan for its uniqueness. If Japan tries to accommodate everyone's behaviours in favour of tourism, Japan will eventually lose its charm and people will no longer be interested in visiting Japan.
as a European, I was amazed by the cleanliness of Japan's cities, especially since there are hardly any public bins. So we learned quickly to pack an extra bag for our waste. European cities, quite often resemble a dump. ... I really don't think Japan should accomodate to tourists. quite the contrary.... if you see a tourist litter, fine them - you have my permission :D
ゴールデンウィークなど日本の大型連休中の来日は避けた方が良い事も発信してほしい。
そもそも来なくていい
外貨は腐るほどあるし必要性を感じない、観光に力を入れたら必然的に値段が跳ね上がり、現地人が気軽に飲み食い出来なくなる。
外国人の前に日本人を気遣ってくれ
(GWに来てほしくないという意味も込めていたらスマン)
@@peterc4082 さま
わたしも同意見です。
ありがとうございます。
イタリアのベネチアでは街に入るのに入場料が必要になるみたいですが、このままオーバーツーリズムが続くなら日本の観光地も入場料を検討するべきだと思います。ワンコインくらいの入場料なら問題ないはず。それで得た利益を観光地の改善費用に使えるし地元住民にも何かしら還元できる。
改善費用やメンテナンス費用それに人件費なども、考えると破格すぎる入場料のとこも多くありますね🧐
これは本来イタリア等の観光地と事情が違って円安特需が大勢を占めている。しかし円安がこの先是正される事は100に一つくらいの可能性だろうからそれも良いアイデアかも知れません。
Sunny, this is a great video as always. As Japanese who lives in the US for long time, I am more like 'foreign tourist' every time I go home. As you mention, Japanese people love tourists. But they want them to respect the culture. At least tourists who come to Japan should know minimum Japanese languages and UNSPOKEN ROLES. I'll say this again, Japanese people don't mind to have tourists IF they respect local and places. You would not act like an idiot when you are invited by your friend's house, wouldn't you? RESPECT others!!! Thanks for sharing this video 💓
Thank you for sharing your advice. I agree that this is a minimum requirement for visiting any country as a guest. It is a shame that a handful of bad apples are ruining it for everyone else 😢
I agree! It's also important that both tourists and the destination culture have the right mindset of learning and teaching each other. Being open minded when someone offers suggestions on how to act and being willing to take part in that feedback are key to a harmonious relationship!
Make the JR Pass extremely cheap to areas that needs tourist dollars. Then make public transit to popular tourist spots for tourists expensive. I purposely avoided Keihanshin and Tokyo for my 1st trip, and visited less popular spots. However, I’m the exception not the rule. Some of these lesser known area actually could use some more influx of traffic!
Great video! This encouraged me to make more videos about showing country side in Japan 🇯🇵
The Japanese countryside truly has so much to offer! I look forward to your videos as well 😊
Sadly many things u reach only with a car. Next time for me definitely with license to drive on my own 😅
私はいわゆる外国人のバケットリストに必ず入ってる東京の観光地の近くに住んでいます。
欧米系の人は遠い旅行先なので結構事前に日本のマナーを調べて来ている印象があります。
一番嫌な思いをするのは正直、アジアの大きい国の方々です。
あの国の人は道路に広がって歩いてきて、こっちが避けないと向かってきますｗ
結構、恐怖を感じます。
日本人同士なら左側通行で3メートル手前くらいから暗黙の意思の疎通があり、ぶつかる心配はないんですけどね。
東京の観光地の近くに住んでるという事はそれなりに思う事がおありだと思います。
貴重なご意見ありがとうございます！
@@Sunny_in_Japan 沢山の外国人の方々が日本をリスペクトして来日されてるのは嬉しい事だと思ってます。
マナーを守って楽しんで帰国してほしいです。
訪れる国のマナー、文化を理解しリスペクトすることは大事ですよね。
私もタイ南部の天然の一枚岩のプールに行ったとき団体できた中にいた一組の家族が小学生に大きな声で水泳指導をはじめました。しずかでリラックスできる雰囲気が一変した事を思い出しました。
京都を取り上げてましたが、可哀そうなのは、芸姑さん・舞妓さん、これらの職業の人達は観光客に魅せる為ではなく、まず出勤して着物に着替えてお客さんの所へ向かう途中が皆さんが良く目にする光景なのを観光客の人達は知らない。街並みはそれぞれ私有地で、自撮りしたいからと敷地内に入り撮影する人達もいる。これらの人達は逆の立場で考えて欲しい。
桜の季節には枝を揺らして花びらを散らして撮影したり、木に登ったり…迷惑行為の映像を観る度に腹立たしくなる。
枝を折った場合3年以下の懲役または30万円以下の罰金または科料。顔に近づけて写したい為に枝に触るのも条例違反
、道端に落ちてる桜を拾って持ち帰るのもダメです。
ゴミを捨てる場所が無い事を認識したなら、食べ飲み歩きしなければいい。
スーパーストア・コンビニ・バス・電車内への飲食物の持ち込みも遠慮して欲しい。
日本に観光に来るのも好きになってくれるのも嬉しいが、日本人が秩序を守ってきたので素敵な国になってるので、住みたいと外国人が良く聞きますが、サニーさんや少数の外国人は日本の文化・歴史・マナーを理解してるならいいんですが、日本に住んでみて見えなかった日本独特の細かなマナーの数々に耐えられなくて母国に帰る人達も多いようです。なので、簡単に住みたいと言わないで欲しい。
ゴミの分別も大体は5種類+廃棄物、お肉・魚等入ってたトレーは洗って（すすいで）からゴミに出す。ペットボトルのフィルムもはがすとかキャップも別等、分別が多い所だと16種類とか…
今回も編集凝ってますね😉
登録者数1万まで後少し、頑張って下さい。👍
ありがとうございます！
それと貴重なご意見もありがとうございます！
I live in the very touristy place in Tokyo and honestly most of tourists I see are respectful. I don’t want to give a specific name of country, but… some people from mainland China tend to behave badly and make bad impressions of other travelers.
そうなのです。。。
桜の前での行動でよく分かります😅
桜に合わせて動くアジア人と、桜の枝を自分の位置に引っ張るアジア人で、どこの国の者か判断できます。
We know which people you’re referring to , and yes, you are absolutely right.
probably ‘1a’ and ‘1b’ with the Russians, as the worst, cringe-inducing tourists in the world
As a Japanese resident living near countryside tourist spots, I often encounter similar sights to yours.
I am Japanese, but I feel that highly civic-minded tourists of Western descent visit Japan for sightseeing, having thoroughly researched and understood Japanese rules and morals in advance and observing moderation.
However, tourists from several anti-Japanese Asian countries do not change their own values and lifestyles, but rather visit Japan as they please with their own faces.
Some of them consider causing trouble in Japan as “patriotic innocence” as a way of getting back at history.
I sometimes feel that if they don't like Japan, they should not come to Japan!
I think I know who you're referring to. The people who go to Japan and cause trouble also cause trouble in their own country too. As far as I know, they don't hate Japan, they just hate the world as a whole; Japan (and other countries) just gets caught in the fire.
Mhm understandable but I think you shouldn't categorise either way , cuz it's majority of the westerners that are streamers , and the things that they do on camera for views affects more so
Anti-Japanese Asian countries = china
够含蓄，不过 虽然他们的行为确实不好，不过 anti-Japanese 我觉得是情有可原的，但是即使情有可原，也希望他们不要造成不可修复的破坏，毕竟是宝贵的整个人类文化的一部分
2月末、奈良、京都に行きましたが、天候が今一にも関わらずすさまじい数の観光客で埋め尽くされていました。
明らかにオーバーキャパシティの状態です。
祇園などは、チケット制などある程度の入場規制が必要だと思います。
夜の店も、SNSなどで拡散され外国人が殺到し雰囲気が壊され、地元、常連客が行かなくなるという問題も起きているようです。
Unfortunately, renowned tourist destinations like Kyoto are already facing issues that disrupt the daily lives of both locals and visitors alike.
奈良も 京都も 外国人観光客が行く所は 集中しています。
@@ジョージアS 最近は、アジア系が白川郷とかあの辺お静かなところでも問題おこしたりはしてるしね・・・
奈良の鹿いじめをする中国人の動画はひとつやふたつじゃないし、公道も鹿の顔に蹴りいれたりとか、警察うごけよ！くらいのひどいものもあるしね。
そういう時はなぜか普段うるさい動物愛護団体も、全く動かないんだよな～そういうチャンネルでも無反応だし。
The problem will become worse for foreigners as more and more people begin to choose Japan over other travel destination. When the foreigner to Japanese ratio becomes like 10 to 1 in some places, the foreigners visiting there will be shocked to see too many foreigners and no Japanese people around so sometimes things will not go according tor your plans.
