Japan's Tourism Problem Is 100% Youtube Instagram & TikTok's Fault & What To Know Before Going!

[@brshipman]

Currently on my first trip to Japan. Based in Tokyo. Visited the "touristy" sites for sure. My main MUST-DO's, outside of seeing historical temples and shrines, were to watch a baseball game, go to a soccer match, and go see Matsumoto Castle (to which I'm headed to tomorrow). Yokohama is where I caught both baseball and soccer and was a nice city to visit. I wish I had more time to explore the area at a leisurely place. I do thank this channel, as well as a few others, FOR the insight of exploring Tokyo.

[@kvom01]

My first two trips were to those cities plus Hiroshima. Second trip I added Fukuoka. Third trip was back to the big 3 but I added more day trips outside. Other than popularity, there are really only airports in the Tokyo and Osaka areas that are bringing in the vast majority of tourists. And if a majority of tourists are first-timerss, why wouldn't they want to visit the most popular sites in these cities, where travel is easy?

[@Eldiran1]

That's a part of the problem. I'm french and i can only go to Narita, Haneda (these 2 are near Tokyo) and Kansai International Airport. Because of that , you also have to return in one of these place (generaly where you began your trip ) and train cost a lot. So you don't want to go really that far . The recent rise in the JR pass didn't help in that regard. Traveling 14 to 23 hours by plane is tiresome, i don't want to add multiples hours of train to my journey just after the fly. Of course people are going to visit the big place, it's easier like you said.

[@cats-being-cats]

We didn't make it into your cats algorithm @5:44

[@harblife]

I am sorry! I will definitely be on the lookout for your videos in the future haha! Thanks for dropping by! :)

[@Matake2007]

Kinda conflicted. This is only a problem because of Tokyo’s handling of their own tourism industry. I guarantee people from Japan are all coming to LA, NYC, Miami, Chicago, etc. No one goes through the trouble of traveling here to go to Minnesota.

[@susanma4899]

Exactly. It's natural for tourists to visit the largest cities--especially when there's a language barrier.

[@ルユク-h3h]

Thats true. Well the news already talking about putting Bans and Limits. I hope our government will put a limit on who can enter the country again

[@harblife]

I agree with you. But it seems like they're finally taking steps to address this issue!

[@Ditronus.]

Interesting video thanks. Planning a trip now, and i dont know where to begin haha. Traveling is such a costly, time-consuming process that, at least I, have literally never done outside my country that it feels bad not to see the "greatest hits" of the country im traveling to. That being said, i also dont like mega crowds and exhausting waits, so im down to see new areas. Im also on the look-out for cool places to live that arent too far away from places like Osaka/kyoto.

[@harblife]

Thank you! If you want, you can contact me at my business email, as I have just opened a new service where you can purchase travel advice and itinerary creation to make your Japan trip as best as possible!

[@johnnycanuck9867]

As always great video, thanks we will look further afield as we plan our second trip.

[@harblife]

Thanks so much ! I hope to see you comment in future videos ! 😊

[@Death_Bounty]

Awesome video!! I love your content because it is outside the norm and I enjoy watching it keep up the good work dude 👍

[@harblife]

Hey man thanks as always. And bama ruined the dawgs streak... Good work ! Hahaha

[@Exjapter]

Good video. As a creator who deliberately avoids doing the same as others I still have a very tiny, niche, channel about Japan. But I wouldnt have it any other way tbh.

[@acenewark]

Great insight and information. Earned a sub here. Thank you Sir

[@mamaikeda82]

Another informative video!! I’m finally here!! Staying in Ningyocho.

[@bennykoh]

Thank you for highlighting the vicious cycle of these 3 cities getting more and more popular while consigning the rest of japan to relative obscurity. I have been to Japan more than 6 times and i try to visit the less popular places in japan such. In Kansai, i went to Fukui, Kanazawa and To-jinbo besides the popular Shirakawago and Gokayama. In Nikko i went to senjogahara marshes other than the popular Toshogu shrine. This december i will be including a trip to Wakkanai to try to catch a glimpse of sakhalin island. I hope to do the nakasendo trail in 3-4 years time. Keep the videos coming!

