Tokyo’s Asakusa is teeming with tourists. It’s not new. Pilgrims have come here for over a millennium. And already under the rule of the shogun in the Edo period, there was a circus, teahouses and a red light district. So a lot of people.
Still, there have never been so many tourists.
– There are starting to be a little too many people, foreigners, says someone riding his bike in the shopping street To Yuzuru a middle-aged man introducing himself.
Afterwards, he states that tourists are indeed welcome, and there is no harm in them.
Japan is experiencing an unprecedented tourism boom.
The most recent statistics are from March. More than three million foreign tourists came, which is more than ever. As recently as 2010, six million tourists came throughout the year. Now the same group will come in two months.
Selfie tourists flock to the same places
A gentleman working as a volunteer among tourists in the Asakusa area Nakanouchi states that even for those who work in tourism, the number of tourists is starting to reach its limits.
– Local shops and companies here still hope that they will get a lot of customers.
Nakanouchi says most tourists go to the same places.
This has become a problem.
In the Japanese media, there are almost daily stories about tourists who hunt day and night for Instagram photos and Tiktok videos of popular filming locations. Locals get mad at ill-behaved tourists who, like the Japanese way, don’t sit still with a drink, but drink or eat food while moving around in the bustle of people.
At the same time, the interest of tourists coming to Japan flatters the Japanese people.
There are constantly programs on television in which travelers are interviewed. In that respect, the Japanese are like the Finns. The big question is: what do they think of us?
The tourism problem has been addressed
Almost two-thirds of the international visitors so far have come from South Korea, Taiwan and China. Last year, the consumption of foreign tourists accounted for almost a tenth.
However, the cheap yen has attracted European and American tourists.
– This year there seem to be more and more Westerners, says Nakanouchi, who works in tourism in Asakusa.
The consequences of obesity tourism have been addressed.
In Kyoto, residents complain that they can no longer fit on buses. That is why the city has launched separate buses for tourists.
The disturbing tourists in Gion’s geisha quarters have once again caused some streets to be completely off limits to tourists.
Similarly, an entrance fee and tourist restrictions have been introduced to, for example, Mount Fuji.
Near Mount Fuji in Yamanashi, Fujikawaguchiko city officials erected a large visual barrier last month to discourage tourists from taking photos of a Lawson convenience store. The store’s blue facade photographed in front of the Fuji year has turned into a photo shoot on social media that tourists want to take a picture of.
But the visual barrier doesn’t help either. The news says that tourists have poked the sight barrier full of holes so that they can photograph the mountain and the shop as before.
In Shibuya, a heavily visited area of Tokyo, authorities announced plans to ban drinking alcohol outdoors at night in an attempt to curb bad behavior by young people and tourists.
Many cities have implemented a tourist tax for tourists staying in the city, and some are considering adding one. In itself, the phenomenon is not new: in Japan, a “bathing tax” has been used in spa towns before. An entry tax for tourists is also being considered now.
The Japanese expect good behavior
Based on the interviews, Japanese people who are used to politeness, giving others space and hospitality do not seem to oppose tourism itself. Tourists bring yen.
But the Japanese want precisely courtesy, space and manners from tourists.
– Of course, it would be nice if the visitors followed good manners and kept the places clean. We can’t do without visitors, Tokyo native Takumi says.
He himself has come to spend the tourist day with his girlfriend Tomomi’s with in honor of this birthday. The couple has rented kimonos and is touring Asakusa’s tourist spots.
– I also think that visitors should follow good manners, Tomomi agrees.
Tourist groups from different countries pass by. Here, Japanese visitors must have already remained in the minority.
Tokyoites Yuri and Naoko have come to Asakusa with their friends to celebrate Naoko’s wedding. So they have a kind of bachelor party.
– If we can convey the good sides and charm of Japan to the world, then maybe overtourism is not such a bad thing, says Yuri.
He thinks that Japan doesn’t really have much to see or interesting aspects for tourists.
– That’s why it’s nice if someone takes an interest in such a remote country.