Yup. It’s a paradox: the high demand for Japan is destroying what made it such a desirable destination in the first place.
Exactly. I like going to Japan to see the culture and such. If all I'm seeing around me are other westerners that detracts from the experience.
I've been studying Japanese for months after making several Japanese friends last year. I wont be going to Japan and contributing to this problem. If overtourism there subsides, I'll probably visit, but if it doesn't, I'll just travel my own country. I dont want to be an additional burden on the locals and I dont want to see Japan through a crowd of non-Japanese people.
We can admire a place without having to be in it. We can learn from a culture without having to be in it. We can even contribute to the Japanese economy without having to be in it.
You arent so special that you have to see everything with your own eyes even if it comes at a cost to everyone else.
You are very wise..Chapeau!
But as it is mentioned here already - not all places are crowded with visitors in Japan ( as everywhere), so if you visit some parts of the country where they are in a lack of people you might even help them. Also it depends, how you are travelling...if you take your time, not in a hurry, you will have more awareness for the specialities of other cultures and the people and animals and nature you meet. Maybe you can contribute in a positive way like working on a local project, helping with an eco farm or anything like that. Your experience will get deeper and you are not destroying but cherishing the country you visit.
And of course, in our times we have to think twice of taking a long distance flight. But I also think, if you are really dreaming to see another country, you should do it at least once or thinking of maybe other ways to get there than by plane.
This is such a great topic and well approached. I have a strong personal opinion on this. I have been travelling to Japan frequently over the past two decades and have seen a drastic difference. My wife is Japanese, and my 3 children are Australian-Japanese. We have spent long periods in Japan, living there part time. We speak Japanese and understand the culture and the impact of over tourism on certain areas of Japan.
As an Australian who is well travelled in Japan, I strongly advocate for tourists to visit towns and cities outside Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Actually, some of my best Japanese experiences have been outside these three major cities, and some of my worst travel experiences have been in these cities.
Tokyo is so large, that it can easily absorb the increase in tourism. Kyoto absolutely cannot. Sadly, this has meant that I no longer visit Kyoto when I am travelling and tourists that visit today, no longer experience the once quiet and serene Kyoto of years past.
But that's okay. Kyoto is a city which offers a wide range of cultural experiences and that is its draw card. That said, there are other cities that will have a better version of what Kyoto offers, elsewhere. Kyoto might have Nijo Castle for example, but most other castles are better. Kyoto offers nice temples and gardens but the best ones are not in Kyoto (e.g. Kenroku-en in Kanazawa).
Kyoto to Japan is really like Venice is to Italy. Overrun and the locals also suffer.
There are areas of Japan outside the three main areas that could benefit from increased tourism. The Tohoku region for example, only caters for < 1% of all Japanese tourism, and that is primarily from Japanese locals.
Now here is the kicker......
The absolutely best way to encourage tourism to be broad across Japan **IS** the Japan Rail Pass.
.... okay, I need a correction.
The absolute best way to encourage tourism to be broad across Japan **WAS** the Japan Rail Pass.
Sadly, with the massive increase of the Japan Rail Pass, Japanese tourism will increase, but the problem in the major areas will be exaggerated.
(The increase was equivalent of the inflation between 1978 and 2024 - a serious price gouge). And many Japanese will simply say (a) the price was unfair to Japanese locals and (b) that American tourists can obviously pay the price.
(this misses the whole point..... and the fact that American tourists are not representative of all tourists).
I have spoke to many tourists since the change. Tourist were venturing out using the pass to move away from major centres. But this is no longer seeming to be the case. This also has another side effect of decreasing the number of days that foreign tourists travel to Japan.
In the past, some might consider 3 weeks and use a 3 week Rail Pass to travel on itineraries such as those recommended by Japan-guide.com. This includes areas such as Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Takayama, Okayama. But tourists are striking day trips and region trips off their itineraries because the purchase of individual tickets may be seen as time consuming or no longer affordable.
Some will fly between cities instead of taking the Shinkansen as well.
I feel the increase in the Japan Rail Pass is a knee jerk reaction to over tourism and is an attempt by JR to cash in on the weak Japanese Yen.
It is a complete failure and I hope Japan Rail's marketing department comes to realise this.
I think a solution to over tourism using the Japan Rail Pass could be something similar to this (I have thought about this ever since the Japan Rail Pass increase):
1. Reduce the Japan Rail Pass almost to the old price
2a. Put a surcharge on the Osaka-Tokyo portion - which would encourage tourists to take the northern route via Toyama and Kanazawa. Benefit: The main line is able to be used again by Japanese who need availability for business between Osaka and Tokyo.
2b. Put a surcharge on any trips to and from Kyoto. Benefit: Reduce travel to Kyoto and/or discourage it as a Kansai base.
3. Allow people who have travelled to and spent extended period of time in areas needing tourism (e.g. Tohoku, Shikoku, Kyushu), to offset the Osaka-Tokyo portion. Benefit: By giving a credit to offset a surcharge above, it would encourage people to think about other areas of Japan.
The suggestion here is to encourage tourists to come for longer periods, but spend their time in areas that suffer from under-tourism rather than over-tourism.
This would be better for Japan as a whole.
Thank you for your comment! I can tell this is a topic you have put a lot of thought into.
I think you make some really great points - do you have a blog or something? It would be great to get these recommendations out to reach the ears of the Japanese government and corporations that could make changes to the current tourism landscape.
thanx for bringing up this topic. I have been to and around most of Japan. and It´s one truly amazing country.I am from Sweden. but had for a long time a passion about Japan and Japanese culture .First time to visit was during golden week back in 2001. It was so crowded but other than that so amazing. For first timers to japan. please read up a little before you arrive.And if you can get in touch with someone living in Japan. lastly it´s sad when it gets out of control , I think most people visiting Japan have no reason to litter or destroy sights in Japan. Sadly this is not a problem for only Japan. So please keep an open mind and show respect to all people. lastly thanx , and please keep those videos of yours coming.
Thanks for your comment and insights
Golden Week must have been a crazy experience but I’m glad you still had a good time
I hope you are able to come to Japan again in the future and keep exploring your passion 🙂
@@Sunny_in_Japan I haven´t been to Japan for some time. travelled to Japan so far 6 times. way less times than yourself.Must admit Japan holds a special place. Always want to return.
have a family over there. and that makes all the difference
Hi, My son and I will be visiting Japan this October for the first time. I get the over tourism thing but we intend to see as much as we can without being a nuisance to local Japanese people.
We totally respect the culture and are making an effort to learn some phrases and learn from experiences shared by you and other good you tubers.
We are from Wales in the UK and it would be great if parents and schools adopted some of the Japanese culture to teach children to be respectful and tolerant. There is litter everywhere here it's disgusting and the anti social behaviour is unacceptable.
Our language is rarely used which is a real shame.
We can't wait to visit Japan and are so looking forward to the experience.😊
Hire a -registered- local guide! They also serve as translators and will help you to be the tourists Japan wants.
日本の国土は広くはありません。
手放す瞬間にゴミと思うなら、ホテルに帰るまで持っていてください。
ちなみに、ゴミではく分別をすれば資源です。
ルールを守れないなら来ないでください。
ルールを守ろうと頑張っている方が困っていれば時間を惜しまずお手伝いいたします。
I believe it differs by region, but in my experience, tourists from Europe and the Americas who visit the countryside spots where I live generally come to Japan with a good grasp of Japanese customs. Since I usually drive, I occasionally help foreign visitors who struggle to dispose of their trash while hiking or engaging in other activities.
地域によって異なると思いますが、私が住む地方の観光地を訪問する欧米圏からの観光客は総じて日本の習慣を理解して来日していることを体感しています。私は普段車を使っていますので、ハイキングなどでゴミを捨てるのに本当に困った人のゴミを私が好意で預かって処理をすることがあります。
We learn some of the rules because of youtubers who posts videos. The japanese government doesn't talk about rules, they just say to come and enjoy.
@@Justcetriyaart The Japanese government's Tourism Agency also shares etiquette awareness videos on its website. They provide posts in English, Chinese, and Korean. However, due to the sheer volume on social media, they may be challenging to find through search.If you like, please search for "JAPAN TRAVEL". You will find Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site).
@@Justcetriyaart The Japanese government's Tourism Agency also shares etiquette awareness videos on its website. They provide posts in English, Chinese, and Korean. However, due to the sheer volume on social media, they may be challenging to find through search.If you like, please search for "JAPAN TRAVEL". You will find Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site).