[@carneliansweetness]

Feels like it’s more of Japan’s fault for not anticipating the crowd, example is Kyoto where all the residents were already complaining pre-covid about the surge in tourism in the area annually. They had 3 years to solve the issue but in the end they only just recently made changes. Also, a lot of the places in Japan are first accessible by the major airports so a lot of people come in normally at Tokyo and fly domestic or take the Shinkansen around.

[@neubro1448]

There's the staffing shortage issue. Businesses have to rehire once borders reopened. Many workers in the hospitality industry laid off went elsewhere and many businesses have shut down. Now more difficult to handle the surge of tourists when there's not enough manpower.

[@harblife]

Yes true. It was lack of planning on their part that kind of caused this issue. But it looks like they're finally taking the necessary actions to fix this issue

[@jonathansakura]

Epic content bud 😊 I returned to america And am ready to return to Japan next 😊

[@kanzaki0001]

Putting these restrictions hurt domestic travelers with the increase pricing on the Shinkansen. Problem isn’t travelers coming into Japan per se, it’s those 3 cities in particular have English speaking staff there. The same reason foreigners come to large cities in other countries, NYC, LA, Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Milan. Those cities have infrastructure in place to cope with foreign visitors.

[@carneliansweetness]

I think domestic travelers can't buy the JR pass anyway. If i'm not wrong, if you're a resident living in Japan for work or a local, you can't buy it anyway. The JR pass was a steal previously but now we're just paying the full cost price.

[@BC33714]

Residents don’t qualify to buy the JR Pass. So they are not affected in the least by this change. The whole point of the pass was to attract tourists to ride JR Transit - and now that they have a large enough customer base of tourists, the JR Company can get away with raising prices. Supply and demand.

[@vguy488]

I hail from a make-believe time where there was no youtube, no social media of any kind, and if you wanted to talk to someone, you actually had to *GASP*, call them... ew. I do agree that relevance is to blame here, as my personal experience was, that I had to dig deep into the web, travel agencies, and even vloggers to get a better idea of the places I wanted to see on my trip; and yes, the most recommended cities by a mile were Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. I will be guilty of feeding into the crowd this time since these cities will be my primary hubs this time around, but on a second visit I intend to see so much more off the beaten path and see the country through the eyes of a local, not a tourist. It's finally time. I'll be landing in Osaka next Saturday around 6 p.m., then touring around for 10 days. I cannot express in words the level of hype in feeling right now. I want to thank you personally HarbLife, as you had no small hand in helping me polish many rough edges on my itinerary. I'll pop a cold one in your name and to all the lovely followers of this amazing channel. Cheers!

[@harblife]

Hey man thanks for always adding on some great discussion points to every video! I hope you continue to do the same in the future ! 🙏

[@NikoNemo]

Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka are historical and iconic cities, well-known to everyone much earlier than social media appeared...It's not a surprise that everyone wants to go there, you'll get there a Japan experience that we all know. With convenient transportation between those cities, and many interesting places one can visit in just one of those cities, English is more likely to be spoken there than in the rural regions, also, many people can't afford to travel all around Japan, and they choose only those or other major cities. It's not the algorithm to blame for overcrowding, i think it will be much worse in the future. I watched many videos from all around Japan and i love that country, cities, rural side, nature, and everything, but for the first time when ill go there (i hope next year) i will go to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and if i have a chance to visit it again, then ill go to other cities, regions too... Japan needs to adapt and plan much better, restrictions are always bad solutions! You did well here with self-promotion, very smart :)

[@elizabethhafferty1200]

While I agree that tourism is a great boost to the economy, I am sure the crowds are troublesome. I like the idea of changing the algorithm. But I also want to say that promoting lesser known areas won’t fix everything. TBH, first timers to Japan, like I was in March, want to see those big cities, the famous temples, shrines, parks, and attractions. While I have no interest in the theme parks, I am sure there are many who are. I hope in my next visit to break out of big cities a bit more, so those who are returning visitors definitely should look beyond the big three.

[@harblife]

I know what you mean and agree. First timers will always want to see the major cities. But , for return visitors, it doesn't hurt to see all the other cities in Japan too!

[@jetmask24]

Bro really cracked the algorithm code. Props to you Harb!