日本政府も訪日者数を増やすより訪日観光収入に赴きをおいていく時だと思う...そうなっていくと思うけど
このタイミングで円安が続くと安く日本旅行ができると、日本のルールやマナーも調べずに訪日する旅行者が益々増えていくでしょう
このチャンネル動画は広い視野で日本を見ていて素晴らしいです
ありがとうございます！
コロナ禍 前は 中国人観光客が1番 多かったですが、今は 中国本土からは ほとんど来ていないと思います。
もし、中国本土から 観光客が押し寄せたら大変です。
欧米の富裕層に絞って 観光誘致をするべきだと思います。
The negative effects of overtourism have led to an increase in the number of foreign tourists who not only disregard Japanese rules but also engage in behavior that lacks basic human decency.
My husband and I have been visiting Japan for 9 years. Being retired we stay for 5 to 7 weeks at a time and usually in 2 to 4 locations. We would not be able to stay this long in hotels and eating at restaurants from both a financial and digestive point of view, so we mostly stay in flats or houses. This year we visted Shikoku for the first time and had a great time. We would like to visit other areas of Japan outside of the typical ones, but accomodation (or the lack thereof) is a major problem for us. There just does not seem to be short term (1 to 3 week) accomodation available; at least not that we have been able to find. For example we would like to spend a week or 2 in Sendai, but there just isn't any suitable accomodation.
Thank you for your comment. I had not thought about accomodation as a barrier - you have opened my eyes 👀
What about renting a motorhome or campervan? Just a thought.
Stop. Using. AirBnB.
If you can't afford to go for as long staying in hotels, shorten your trip. You don't have a right to be wherever you like. Do it properly or don't do it.
This is a great video to raise awareness where it is needed. Good job Sunny. Living in Hawaii I have noticed that they sometimes show videos on the plane of things that you should refrain from doing while in Hawaii. Like petting turtles entering sacred areas and so forth. Maybe they could start some type of campaign like that for flights entering Japan.
Thank you for your comment
Such a great idea to have an orientation video on the plane as you land
I think Japan having something similar would be great 👏
This is a great idea!
Thank you for this video~ I've been dreaming of going since I was in my teens and will finally have a chance this Autumn season. Can't wait to discover all the hole in the wall shops run by the locals and learning more about the culture.
I hope you have an amazing time 😊 Autumn is beautiful in Japan 🍁
From my personal experience, Japanese people by and large are very polite and accommodating to visitors! Unfortunately, as the number of tourists to Japan increases, there is invariably a (very?) small percentage who don't necessarily appreciate this hospitality and/or behave boorishly. It is not too much for Kyoto city government to ask for tourists not to take pictures of geisha and respect their privacy, but these kinds of tourists don't care, unfortunately!
It’s such a shame that a few bad apples ruin it for everyone else 😢
いつも新規投稿心待ちにしております！
今日も満喫出来ました！
次回作も楽しみに待ってま〜す！！
ありがとうございます😊
投稿頻度少なめですが、これからもっとスキル磨いていくので、引き続きご視聴よろしくお願いします🙇♀️
Very good analysis of this situation. Very good video ! You've got a new subscriber ! 😀
Thank you! I’m glad you found the video useful 😊
as someone who has been wanting to visit japan for years, i finally got the opportunity to do so!
while planning my 2 week itinerary, i decided i definitely want to hit the main touristy spots (tokyo/osaka/kyoto) to see what the hype is about, and i'm pretty sure many first-timers want to visit these spots too ☺️
although these popular tourist spots are overcrowded, that doesn't deter me from going as i feel these are places i really want to experience!
there are many other beautiful places in japan that have been promoted on social media, but these places are usually pretty far out and may require a day trip or overnight stay for you to properly enjoy them 😓 however, i personally would give these places a chance if i do decide to visit japan again ❤️
Thank you for your comment!
I agree, the popular spots are popular for a reason and I also prioritised them the first time!
I hope you get a chance to visit Japan again so you can tick more places off your list 🙂
Hey Sunny, thanks for another awesome video. Love the editing and the humor and the footage. Keep it up!
Thanks so much!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video 😊
観光客が多い地域で暮らしています。観光自体は今も昔も大歓迎ですし、困っているようなら手助けもしております。ですが最近はやはり外国人観光客が増えたなととても実感しております。以前は列に並び、ごみも放棄しない、道に広がらない、地べたに座らない、荷物を広げない等日本の文化や礼儀を学んだ上楽しんできてくださるという印象でしたが近頃は周りを全く配慮しない、ネットで調べたら出てくるような最低限の礼儀すらも見ずに来ている方が多い印象です。もちろんすべて勉強してから来てくださいとはいいません。ですがやはり最低限のことは守る、壊さない汚さないなんてことは国に関わらず当然。もしくは周りをみてそんな事をしている人がいるかどうかを見る等、リスペクトをもって楽しんで頂けたらなと感じます。サニーさんの動画、コメント欄を見て色んな意見とても参考になりますありがとうございます。
こちらこそコメントありがとうございます！
観光エリアにお住まいの方が率直にどのように感じてるかを知れるのはとても有益ですし、それほど難しい事を要求されてる訳ではないので双方にプラスになるような解決を望んでいます😌
My spouse is Japanese, so we visit every year. We were there earlier this month. I was hoping to travel to Osaka from Tokyo. I'm so used to rocking up to the station and buying a Shinkansen ticket for travel the same day, but this time I couldn't find a reserved seat for a 3 day window. We'll probably try avoiding Sakura season going forward.
Yeah, Sakura season this year felt absolutely crazy! I heard it was very busy in Tokyo as well
投稿ありがとうございます☺
オーバーツーリズムに関しては、今後、人数規制（例：日本への入国可能人数に上限を設ける）に向かうと思います。
理由は、日本では地震・台風などの自然災害があるので、仮に災害が起こった時に、外国人観光客の避難（宿泊場所・非常食・国外への退避など）が必要だからです（災害時の避難は、外国人観光客の生命に関わる問題なので、１人１人の安全を確保するために、入国制限が必要）
なるほどー🧐
その視点はなかったです。
ありがとうございます！
それはナンセンスな意見だと思いますよ。
入国制限でゼロ人にするなら災害時の犠牲者はゼロ人になりますが、それ以外は入国者数に応じて犠牲者が発生します。
Great video! I was a little concerned when me and my brother would walk away from tourist hot spots and ordered food from a small Japanese restaurant by pointing at the item or using my limited speaking skills because it felt like I was using cave-man speak. However, everyone was very kind and it put me at ease when they said OK after we finished ordering. I swear, we went to this torikatsu place that had to be on the first floor of this families apartment, and despite the stern look on the chefs face as he cooked, they were happy to serve my food. It was delicious. I’m glad you mentioned the Japanese government’s plans to funnel people to the non-touristy places.
I don’t know if you’ve read google reviews of restaurants, but people will knock down their rating if they don’t have an english menu or speak only Japanese. 😮
In my experience and from other friends I’ve spoken to, as long as you’re showing respect, you will only be shown kindness and welcome. I’m glad you had a good experience at that more local restaurant, it’s such a shame to hear they are receiving negative reviews for not having English! Especially since we can just use Google translate on our phones…
I feel that Google Translate also has some problems. I feel that accuracy in languages other than English is inferior. When someone from a non-English speaking country is translating complaints or important issues, I think it's better to insert English in between and not translate directly. Native language → English → Japanese There are fewer mistakes this way.
そもそも日本に来てるのになぜ日本語を話せないんですか?日本人が英語が話せないのを批判するよりあなたが日本語を話してください。
On the flip side, despite negative reviews on Google, it's quite common to have a delightful experience and enjoy delicious food at a restaurant. As a Japanese individual, I occasionally feel the adverse impact of social media when I witness long queues of foreign tourists at certain eateries.
@@gotakazawa408 Yeah, people can be weird on social media. I've learned not to trust google reviews and sometimes even the info can be outdated or just plain wrong. Also, we had a tour guide say if you see a place with a lot of foreigners in line, it might be overhyped. Instead, He told us to check whether or not Japanese people were lining up for the food. It was a pretty good tip.
サニーさんはCurrently Hannahさんのように映像の作り方が素敵ですね。オーストラリアの方が持つ共通の感性によるものですかね？
最後に話題を変えて動画全体が硬くなり過ぎないようにしてるのも良いですね。
ありがとうございます😊
より多くの方が楽しめる動画に出来ればと思います！
I just found your channel now. I’ll be travelling from Germany to Japan for the first time in October/November and decided to skip Kyoto, because of the photos and videos I saw. I’ll be going to Tokyo, Fuji Five Lakes, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Nara and Koyasan and hope that I can beat the (foreign) crowds at least a bit by hiking and visiting places in and around the cities (Yamanobe no Michi-Trail near Nara for example). I’m a bit nervous about the language, but I got Google translate and DeepL and try to learn some very basic sentences in Japanese so I can enter restaurants and stores without starting to speak English immediately and make people may feel uncomfortable.
Thank you for your comment!
Kyoto has a lot of areas that are not overrun by tourists (they seem to concentrate in certain spots) but it sounds like you’ve got a great itinerary going! November is a beautiful time to visit too, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time 😍
Hire a local guide/translator!
The difficulty about visiting Japan to explore less-known places, for me at least, is that traveling is expensive. Tickets I bought to go there are $1,200 each, and that's not considering the costs I'm going to incur while there, and the income I'm losing by not working. I've never been to Japan before, so it's a risk to opt for the less-traveled road in the small window I'm there as opposed to just getting a hotel in Tokyo where I know it's a place dense with things to do.
I think Japan bears the burden to attract not only tourists, but Japanese, to other parts of their country. Afterall, the Japanese population itself is highly centered in the exact places overtourism is being experienced. I certainly think they need to adopt more strict rules and harsher penalties to deter bad actors over there as well.
Thank you for your insights, this is so helpful. My guess is many people travelling to Japan feel the same way, which is exactly why we’re seeing congregation in accessible and large cities. I’m curious to see how Japan will respond. They’ve begun now with fines in Gion and restricting numbers to Mt Fuji, so let’s wait and see what happens I guess.
Maybe you can't afford to visit Japan right now if you can only afford to do it in a way that contributes to the problem. I'm sure there's beauty where you already live that you haven't seen yet - and it's affordable!
Great video and great discussion points! As an American couple moving to Kanazawa soon, we’re very keen on trying to be the best representatives in our daily habits and relationships. I know that may be different from a tourist perspective no doubt… but we do love you pointing out supporting local eateries, shops, and hole in the wall izakaya’s. Great channel as we prep for our transition and great topic, Cheers!
I’m glad you found the video helpful 🙂
Kanazawa sounds like a beautiful place to move to - I hope you have an amazing time!
Are you planning on working while you’re there or more of an extended holiday?
@@Sunny_in_Japan Many Thanks! We’ll be living & working
動画ありがとうございます。
京都に住んでいますが、観光客の多さには慣れましたね。lol
今大学で京都のオーバーツーリズムの問題について授業でやっているので、とても勉強になりました。それと
授業が英語なので、英語で見れて助かっています。🔥🔥🔥
次の動画も楽しみにしています。
お役に立てたなら光栄です☺️
英語の授業頑張って下さい✊
GWあけに東京から京都に行こうとしてるんだけどまだ混んでるかな…😂
Former Floridian here who moved to Asia prepandmic
Orlando has hit 70 million tourists before, and our beaches that are ranked #1 are crowded with tourists
Yeah, it can make things difficult, but we have healthy boundaries
It doesn't completely solve the problem, but it helps 😅
Hi Jonathan, it’s great to hear an example of a place that seems to be managing tourism in a sustainable way
Hi Sunny, I have watched almost all of your vids and I really like them. Arigato gozaimasu.
Wow thank you! 🤩 I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them
@@Sunny_in_Japan I found a beautiful 'Foodie' film you might enjoy, or you may have already seen. It's called 'A Documentary film (Ryokan 'Sakamoto') 😀
@billbollins ooh I’ll check it out
Thanks!
I've been watching foreigners in Japan since RUclips first came out. Heck I used to marathon TokyoCooney's videos from 2006-2014 at times to cheer me up. I have learned a lot of Japanese since then and I'd say I could most likely have a full conversation in Japanese no problem. A big issue is that there is a HUGE overconsumption going on in those tourist area's you mentioned. I live near Buffalo and Niagara Falls in New York. so Tourist Traps are literally always 15 miles away.
I have also been travelling to Japan for a long time now and I understand that people who are there for the first time want to see the most important or known places, I did that too...but maybe if you travel for the second and third time, you should go to other places. I always go back to certain places, but I also go to places off the beaten path, where you have to travel longer, but it´s so worth it...and you should have manners everywhere, but I guess it is "more important" in Japan because it plays such an important role to show respect to their manners and culture and maybe everyone should put more effort in it and also research more before they go...
As a Japanese person, your opinion is very valuable to me. As you know, in Japan, you can discover great nature, culture, and scenery even in the countryside outside of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. We look forward to seeing you again.
@@gotakazawa408 I love Japan, for me it´s the most special place I have been to...
@@biricikkiz7 thank you! We look forward to seeing you again!
Anyway to answer to Your last question: to have a little more "sustainable tourism" in Japan should mean to extend the already impressive organization and "omotenashi spirit" of the Country also in other, relatively less known, areas... just a bit of support, some upgraded means of transportation and local offices which could help foreign tourists to navigate and comprehend also smaller and more local realities without having the latter to "internationalize" too much and too suddendly... and too a little bit of stricter rules and more controls (in a friendly and curteous, yet firm, way) are also to be implemented in a way it does not scream for "discrimination" or "intimidation" but more of information and education...
Thank you for your insights. I think I agree with your line of thought!
I don't mind visiting "non-touristy" places but I am afraid that many eateries there do not welcome foreigners especially those who don't speak Japanese. I can't imagine only eating konbini/vending machine food throughout my visit. Other than that I do much prefer the countryside, far far away from the crowd.
Yea, good point
Thank you for your honesty. It is something I often worry about too, when I’m eating out without my Japanese husband.
So when Japanese people come to your country, do you speak to them in Japanese? Or do you expect them to speak your language (English)? Why is it different the other way around when you go to THEIR country? Just learn how to order your food.
@@BC33714 this person never said anything about having an expectation of Japanese people speaking English. Stop trying to strawman.
田舎だからといって外国人を歓迎しない様なことはないと思います。翻訳機などを使ってコミュニケーションすれば問題なく過ごせると思います。ただし、田舎では自家用車での移動が多いため観光客の移動手段が限られているのでその点で苦労があると思います。
私も田舎の雰囲気が好きです😊
I’ve loved Japan (both her people & her culture) for as long as I can remember, owing to my US Navy grandparents living there post-WW2. I have long waited to travel to and visit Japan, but I would NEVER seek to create an international incident by asserting myself so aggressively into the culture that I’d involuntarily seek to disrupt it…rather, I seek to continue to foster a mutual admiration between the best elements of our respective cultures.
I’d LOVE to explore less-touristy places, just as I’d equally love to be able to be as “invisible” as possible.
Domo arigatougozaimasu for the video…can’t wait to set foot there for myself one day. 🇯🇵❤️
I hope you are able to make it there some day and have an amazing time 🙂
I live in Kyoto and see many tourists every day, but I don't find them particularly bothersome.
Rather, I'm even proud that they are impressed by Kyoto.In order for Japan as a whole to develop further, I would like to see many foreign tourists visit places other than major tourist destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but whether or not local governments in each prefecture in Japan want inbound tourists is something that the local people themselves have to decide.
If they want to attract more tourists, they should actively promote their city to the outside world.
Thank you for your insight, there is so much to be proud of in Kyoto! It’s so beautiful 😍
How do you think smaller cities can promote themselves to attract more tourists? Using more English, or perhaps enlisting the power of more online influencers?
@@Sunny_in_Japan As a Japanese individual, I believe that effectively utilizing social media and promoting English support will pose a challenge. In reality, Japan's countryside boasts stunning nature, delectable cuisine, and a vibrant culture. However, regrettably, the proportion of English speakers is significantly lower compared to urban areas, partly due to the aging population.
Kyoto is an amazing place. The tourists I saw there recently were well behaved. Hopefully it wasn’t an exception.
In German we have a word called "Fremdschämen" , to be ashamed of someone else's actions. Fits well because especially German tourists tend to just go off disrespecting other cultures... I desperately want to visit Japan, but these landscapes and rural streets look so beautiful in anime because they're EMPTY. A huge crowd of people blocking the ways and taking photos ruins the charm and I don't understand how they don't feel that themselves... There should be small guided tourist tours allowed which are booked in advance so there's no stress for neither tourists nor inhabitants. And people on the airplane should receive information sheets about society rules and no gos. And sign that they understood them.
I don’t know what the answer is but travel, world over, definitely grew when social media became a thing . Beautiful places were being seen and everyone who could afford it wanted to see it and then show themselves there. I’m nearing 60 and only saved to travel from Australia to Finland originally because that’s my heritage and the need for connection was important to me. Then Japan and then Singapore in the early 90’s (2 years and then 3 years) only happened because of my husband’s work. So I am very grateful experiencing these countries with very minimal crowds. Having finally being able to take the family to Japan in 2014 (relatively more crowded than I remember being summer) and again in January 2020 (a good time for less people being out in general) I am still wanting to visit again but not with crowds like now, and am wondering how many years I should wait until this great desire to travel lessens. Same goes for central European cities that I have never seen but dream of strolling in. Flights were a lot cheaper before Covid compared to many years ago. Perhaps making them expensive again is an answer. Travel certainly was a luxury once, whereas it became something very doable for your average working person. As for all those enormous cruise ships pulling into places…. Well they certainly add to the problem!