[@harblife]

Thanks man hahaha. Im just trying to make good videos that's all 😊😊

[@roquejo]

Been doing that already as I am focusing on the Tohoku Region which is the least tourist visited been to Aomori already this year and will return to Aomori again this autumn and will do Sendai and Matsushima Bay as well.. What I don't get is even top influencer Abroad in Japan is aggressively promoting the Tohoku Region extensively for 10 years that influences me to go there... tourists are still flocking Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. And even if I go to less touristy areas of Japan now, I still have to fly in to Tokyo from overseas as that is the major port of entry...hence suffering the long lines in immigration that took 4 hours to clear.

[@mabelleko7027]

Thank you for making this video!! People have no idea how crowded is japan now (Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto) Next week we are going to japan but our itinerary is Tokyo, fujiyoshida/Kawaguchiko, Kawagoe, Kamakura, Nikko and Yokohama Maybe next years we are going to Osaka and Kyoto

[@southcoastinventors6583]

Algorithm still thinks I want to learn Chinese and English because I subscribe to Japanese learning channels. As you say it promotes certain cites over others but at the same time if you look at that list you can use to beat the crowds as well. I still think the reason Japanese is so popular is how safe it is and anime. Glad you are getting a paid sponsorship from Japan good work man.

[@harblife]

Thanks bro ! Now I'm sponsoring myself with my business ! Haha

[@harrietb3722]

I’ve been traveling to japan for years, it’s always been an amazing country to visit and crowded. I do agree that social media has amplified Japan’s popularity but I think the Japanese government is also to blame for the recent surge of travelers. The country is finally fully opened, no wonder many are flooding to japan to see how fantastic it is!

[@ルユク-h3h]

I agree with it. I hope our government will limit tourists soon

[@Eldiran1]

"crowded ?" I only visit japan once during march 2023 and i will return in february 2024. I could confidently say that if you want less crowded area, it's easy to find. I didn't even try hard because my friends who i come with in japan wanted to go to Kansai/Kanto area. I find some cool spot like mount takao and i only saw 2 cars and 4 peoples only during a 4 hours hike . So you definitivly can find less crowded place , it's mostly a question of will or not. Even place like Fushimi Inari who are usually considered crowded as F can be visited without all of these people. Just go there during the evening/night or in the early morning and voila! Also i strongly dissagree with the limitation of tourists of the first answer below this. Stop trying to blur the xenophobe attitude, it give lot of money/job to japanese people and a lot of us aren't rude at all. If we are respectful, why limit the number of people here? Limit tourists only limit poor people to acces to japan , the rich won't be limited by that at all .

[@harblife]

Yes I agree. The government should have done more to reroute tourists before the country opened again

[@Curzon1999vie]

Great video, as always.

[@harblife]

Thank you !!!

[@KevinAndCatTravel]

Paolos face is 100% my algorithm 😅😅

[@harblife]

Hahaha maybe I'll get to that point one day 🥺

[@alexBb1999]

Went in July. Climbed Fuji, visited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Glad we went when we did. What an amazing trip it was.

[@cameronfotographie]

I am spending a week in Yokohama next month. Is it crowded there as well?

[@harblife]

A little bit but not nearly as crowded as tokyo

[@MrKarto2287]

What covid has taught us that this is a welcomed problem and people would rather have it than businesses closing down on the empty streets of asakusa back in lockdown. The japan rail pass increase is not a tourism control method but from the effects of the weak yen inflation and higher energy prices cause of Russia.

[@harblife]

True that!

[@BC33714]

It’s not exactly so black and white. Yes, the businesses and government are happy about the money it brings in. However, for the general public that has deal with the mass-influx of people who don’t bother to learn the social/culture rules, don’t try to speak the language, are causing an increase of litter, and congest public transit (they’re having to wait behind lines of tourists just to catch a bus/train to work)….not really.

[@MrKarto2287]

@BC33714 Right, but in the grand scheme of things it beats economic collapse and in a realist perspective, every high tourist area will have different cultural clashes one way or another just as sure as death and taxes in our lives. When it starts getting to the point of increase civil unrest is when it should be addressed, but in this case people are just slightly uncomfortable and annoyed from the crowds rather than in any imminent danger.