It definitely is interesting to see and hear how travel has changed over the years. I am so grateful to have grown up in a time where world travel is so accessible but of course with it comes many challenges. I’m curious to see how things will keep changing and the conventionally popular locations become more and more crowded but hopefully this will lead to more opportunities for economic growth and less well known places to show their charm to the world.
The best way to control demand when there’s fixed supply is to raise costs
I was surprised to find out that the majority of tourists in Japan are from neighboring countries like South Korea and China. Only 35% of tourists are from the West, I hear. I guess that makes sense. Anecdotally, of course the European-looking people stand out in the footage I see, but when I pull back, most of the tourists are Asian-looking. I've also talked to several of people living in Japan and they don't have a negative view of tourists. That's encouraging as I felt discouraged to actually ever visit Japan if there's people arriving ahead of me giving me a bad reputation purely because I share the same skin tone.
Yes, Japanese media also seems to broadcast a lot of European-looking tourists. Perhaps because they’re just easier to spot like you say haha
Agreed, I’ve been met with only positivity from Japanese people I’ve spoken to about tourists, but I do sometimes worry about being clumped in with a few bad apples I superficially look like
Love the production quality of this video!
Thank you so much 😊
We do not have any problems with over tourism, not at all. in fact we love people from different countries visiting us. We only have problems with bad behaving tourists who ignore/disobey obvious rules, and have no sense of etiquette. The tourists whom I've met here in Tokyo asking me for directions, most of them are very polite and courteous.
.....Personally, one thing that does somewhat bother me sometimes are people who come up to me for directions do not have any sense to speak even a word of Japanese. They just start speaking in English or Chinese or whatever as if they expect i'd somehow speak their home language... Oops, am I speaking English right now??
Thank you for sharing this video with us. I actually didn't know what was happening in Japan especially in Kyoto. Surprising. I feel sorry to see it for local people living there. However, I believe Japan should handle this and keep working to make it more profitable business. In reality and sadly, we are losing the competitiveness of economy in the world and tourism on Japan should be one of the few promising industries left for Japan. Good luck to my native country.
It is a challenging situation and hopefully the Japanese government will support local cities and their businesses to handle the increasing tourism to maximise the benefits to the local people 🤞
I hear there are places in Europe that are actually holding protests due to the overtourism they are experiencing, so it looks like it’s a problem countries outside of Japan are also facing at the moment 🤔
I fully understand and agree with you. The Japanese government should support local cities. People in trouble should be well supported.
I just wanted to say that we might need to turn this problem into an opportunity. Unfortunately, we are facing a lot of problems in Japan like drastic reduction of the population and losing the competitiveness in major industries. Inbound tourists could be a great opportunity for us and out future benefits, if we can handle this situation in a good manner. They seem to be overwhelming right now, though. No pain, no gain, right?
@@YukiGawinski As a Japanese, I pretty much agree with your viewpoint. The Japanese government has set ambitious targets for attracting foreign tourists to Japan. It's essential that we assist local governments in ensuring the safety and well-being of local residents while also benefiting them.
とても良い動画配信ありがとう御座います。
特に、祇園での舞妓さん、芸妓さんへの写真、動画撮影には目に余るものがあります。
これからも海外観光客への発信よろしくお願いします。
ありがとう御座いました
ありがとうございます！
これからもよろしくお願いします🙇♀️
I have visited Japan several times, I would gladly pay a surcharge /tourists tax , with the extra revenue, spend that money on more street cleaners ,and tourists facilitaties, or pay the people that work in the tourists industry more money .
From the perspective of someone who works in tourism . I have not been to a Japan yet but I will be at the end of the year.
I mainly work on how to gain tourism to a town, city, shire etc rather than over tourism. In general a big part of the tourism problem for both under and over tourism is the lack of resources whether it is staff, infrastructure, interpretation, signage, supply etc.
Another problem would be over marketing. Marketing destinations that do not have the capacity for more people. Encouraging people to “hidden spots”, “less known places” is good IF they have the adequate resources otherwise we’d just have over tourism is another location. A sudden rise in over marketing can head to suddenly one day there’s overcrowding, it becomes a safety issue, staff are being way over worked, people are annoyed that they didn’t get what they want. I personally like to either go on offical tourism websites (assuming they actually know there own destination (hidden and well known)) or on social media when you can tell that there was consent of the place and they’re grateful, just so that there’s a piece of mind I’m actually welcomed.
You mentioned that the lesser known places don’t have English available, so one way around that is to market the domestic travellers. Locals not knowing what has to offer has always been a thing (not exploring your own back yard) tho the cost of living is a huge issue.
Thank you for your comment. It’s great to hear from the perspective of someone working in this area.
In terms of your point on resources, which comes first, an increase in tourism or an increase in resources? Or is it a bit of an egg-and-chicken situation?
@@Sunny_in_Japan I don’t really know how to answer that question. In a perfect world we would love to have all the resources we require. In every city or place there is a need for some type of resource but can’t obtain because of many barriers. Plus It can take many years for some resources to take action, there are heaps of steps like planning, approvals, funding, construction, hiring, oh and if the higher up don’t care it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
We need more tourism so we have the funding to make a place more accessible, but people won’t come if a places isn’t accessible enough and too many people we start to see negative impacts.
サニーさんが外国人の立場でオーバーツールズムの問題提議されたことには感心しました。関西には京都、奈良という古都があり、問題となっています。観光客増加と住民とのバランスをどう行うかが課題ですね。
京都も 奈良も 外国人観光客が行く所は 集中しています。
Great video sunny!
Thank you so much ☺️
Spent a week in Tokyo. You know it’s overpriced and really there is nothing there especially. I went to some Temples. Strolled Shinjuku etc. Nothing to pull me back.
Japan should take a page out of Singapore’s book
Went to Japan alone for the first time when I was 19. Had a great time, made a friend and had overall good experiences with locals. I did get the Japanese death stare a couple times but I understand. It's the same look I give Japanese tourists for walking on bike lanes here in the Netherlands.
Japan's in a tough spot b/c culturally, their deeply ingrained belief system of not causing trouble for others are at deep odds with people from other countries where it's anything but that. But we saw the economic damage from Japan closing to the outside during the pandemic. Kyoto for the first time in decades was actually pleasant to visit without the craziness of the tourists and the ill-mannered folks that come with that. Finally Kyoto was back in the hands of the Japanese. But then businesses suffered greatly and many shuttered... so like it or not, Japan needs outside tourists. and you can't levy a fee or tax on just the tourists since that would get you in legal trouble for being discriminatory, so if you levy something like that, it has to be applied to everyone, including the Japanese, which in turn comes back to the locals as collateral damage. I think social media, while opening eyes for so many in terms of where to visit, which restaurants to go, is largely responsible for what's happening now. Prior to Insta and TikTok revealing all the secrets of an area, you could go enjoy yourself in those areas but now they're swarmed with tourists that found out on social media. Information comes too easily now. I'm now very careful about sharing spots that I'd like to keep preserved as local spots. I think it's perfectly fine for small towns and mom and pop shops to strictly operate in Japanese with no English menus, if that means creating a barrier to foreigners from easily enjoying the place, if that's what they want (but then again, you can't openly shun foreigners from entering your place). Many major onsen regions have been overrun with foreign tourists and along with that comes lack of proper bathing etiquette and the last thing I want to see are neighborhood sentos being overrun with outside tourists the same way onsens have become.
I was in Gion just a few days ago. Aside from photography restrictions in certain areas, which people followed, I didn’t see any streets closed to the general public. Perhaps the problem has abated somewhat.
Yeah it’s only a very small, narrow street that is actually closed off to the public
I’m glad it didn’t impact your trip 😊
That's self inflicted for one, and most tourists "ruining Japan" are the Japanese tourists themselves. Japan is nowhere near dealing with over tourism yet. The Japanese government wanted mass tourism but didn't prepare and invest properly to absorb that influx of tourists and doesn't apply it's own laws to tackle the bad tourists showing bad behaviour. All they can do is pretend the problem comes from foreigners as usual and ban instead of addressing the real issue.
nah, way off. Japanese tourists are almost always well behaved and follow the rules. Anytime I see visitors in Japan acting obnoxious, entitled, blatantly breaking rules it's gaijin tourists.
@@unkopower7899 Because you're supposed to be our barometer now for a country 380K km² big and its 125 million inhabitants? We'll let you know when we'll need you to be our source to assess anything in Japan.
Oh? And just so you know the foreign tourists are also almost always well behaved and follow rules which aren't even rules 99% of the time in the first place but simple common sense applied all around the world.
@@puccaland and you'r the expert. LOL. "And just so you know the foreign tourists are also almost always well behaved " Obviously you've never even been to Japan.
@@unkopower7899 I have been living there for 19 years and have traveled all around Japan since the 90's. You know? When foreign tourists were a rare sight? I am no expert but I for sure know Japan better than you. And I also have businesses in hospitality business and invest in tourism. So you might wanna try someone else.
@@puccaland
So you are fluent in the language
問題提起は良いですね。自分が住んでいる地域ではまだ外人さんの数は多くないが英語などの対応は難しいです。サニーさんのような理解のある観光客ばかりならトラブルは起こりにくいでしょうが先行き不透明です。
一気に解決するのは難しいと思うので、少しずつ解決に導きたいですね！
As a Chinese who lives in the Netherlands, I plan to visit Japan with my family this year. I have to say that Japan is now one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. Almost everyone around me is interested in Japan. I think it's a good thing if everyone recognizes Japanese culture, isn't it? Of course, tourists lacking respect will undoubtedly cause significant problems, and Kyoto seems to be the most severely affected at present. I hope Japan can find a balance in this regard, as Osaka is also set to host the World Expo in 2025, right?
That’s right, so much construction is happening around Osaka right in preparation.
I’m so glad Japan’s culture has become world-renowned, it really is such a special country! Unfortunately as the number of tourists increase anywhere, the number of disrespectful tourists will inevitably increase. I guess it’s just a matter of how the Japanese government responds to minimise the negative impacts of that many people.
I hope you have a lovely time when you visit with your family this year! I’m sure you will all have a great time 🙂🇯🇵
Im a Colombian-American, living in Medellin as of 5 yrs ago so I have 2 different views of this...
1) Im planning on visiting Tokyo in the near future so Ive been watching alot of videos and trying my best to learn all the rules and customs because I would hate to be viewed as a pest by the locals, I say this because...
2) Here in Medellin weve experienced a bit of a boom as well, not just tourists, but Digital Nomads also. Having been raised in the US, its a unique experience for me, because the locals here are quite fed up with the situation. The influx has caused prices to go up, on everything, but especially rent. And alot of the guys that come here are coming here to partake in the seedier side of what dollars can buy you in a third world country, hint hint. So people here are not happy about it, and understandibly so.
Because Im also American, I deal with alot of the "gringos" that come here, theyre not all bad of course, and some of them do genuinely want to immerse themselves in the culture, and thats great, the exchange rate doesnt hurt either!
On my trip to Japan I really do want to take in the culture and the history, Ive been in love with Japan all my life and its been my life long dream to travel there. Saying that, I will also have to do some of the more touristy stuff, cuz you kind have to right?
But if anyone has some tips or recommendations for my stay in Tokyo, I will definitely appreciate that.
Ive done alot of research on the rules and customs so i dont expect I will be offending anyone. at least i hope not.
It’s interesting to hear about what’s happening in Medellin, it sounds like there’s a few places around the world experiencing this challenge 😕
I do hope you get to visit Japan and enjoy it to the fullest 😊 I’d be so curious to hear how you find it.
Japan has just recently introduced a digital nomad visa (granted it’s just six months) but it’ll be interesting to see how that will change the landscape here too
Japan may have many rules, but there is no need to remember which side of the escalator to stand on. All we have to do is read the signs and imitate those around us.😄
That’s true, following the crowd is always a safe option in Japan 🇯🇵
I always find the escalator thing so interesting. In some places it's stand on the left, other places its stand on the right. Up here in the Sendai area (where I live), there is no "rule" for the escalators and people stand wherever they want.
I think going the way Singapore has would be a start...might deter the less respectful tourists but not effect those who respect culture and know how to keep to themselves so to speak. Highly popular and overcrowded areas like Kiyomizudera could maybe charge an entrance fee at the entrance to the streets leading up to the temple, I first went in 2010 and every years for 5 years and its astounding to see it in videos now ! Quite disturbing in a way, I feel for the locals who just want to go about their daily life, yet catch 22, it must be great for the shop and restaurant owners. I'm heading back in Nov/Dec but have no intention of visting the popular areas this time, doing plenty of google map zooming in and research for outer areas and more countryside exploration. (Although a quick shopping spree in Nishiki market can't be avoided haha)
It truly is a hard problem to solve, but I do believe that the issue with over tourism is a real problem. I have seen it happen back home in Mexico, we’re small town that had its charm grew into a big city and lost that charm. I have visited Japan on several occasions, and I’ve seen how harder it gets to enjoy each city without feeling overwhelmed. Let’s be clear. I’m not an expert, but I truly wish there was a way to limit the amount of tourist coming in, don’t ask me how that could be managed or done hahaha. But as you said, maybe there should be more marketing and more encouragement to visit other places in Japan. Nonetheless I just discovered your channel today and I am going through all your videos and they’re amazing.
Thank you for your comment. It seems really hard to balance the benefits of tourism without negatively impacting the local environment
I think each region will have to sit down and figure out how it is best for them to tackle the challenges because like you said, I don’t know how you could control the number of people coming in
I’m glad you’re enjoying the channel 😁
来てしまわれる人達は仕方がないです。対処するべきは誘致する側の観光業がコントロール必要があると思います。思いやりのある動画ありがとうございます
うまく伝わっていたなら良かったです☺️
京都に来られる外国人観光客を観光に行くと海外に来た気分が味わえて楽しいです。幼い頃の賑わいがあった四条通が思い出されて感謝してますよ。ありがとう
観光の観光ですか。。😊
I visited Japan for the first time in the late 90s and I remember there were hardly any tourists compared to today; not even 3 million IIRC. In 2001 I lived for a year in Kyoto and visiting Gion was no problem at all (taking decent pictures with a smartphone didn't exist yet). Last year I went to popular hot spots like Kyoto, Akihabara and Kamakura I felt like more than half of the people there were tourists. It definitely felt overcrowded.
I live here in Japan in a non-touristy area (Tohoku region). I *maybe* see 1-2 tourists a week AT MOST up here in my little city. Anyways, I went down to Tokyo last weekend. It was shocking to say the least. Every single train I got on probably had more foreigners than Japanese people. Any restaurant you would go into was basically gauranteed to be 1/2 tourists. The last time I went to Tokyo was last summer, and I thought it wasn't too bad then. Less than a year later, it's gotten way way worse. I remember thinking there were a lot of tourists in Tokyo 10 years ago...I would've never imagined that it would end up getting THIS bad.
@@BC33714 I had the same experience with the inaka: I lived in 2010-13 in Niigata prefecture and there were hardly any western people in that region and visiting Tokyo back in 2013 I though there were already too many tourists. Little did I know...
こんばんは。動画、ありがとうございます。 あまりにも早い展開で日本語すら読むことが出来ませんでした😭 何回に分けて理解出来るようにしたいです。楽しいゴールデンウィークを‼️
せっかちですいません💦
RUclips機能の1/2倍速などをお使い頂ければ幸いです😅
いえいえ、サニーさんが悪いのではありません。 ちゃんと理解したいだけです。 動画をアップするのは大変だと思います。こらからも、有意義な動画を楽しみにしてます。
ありがとうございます。。
お気遣いありがとうございます😭
これからもよろしくお願いします🙇♀️
Oh, one more take from me on overtourism is that people should visit Japan more not on a high season. Hanami is great, but it’s a just couple of weeks and it’s already overcrowded with locals so tourists trying to go there during that time creates a bit of a problem.
I think Japan is great almost at every season, excluding summer for me. I can’t stand Japanese summer 🫠 I think my favourite season for travelling in Japan is somewhere in between September and mid November. I really love momiji, but I prefer to travel Japan before their season because, again, it helps to avoid crowds. Also flights are cheaper during that time.
I experienced my first Hanami this year and yes it was beautiful but I was surprised by the amount of people 😱 I get it though. It’s probably on a lot of people’s bucket lists to see at least once, but yeah, this year’s late Sakura shows how hard it can be to time your trip.
This is my first time going into a Japanese summer and I am so nervous 😬
I really liked autumn the one time I went too, it’s so beautiful 😍🍁
I find it weird that people are going without doing research on manners, customs, etc. I did research for YEARS before finally having enough money to go to Japan post-Covid.
The idea that soooo many people are just going to Japan in the spur of the moment is so weird and unbelievable to me.
I'm Japanese, and there are many wonderful places in Japan other than Kyoto and Osaka. I'm thinking of leveling out overtourism. Would you want to go to a place that doesn't require a big city as long as you can enjoy five things at the same time: gourmet food, temples and shrines, hot springs, nature, and experiencing Japanese culture at a price that families can afford?