[@axios101]

Great explanation of the "perpetual cycle".... A suggestion: some more "almost unknown places" to promote: Odawara and less known zones of Sagami Bay, also Mie Prefecture and Kumano Kodo , more on the "special tourist trains" (Sapphire Odoriko, Yufuin no Mori, etc...) but viewed from another perspective: not the train itself (I mean: also, but not only the part aimed to "trains otaku" ) but also to the concrete itinerary You can use to travel from "point A to point B" not using always the same, very congested, Shinkansen routes (even if those are way faster)....

[@harblife]

Right I see what you're suggesting and I think that isn't a bad idea! I'll have to find more time to get myself out to the more remote areas in Japan and I'll release a video similar to what you're suggesting when I get all these spots recorded.

[@Pale_Crow]

So APRIL 2024 will be a bad idea vor 2 weeks trip to japan?

[@harblife]

Nah you can come in April of 2024!

[@FollowTheSunAustralia]

Always wanted to know what about this topic finally I'm starting to understand what it all means, I will try to search lesser know areas , let's all start to change things together

[@harblife]

Yessss ! Great to see you recently as well,n

[@Sanno8585]

This is a really encompassing analysis, however, if one travels from Frankfurt, Germany, one can only arrive to Tokyo, which makes spending a few days there unavoidable. The same on the way back. I looked up smaller places, like Kanazawa, about which you have a great video too, and I will be heading there. Also all first time travellers will eventually end up in these three major cities before going elsewhere.

[@harblife]

Yes for sure. Visiting one of the main three cities is almost unavoidable . It's only when people stay in the cities for weeks at a time is when it could cause that over crowding problem. Thanks though for your feedback and hope to hear more from you soon!n

[@BC33714]

I’ve lived in Japan for a few years now, but first visited in 2009. Anyways, I recently went back to Kyoto for the first time since my initial trip to Japan. I thought there were a lot of tourists there in 2009 - but looking back, it was nothing compared how insanely bad it has gotten since then. I didn’t even feel like I was in Japan anymore- I felt like I heard every language being spoke around me but Japanese.

[@WhyYouTrippin]

Top 10 places to visit outside of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto? (in Japan)

[@WhyYouTrippin]

** video idea **

[@harblife]

True thanks for the feedback !

[@punkydarky4507]

I'm going to my first trip to Japan end January with my sister and yeah I'm going to Tokyo for Roppongi. . . yes it's for visit but more for an exhibition that going to happen to be in Roppongi and I don't want to be too far away to this place because I know nothing there, going to be more surprise for me and my sister for 10 days to be there so me it's not really because of social media. I do watch some to be prepare to be there and not the place you need to visit most for the top 10. Prefer to search from google place we want to look. But I have to say it's still a dream come true to go there.

[@florin529]

I blame Chris Broad. 😂 My first trip in to Japan in 2007 was through a travel agency that took me through most of the Golden Route (Tokyo, Hakone, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima). I didn't use KZbin at the time so it was definitely a go with the flow type of trip where I left all planning up to my travel agent. I'm glad I did because I would have been so overwhelmed planning it out when I had no clue what to do. My second trip in 2017 was with my mom, who was going to Japan for the first time. I wanted to take her to the Golden Route again but we added in an additional trip to Kanazawa and Osaka. I mainly used online website information to plan that trip. In a couple weeks I'm going to Japan with my husband and used websites and KZbin to plan this trip. The Golden Route is getting a bit boring for me but I want my husband to experience it. This time around we are going to more places I haven't gone to yet. We are going to Tokyo (Mt. Takao), Kyoto, Osaka, Koyasan, Hiroshima, Kinosaki-onsen, Takayama, Shirakawago, Kanazawa, and Sendai (Risshaku-ji). We are using the crap out of that JR Rail Pass 😂 . Though they are less viewed, the videos of out of the way spots/cities, information on travel, and other obscure Japan information videos have been so helpful this time around and I'll definitely be using KZbin to plan any future trips. The Golden Route is always going to be popular to tourists but hopefully the easy to get to, off the beaten path type places will become more popular, especially with returning tourists like myself.