Those all sound like fabulous things to me! I guess to find these things, I often look them up on social media in English, so there’s more likely to be info about places in Kyoto and Osaka, but whenever I find a place that looks good outside of those areas, I also bookmark those for if I can ever visit them in the future 😊
Sure thing, I’m building such kind of a bookmark in English for inbound travelers .
The other day, I watched a quite lengthy and detailed doco about Japan drowning in overtourism. I hope it will not be like Venice.
Did the doco happen to outline any solutions or recommendations for overcoming overtourism? 😅
@@Sunny_in_Japan : No effective solutions mentioned, unfortunately.
@jimtakahashi4638 I guess it’s a challenge other countries are also trying to solve at the moment
@@Sunny_in_Japan : As a VEGANist/environmentalist, I’m even more against cruise ship tourism, which is a big problem here in NZ as well.
What was the documentary?
私はAIの進化に期待しています。京都に昔の日本や静かな町や神社仏閣を想像して訪れる方が多いのではないかと思いますし、今の京都に魅力を感じない旅行者もいると思います。自分に合った旅を、今楽しめる旅をAIが提案してくれるようになるのは遠いことではないと思います。同様に完全な共通言語を持たないのが人類最大のアナログ要素ですがこれも完全な瞬時翻訳機能がスマホに搭載される日は来ると思います。
AIがどう貢献出来るかは未知ですね🧐
都市部の観光客を地方の過疎地域に移動すれば良い、という考え方には反対します。
地方は設備も十分に整ってはいない場合など、外国人観光客には十分に対応できません。
また、地方に多くの外国人が来ても、治安を十分に守れないことになるでしょう。
そのようなことで、地方の人たちの生活を壊してはなりません。
ですから、オーバーツーリズムによる様々な問題や地元の人たちの生活を守るためには、
外国人観光客の違反事項には罰則を設ける必要があると考えます。
それと、外国人観光客にはある程度の税金のような負担をしてもらうことで、
その収入を公共インフラの整備に使えば良いと考えます。
I think this number of French 90 million tourists is a good example of statistic misunderstanding. People from Germany, Italy, or especially Swiss, who went into the neighboring community on the weekend are also part of this 90 million.
I decided to go with that figure to give a relative comparison of the scale of Japan’s Inbound’s tourism, however there are many factors like length of stay, pop density etc that I brushed over.
What do you think would have been a better figure to use?
I am Japanese. There are areas of Japan, especially in urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, that are adversely affected by excessive numbers of foreign tourists. However, there are many minor cities and regions that are rarely visited by foreign tourists. If possible, avoid Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto and visit regions such as Kyushu, Tohoku, and Shikoku.
Thank you for your comment
What do you think would be an effective way to encourage tourists to visit these less-explored regions?
@@Sunny_in_Japan As you know, many foreign tourists visit Japan after getting information through social media. The Japanese side understands this, and local cities are disseminating information to overseas visitors through SNS, RUclips, and other platforms. However, these efforts have not received much attention. In fact, many influencers refer primarily to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Okinawa. Unless a significant number of influencers grasp this situation, sound the alarm about overtourism, and create a major trend to direct tourists to the regions, it will be difficult to disperse tourists.
@realstage1925 thank you for your thoughts. I’m excited to see how this SNS landscape changes as Japan continues to push for and support content creators that funnel foreign tourists into lesser known areas 🤔
As you say, getting tourists to visit places other than famous tourist destinations or big cities is an important issue. I have seen your past videos and I think you could write a program to address this issue. Visit the Japanese countryside, uncover its attractions, and create new businesses to help solve this problem.
I don’t know how much I can do on my own but visiting the countryside and uncovering its treasures would be super fun 🤭
I just wish more people would go to OTHER places in Japan that aren't Tokyo Osaka Kyoto (ok of course people who have never been before would be interested to go and I understand that but...) there are so many amazing prefectures and places in Japan that really don't get that much tourism. Many are so easy to get to because of Japan's fantastic rail system. Even if people are less likely to speak English there it is not a big issue and shouldn't be a deterrant. I just think everyone would have a better time if they expanded their horizons a little bit instead of clogging up the same tourist hot spots.
マナーの悪さに関して迷惑系RUclipsrやオーバーツーリズムの報道はありますが、実のところ「日本の闇」に触れる話題です。
日本のマナーを知らずに来たところで、多くの外国人は日本の空気に合わせようとしてくれていることを察することができます。
それは少なからず敬意を持って接してくれていると感じることができます。
オーバーツーリズムによる主な被害の原因は「日本に敬意もなくブームに乗っかり良い思いをする為だけに日本に来て自国の文化を持ち込む国民」達によるものだと考えられます。過去より現在に至るまで日本に災いをもたらす国は２ヵ国あげられます。
日本人なら周知の事実。ただ、「そうじゃない人」の為に声に出して国名を言わないだけなのです。
異文化に触れるために日本に来るのが目的ではない国の人がいる、とゆうこと。この問題は解決しませんｗｗｗ
日本はチップも要らないんだから堂々と入国税を取るべき。また富士山などマナーの悪い客が多く、ゴミを散らかしたりして清掃費などの費用が激増している。ー人一万円の入山料を取るべき、それでも決して高いとは思わない。今のままではオーバーツーリズムで本当に迷惑。
I can feel what You are meaning... this is why in my upcoming trip to Japan (the very first time, after having dreamed of it for almost 20 years) I will limit my time in Kyoto (only day trips from Osaka) and I will try to keep "off the too beaten path" looking for "my" favourite places....
The most important problem is that looking for less crowded places require time and comparatively more effort... that's a big dilemma...😅
Any suggestion before those supposedly "less known" places become a mess too?
Thank you for your comment
How exciting to be visiting Japan for the first time 🤗
I really like the areas around Shinsaibashi in Osaka and Nakazakicho for cafes and thrift shopping. Umeda is also pretty amazing! Downtown Osaka is the one that is very busy, but undoubtedly iconic.
In terms of Kyoto, I really do love Kiyomizu-dera, Arashiyama and all the other very busy spots - they’re popular for a reason! If you are brave enough, going early in the morning is pretty bearable 😊
If you like tea, I hear Uji is THE place to go for matcha. Otherwise, if you like just chilling, anywhere along the Kamo river in Kyoto is 👌👌
Best of luck!
To my mind, the biggest cause of overtourism is social media and too darn many influencers who belongs to it.
I have a favor to ask. As you're aware, Japan has a strong culture of adhering to traffic signals, and laws are built upon this principle. In essence, there's no equivalent Japanese term for "Jay-Walk." Lately, this has become an issue in Kamakura, Mt. Koya, and Fujikawaguchiko Town, so I'd appreciate it if you could help spread awareness about it someday.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that is happening. It is a shame the visitors are not following local laws
Unfortunately I don’t know how much power or sway I have and I think most people watching my videos, like yourself, have nothing but respect for Japan and its laws.
However, if I’m ever in a position to be able to help in any way, I will do my best 💪
@@Sunny_in_Japan Your videos are incredibly informative. I believe it's crucial for them to keep disseminating such valuable information, and we Japanese truly appreciate their efforts.
Japanese here.
This might not be a popular opinion, but I think if Japan promotes the influx for economic profits, we should be responsible for these issues and take actions despite it being quite painful.
As much as I contempt disrespectful tourists, it is pretty clear that the infrastructure and overall urban planning is not suited to inviting 60M tourists, and if we really aim to be a tourism-oriented nation, which at this point is pretty much inevitable with our economy falling, we should plan our cities to have tourist districts just like Paris, Rome, Istanbul etc.
I think we should make certain areas almost like theme parks and distance tourists from locals.
This is certainly going to blemish Japans tradition and uniqueness to some extent but in order to share and monetize our cultural heritage, we really should consider such drastic measures or else keep suffering on either over tourism or economic stagnation.
I mean, I think that is what the government is up to like they aren't aiming for 60M without considering such issues right? It's just that most people don't understand what it means and being naive to think tourist would magically spend billions of money without locals having to adjust.
Thank you for your comment.
If that model works in other countries perhaps it is something Japan could consider 🤔 or perhaps they already are…
とても興味深いテーマであると同時に難題でもあると
思っていますが、今は特に円安が強く影響しているのかな〜？
だから人が多すぎるのかなって感じはするけど、でも観光の質を
維持したいのなら観光客の入国制限もあってもいいと思います。
これは観光客と地元双方の妥協点でもあると思いますが、
本来は必要のないことで残念ではありますけどね・・・
サニーさんは、日本人とご結婚されて今は日本に住んでる？方
なので、また違った見方があるのかなぁと思ってもみたりしてw
このテーマの続編も期待しちゃいまーーす。
イオニート エッセンス V シャンプー おすすめシャンプー！
ありがとうございます！
今は日本人の旦那と日本に住んでます！
シャンプーの紹介もありがとうございます！
一度試してみます🙇♀️
It's tough balancing wanting to travel to Japan and being afraid to contribute to the 'over-tourism' problem. I'm going in August and are there any regions you recommend that wouldn't contribute to the issue?
Hi there, honestly anywhere north of Tokyo and south/west of Osaka is still pretty -underexplored. I don’t know Tokyo very well, but Osaka (apart from Dotonbori region) is so fun in my opinion. Kyoto is where you might feel a bit overwhelmed imo. It’s beautiful and popular for a reason, so I would recommend exploring in the mornings and on weekdays for a more pleasant experience 🙂
Overtourism is definitely in part an infrastructure issue so as long as you’re respectful and considerate (which sounds like you are!) I think you’ll be welcomed and have a great time 🙂
8月は暑すぎるので辞めた方が良いですよ。本当にクレイジーなので🤣
i dont understand why Japan can't cope. I mean millions of people visit New York without it causing a meltdown. More people visit the Statue of Liberty then any japense tourist hotspot and that functions well
That’s literally simple matter😂
Japanese people never warn you directly but American would be like 😡😡
In other words, Japanese people are looked down on by them
I read a preliminary statement by the Japanese Tourism Board that most of the influx of tourists concentrate in the Kanto and Kansai regions and that they are adjusting their growth plans to increase growth in the other regions.
Which is why, for one, I don't understand why they increased the prices for the JR Pass by on avg. 70%.
I will visit Japan a third time this year and still have not included Kyoto in my itinerary. Instead I will rent a car and discover Shikoku and Kyushu. Really looking forward to it.
That’s a good point about the JR pass haha. Did they ever provide an explanation as to why it was going up by so much?
Is this your first time renting a car in Japan? Was it simple enough to transfer over your licence?
@@Sunny_in_Japan It was the first increase in decades, so afaik they gave increasing costs as the main reason. I guess we will have to see and wait, how this and maybe next year's tourists will get around. Tbh, with carriers like Jetstar and Peach, flying is currently the cheaper and more convenient option on many routes.
Regarding driving, it will be my first time in Japan. I am currently getting my German driver's license translated by a recognized provider, because Germany is part of the Vienna Agreement on Road Traffic from 1968 while Japan (like Australia btw) is part of the Geneva Agreement from 1949. Thus, my International Driver's Permit is not recognized, like it was when I rented in the US and Canada, for example. So I will need to show my national license together with the authorized translation. Fingers crossed, that everything will go smoothly. I'll gladly send an update in July.
Yeah I have to agree, at the moment flying domestically seems like the cheapest and fastest way to go but I’m keen to check out some more regional train lines and if they have any passes foreigners are eligible for 🤞
Best of luck for July, I’m sure it’ll be grand and can’t wait to hear updates! 🚗💨
@@Sunny_in_Japan Hey Sunny! About two months ago I promised you an update regarding our Japan trip, which I now like to deliver. :) Our plans changed a bit and after a 4-day stopover in Seoul we headed to Tokyo for a week before spending one week in Nagano prefecture, close to Lake Nojiri. We are having a blast enjoying the rural (and not crazy hot!) side of the country and renting a car for a few days has been the easiest thing ever. My translated German license was no problem and the whole thing took maybe 15 minutes before happily driving off. Driving itself was also super easy, despite being my first time driving on the left. Tomorrow we will head on to Osaka for two nights, before flying back to Germany. Those three weeks flew by like nothing and I am sure to miss Japan after a few weeks back home.
All the best for you!
Its inevitable...unless bans comes to place. People have access to more flight options at reasonable price. Also Yen is so low against the dollar...people will flock like pigeons. And we know how tourist crowds behave. Places such as Venice, Bali or Paris face similar challenges
i visited Kyoto on Sunday last week, and gosh... so many peoples everywhere i go
It can be very overwhelming and exhausting in the popular parts of Kyoto 😰
このチャンネルっ！伸びるっ！！
本当に伸びて欲しいですね！私も応援しています。
とてもいい動画をありがとう😊
こちらこそご視聴いただきありがとうございます！
彼女は観光客ではなく、今は住民です
Always a difficult discussion with lots of nuance (and thus, difficult to discuss on the internet). As someone who didn't really get to travel until I was in my 40s, I've spent the last 10 years trying to make up for lost time. But I'm also very conscious of the "Ugly American" stereotype, so when I'm abroad, I try very hard to be respectful and not be a nuisance. Unfortunately, like most people from the States, I can barely speak English, much less any other languages, and I have no ear for them, in spite of watching a lot of non-English language films. That's a big barrier. I also live & work in a fairly highly trafficked, tourist destination city, so I'm conscious of how much of a pain influxes of tourists can be for locals. I've tried to get around crowds of 8th graders, or families from the Midwest who don't understand staying to the right on an escalator, to try to catch a train more times than I can count.
My wife and I tend to travel at non-traditional times, which helps. We aren't usually part of a huge crowd of tourists. And folks in heavily tourist-trafficked areas tend to like those tourists just fine when they're not being overwhelmed. We're also not as into the "Instagram Shot" style of travel. Not that we're above hitting famous spots or anything. But we tend to enjoy seeing a place from the ground level, checking out local favorite spots, and maybe glimpsing what it's like for folks who live in a place. It's one of the reasons we tend to like to pick a city and just stay there for 4 or 6 days, and then just walking around and seeing what we see. We don't mind going to places when the weather isn't optimal. We'd rather be chilly and wet in a cool new country than chilly and wet back home.
I've never been especially interested in Japan, but more and more, I'd like to visit. If we do, we're hoping to get out of the major areas and see more of the country. There's a scenic train somewhere in the south that I very much want to take, for example. For sure, the language concern is real. Traveling in Europe is usually so easy for us, because everyone seems to speak English, and can take pity on us when we try to stumble over a few phrases in French or German or Danish. We did OK in Argentina and Chile, because we've both had more exposure to Spanish, even if we can't speak it at even a conversational level. But somehow, I don't think my having watched a giant pile of Samurai films will end up being enough for me to do well with Japanese. I'm not very good with social graces in my own, familiar surroundings, so I can't imagine I'll be very good in a culture with unspoken rules I didn't grow up with.
If I do make it there, I will make sure to throw away my trash, try to stay out of the way of commuters, not carve my name in anything, and keep my voice down as much as I can.
Thank you for your comment. I am envious of how many amazing countries you have traveled to 😍
I hope when you do make it to Japan you have an amazing time. I know you said you don’t mind going at sub-optimal times, but let me recommend avoiding rainy season (June/July) as there are typhoons and it can be physically impossible to leave the house and things like planes and trains get cancelled, and a week in early May called Golden Week. It is a national holiday the scale of New Year’s / Xmas in the West and everything goes x100 in price.
Apart from that, wherever you go, you will have an amazing time, whatever you do 🙂
From my experience, Japanese people I have met have never expected me to know the intricacies of Japanese social rules and conform to them. As long as you’re respectful they are very welcoming and love sharing their culture 🙃
@@Sunny_in_Japan, that's some great info about the rainy season and Golden Week. Thank you. We normally travel in September, January, or February. So we should be good. My wife works in tourism here in the States and those tend to be the least busy months. From the middle of March through early August, and then around the bigger holidays, she works almost all the time and we don't do much traveling.
We often do budget travel, so we go wherever the best flight or hotel deals take us, as opposed to choosing a place to go and then figuring it out. But I think we've both warmed up to the idea of visiting Japan, so we might start planning for it. It'll probably be a couple years before we can make it happen. Maybe by then I'll at least be able to say "please" and "thank you" in Japanese. For convoluted reasons I won't go into, I spent a week mostly by myself in Rome last year, and my inability to communicate in Italian was very frustrating and embarrassing. I went into it thinking I was going to do better.
@matthewconstantine5015 inability to communicate can be very frustrating, I totally get it
Seeing where a flight takes you seems like a super fun and spontaneous way to travel I love it haha
I would love to visit less-explored areas of Japan. My own problem, though, is general accessibility - I cannot stand or walk for long periods of time, and use a wheelchair instead. I have had bad luck with accessibility in historical and rural places in the past. I would have to do a lot of research to see if going to these less-frequented spots is even feasible for me.
Thank you for your comment. I have always wondered how accessible Japan was for tourism compared to other countries
When you say research - are there RUclipsrs or specific places you look that provide good quality and reliable accessibility information regarding travel in Japan?
For the sake of Japan, i won't visit there anytime soon. Might sound controversial and impossible, but I want Japan to expand and spread with peace and alliance. I'm not sure how that's possible, though.
You can visit, but when you do, just avoid the major Hotspots of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. If you go to a city like Matsue in Shimane Prefecture they will be glad to have you there.