[@Lubsana86]

I completely disagree that social media has anything to do with overcrowding and too much tourism. It's simply not true. I'm in my late 30s and grew up in the last era where we did not have any social media or even internet. Way before social media even existed it was a dream of mine to visit Japan since I was a little kid and watched Princess Mononoke and many more animes at the time. But even besides that Japan is a fantastic place and this is well known fact to every generation and more or less every person around the world. We just live in time where more people can afford to travel, especially the emerging Chinese middle class and even low-income class, where that was not the case 20 years ago. Social media has nothing to do with the choice if you are going to venture more to the countryside or if you are going to stick to Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto. The fact is social media is just a tool to give you ideas about what and how to experience when visiting these places, meaning most people have made the choice to visit for example Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka before they started looking into social media for ideas what to do once they visit. The reason people stick to these is not because influencers are showing how cool they are and not focusing on other less-known spots and experiences, but rather because it's less challenging logistically. Venturing in the countryside can be intimidating due to the language barrier, changing different types of transport and how to use them, accommodations, etc. Chances are you would have an easier time in more popular and touristy places, that are not necessarily the best in terms of experience.

[@neubro1448]

Bad when Kyoto is too crowded to visit. Traveled to Kyoto for personal reasons multiple times in my life. Area where most of my Japanese family live. Growing up in a US military household in Kanagawa Pref.

[@harblife]

Nice! Yokosuka?

[@neubro1448]

@@harblife Attended school there, but lived in Zushi.

[@ryokophreak]

I have to admit...while social media isn't the reason I'm going... i have been using youtube to look for interesting things to do in places I'm going to. One of my stops is Fukuoka, and yeah. Definitely way less videos on that city. Even less on Nagasaki where I'm going too.

[@harblife]

Great idea! Hope you have a good trip to Japan !

[@ryokophreak]

@harblife Thanks. Really excited. So many things planned. Bookmarked your site to potentially help with my next trip since I'm sure there are lots of things I missed in my research.

[@stutterweeb]

Chris has been doing Northern Japan videos for the longest he just moved to Tokyo

[@babyrage1763]

Our first trip was on those 3 biggest Cities. While I still wanna go back to them next time (we didn't have enough time to really explore every nooks and cranny), I'd like to go to Hiroshima, Nagasaka, Fukuoka and of course, Hokkaido!

[@Eldiran1]

Going to Nagasaki/Fukuoka and Hokkaido in the same trip with Kyoto/Tokyo and Osaka seem a bit to much in my opinion I want to these as well but better split that in two part to enjoy these ones to the fullest. Hiroshima isn't a problem on it's own because it's on the path of Fukuoka/Nagasaki. I must say that i went here in march 2023 and it was the highlight of my trip , especialy on Myiajima, a famous island near Hiroshima . (except for these loudy american who where proud that this place was nuked, some american tourist are the worst...) I do the same as you (only one trip to japan in march 2023) with only one night on Myiajima so i understand. I will return in february and will also explore Kyushu with Fukuoka and moslty Nagasaki with the magnificent lantern festival!(only on february) Hope you can do the same one day.

[@babyrage1763]

@@Eldiran1 i didn't specifically say going to Nagasaki/Hiroshima and Hokkaido in the same trip. They are basically on one end of the country after all. I was just listing my top prefecture/places to visit when we come back to Japan! Hopefully soon Heck! I'd love to go back to Tokyo alone on a separate trip. The same goes with Osaka / Kyoto / Nara to further explore these places. Wasn't really able to fully explore as we only had 9 days last time around

[@Eldiran1]

​ @babyrage1763 In one way it's short, and in another it's still 9 days : ) But i get what you mean. i went for considerably more (21 days, 10 in Kansai/1 night in Hiroshima and 10 days in Kanto) and i've the feeling that i only have discovered the tips of the iceberg. I need to explore more of the countryside, this is why i will began my next trip with a hike for a few days, traveling from place to place .

[@Traazil]

Are those other places just not as popular as those 3 cities in general? It's also because content creators chase after keywords and views and those 3 cities are more easily accessible. It's not just the algorithm.

[@OK-hl6qd]

absolutely, took an hour to get into that latte art cafe you recommended.

[@harblife]

Dang! I hope I didn't cause that problem haha 🫠

[@lycansberg]

The overcrowding is overbearing at times. I visited the town of numazu and there’s ain’t many people there .. peaceful little town near mt fuji

[@MissiBoo]

By increasing the prices of the JR passes, more people will travel to the major cities alone because of the airports. It seems that Japan needs to rethink a few things 🤔. Personally, I want to go to other places as well but because of the price increases, I'm going to have to limit my travel 😢

[@Flamingcloud083]

Yep... Doing my second trip to Japan at Christmas.. Hokkaido basically getting ruled out because of the massive cost to get there from Tokyo or KIX... Same thing for Okinawa the last time I visited.. Not dropping $500 per person to get to Okinawa/Hokkaido... It needs to be almost zero... i.e. a cheap JR rail pass or absurdly cheap domestic flights are the only thing that would convince me to go to these places. So Japan.. If you want to get people out of the triangle and encourage travel to other places you need to make it cheap otherwise you will only get the people who are bored with Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka...

[@harblife]

I am curious to see if the traveling patterns of tourists has changed since the price increase. I will have to try and get this data somehow!

[@susanma4899]

Hmmm, all I know is that there are lots of tourists from a certain very large country that doesn't even have youtube!

[@susanma4899]

I see what you're saying, to a certain extent. I am working in Japan now and before coming, I watched a lot of videos that are precisely the ones you're describing. AND I realized that those videos were depressing me. I had to stop watching them. I lived and worked in Japan from 2000-2006 and have so many wonderful memories of friends, of the countryside, of nature, of places off the beaten path--that is Japan to me. So to see videos where people are waiting in a long line to buy a giant onion ring or get Starbucks or do all these other inane activities was just depressing. It makes Japan seem cheap and gimmicky. That's why I felt depressed. (But hey, if that's what you like....) This summer I was back in the mountains and so happy to be back in the places after my heart. I also went to Kyoto and Nara; naturally I'd been there before. I love Nara because it's so chill and I love Kyoto because there's honestly so much to see and do. You could stay for 2 weeks and not see it all. I was there during the typhoon so nothing was crowded LOL.

[@KingOskar4]

Yo... I am "only" going to two cities this month: Tokyo and Nagoya... But now that you say that... by chance Nagoya won't be so crowded... When looking for hotels in Nagoya, prices of hotels were cheaper oddly enough... Hmmm... I still want to visit Tokyo even if it is crowded not gonna lie. Also, what about the shortage of Welcome Suice I've heard. I've heard that Tokyo Station now gives ToICa Card instead (from Greater Nagoya)

[@mr.monkey1719]

hi, can i use visa card instead of Ic cards in Tokyo subway?

[@tony714]

No

[@truc13]

We're still watching your vids. Anyways, I am seriously tired of all the videos and same areas from the 3 major cities. They're doing it for views rather than to help the viewers. I've been all over Japan, the other cities are much better imo. I feel in love with Sapporo and the Hokkaido area.

[@harblife]

I love those areas too! Especially right now in the winter time !

[@etherdog]

Good breakdowqn, Alex. If you think you can make a living doing KZbin, you are doing it for the wrong reason. Look at how Chris Broad has gone off the rails with "bro" content, where Japan is not the featured character but merely window-dressing. A channel like kyde & eric, where they go all around Japan with several hour-long episodes (recently in Hamamatsu) provides a lot of value, context, and joy. In the end, you have to be able to look at your work and be proud of trying to do your best.

[@joshuamaier1]

You seem to just dislike abroad in Japan because of popularity? He has had several series doing the exact same thing, even one quite recently. Not to mention his latest video focused on Oshima Island.. KZbinrs are a much lesser part of the attractiveness of Japan as a tourist destination than other sources like tiktok, and frankly the interest grew within many people watching anime to pass time during lockdown. In any case, the biggest reason for the tourism panic is that Chinese tourism to Japan is returning - Chinese tourism historically accounts for about 30% of Japan's foreign arrivals, and if interest in Japan has surged in other countries there is a fair chance the same can be said for Chinese tourists, which is where the worries about sustainability really stem from, because that will be an even bigger surge.

[@NateCochrane]

@@joshuamaier1 Agreed. There's something contradictory about a foreign KZbinr in Japan complaining about foreigners who watch KZbinrs in Japan visiting Japan.

[@EmceeRelentless]

Who has been visiting to Japan. I think overtime after Tokyo people will stretch out like Hokkaido,Hiroshima, etc etc it’ll stretch out overtime

[@eileenmasigla8530]

It's unfortunate how these cities are noticeably tourist infested now, I returned to all 3 after years with my family for their first time. & it was not the positive experience that I had and wanted to share with them. But I don't think the dilution factor to these smaller cities is a good idea either: are spoiling these really worth it to relieve the big 3, if it even does that?

[@susanma4899]

My feeling--for every person that visits Japan, there are at least 10 people who want to visit, but can't. I'm talking about my country, the US. Maybe they can't get the time off, or get the money for the trip, or have other commitments. If Japan wants to talk about "overtourism," they should study who is visiting, and why, and where they're coming from. Isn't it obvious that after covid, people would start coming in droves? How many tourists are actually Japanese people themselves? My guess is the percentage is pretty high.

[@NateCochrane]

@susanma4899 Japan, like any country, maintains meticulous records of who visits, from where, why, where they go, for how long and even if they're likely to return. It uses this data to inform its policy decisions and even publishes it. So we know that so far in 2023, the single biggest contributor to Japan's visitor count was South Korea (29.2%), followed by Taiwan (16.5%), and China & HK (14.1%). All up, Asian nations accounted for more than three-quarters of visitors in 2023 (overall, roughly in line with 2019 when 31.8m people visited Japan). Traditionally, about a third of visitors were people from mainland China on tour groups. But owing to a range of well reported factors, visitors from China are down on previous years. Interestingly, Westerners account for fewer than one in five visitors in 2023 while those from English-speaking nations - the predominant consumers of English-language KZbin content - account for fewer than 15% of visitors. As to domestic tourism, in 2019 (the last full year before the pandemic) Japanese stayed 311 million nights. Assuming an average of about seven to 14 days a visitor, this accounts for 25m~40m domestic Japanese visitors in that year (give or take). Domestic tourism is a major plank of the Government's tourism strategy and is more robust to external shocks. For instance, even when Covid locked millions of foreigners out of the country, domestic tourism was largely unaffected and accounted for about three-quarters of total economic contribution, according to the OECD. In 2019, tourism accounted for 2% of Japan's GDP - double the contribution from agriculture and about equal to domestic cultural production. Just to put that into perspective, services (75%, mainly finance) and exports (16%, such as electronics and vehicles) are the bulk of Japan's GDP. The point is, Japan doesn't really need international tourism - certainly not brash, frugal backpackers from the West in its finance and business centres. Their dollar contribution is negligible to Japan's macroeconomic health in GDP terms. Tourism, along with programs such as JET and even the bid for the Olympics, are part of Japan's 'soft power' portfolio that focuses on raising the nation's prestige around the world. The flow-on effects are seen primarily in those other sectors as global connections are made and Japan is seen as a place to emulate and do business.

[@harblife]

Yes I agree that the lack of foresight is a little surprising. Japan knew it had an overtourism problem before covid. They should have been preparing for the resurgence after covid would inevitably subside.

[@KibaJovanni]

I was there 3 days ago it was great

[@harblife]

Great!

[@karinagnesiani]

Just went to hiroshima and miyajima island. Beautiful city and island

[@SinDragonSD]

Solution? To lower the JR pass prices , but they increased it which means tourists would never want to explore smaller cities now and stick with the big 3

[@harblife]

Yes it's an interesting choice. We will see what it's like after the jr pass has been crazy high for so long

[@Flamingcloud083]

Raising the cost of the JR Pass is just going to keep people in the big 3...

[@shirolee]

I know that over tourism is a problem but the tourism is going to bring billions of dollars back to the Japanese economy. What Japan should do is try to disperse that tourism to much less known or popular places to help rejuvenate those small towns and cities where they could use the revenue to survive.

[@BC33714]

Tourism accounts for less than 2% of Japan’s GDP. Can we stop with the whole “They should be happy with having the country being run into the ground because it helps the economy” nonsense? Japan was pulling a consistent 5-7 million tourists annually up until 2013. While yes, SOME tourism is needed, the out-of-control numbers we’re seeing these days (32+ million - a 500% increase) are not necessary. It’s weird how they managed to get by just fine before the numbers started spiraling out of control, no?

[@AyaV18]

Not me wanting to tell my group to go to other cities now instead of Osaka and Kyoto even though we've been wanting to go there way before their COVID restrictions have been lifted. Lol

[@harblife]

I hope you went to Osaka and Kyoto anyway! Did you already go to Japan ?

[@AyaV18]

@@harblife We planned on going to Osaka and Kyoto, but now are sticking to Kanazawa and Osaka instead. Kanazawa has a lot of stuff that we wanna see and do over Kyoto. And we have not yet, we planned on going in October, but now are getting it pushed back to May of 2025 instead.

[@woosolo]

Let’s talk Nagoya! Let’s Go!

[@harblife]

Let's goooo.

[@gemmeg2]

I loved Kanazawa. It was my favorite place that I went to.

[@Myriel67]

Yes and no!! It’s true that some cities here in Japan are super overcrowded. But it’s also true, that guiding tourists to the hidden gems of Japan would cause more problems! Rural area is not designed for tourism! And here is also a concern about pollution of nature! Destroying the sacred Japanese energy places. When my husband and I went to the forest area near our appalling house and in place where even a Japanese locals doesn’t go…. Well we had a huge WTF moment when we met there a group of hikers from USA heading straight up in the mountain!!🥵🥵🥵😫 My husband is s Japanese and he said what….. is this? Up there is a sacred place an ancient shinto shrine! Well it makes wonder how the hell they find places in the middle of nowhere!!! I wouldn’t advertise a Japanese rural places to tourists! I think we can leave some places untouched???right???

[@NateCochrane]

I had a very long and researched response to this question but TL;DR: Japan’s government invested decades and trillions of Yen inviting foreigners to come to Japan and now it’s complaining that they came. “¯\_(ツ)_/¯“ Projected 2023 visitors is a third down on 2019 peak of 31.8m and about half to a third of that which the Government forecast in 2016 for 2020 when it hoped to attract 40m-60m visitors a year. So is Japan suffering over-tourism? No Is Japan getting the cashed-up high-rollers it says it now wants in its latest tourism plan? Maybe not Does Japan align its offers with the new visitors it says it wants? No Who is responsible for this situation? The Japan Government

[@magn2924]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@stutterweeb]

Also being sad your video made 17k views doesn't sound bad lol

[@harblife]

True haha but it was really just a comparison!

[@lightingkraken1866]

I disagree with half of this video. And think content creators have at least half of the blame on them instead of the algorithm.

[@TheMabiNerd]

Pour one out for Shibuya Halloween.

[@harblife]

Sadge 🥺

[@dearkazuscorner2549]

It’s a double-edged sword imho! Because of the algorhythm, I have by now more than ONE HUNDRED restaurants marked on Google maps for my upcoming Japan trip. Considering I will only have around sixty meals during the trip (and that’s counting breakfasts)…yeah, it makes no sense. But KZbin keeps suggesting awesome-looking places!! 😭😭😄😄

[@harblife]

I mean the algorithm is both a blessing and a curse! It knows what you want to watch, but sometimes it can have an unintended negative effect as well!

[@stephs1476]

Best thing to do is to just go eat anywhere that seems appealing to you. So much good food. Don’t just stick to over hyped KZbin videos, your limiting yourself and it’s gonna cause line ups at all these suggested places when there are plenty of amazing foods around that aren’t over hyped

[@1peruvianguy]

🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

[@harblife]

Yeeee

[@zanegamingtv2252]

Tourism is saving Japan right now, to be honest. LOL what are they complaining about?

[@tony714]

Facts

[@Oceanleighside]

They have staffing shortages just like everyone else. They don't have the ability take all of these tourists on at the same time. There's also something to be said for recognizing that you're in someone else's home, and being respectful of THEIR transportation and historic landmarks.

[@Oceanleighside]

@@MyActualThoughts I have plans to go in 2025, God willing, for school and yes traveling. I hope by then some of the burden is alleviated or at least the country has been opened long enough for the crowds to have calmed down. I'll do what I can as foreigner to be respectful and not make too much of a nuisance of myself.

[@ルユク-h3h]

We complain because we like to live here in peace

[@BC33714]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@OceanleighsideYou’re fooling yourself if you think there’s going to be less tourists flooding the country by then. Maybe if people weren’t having good experiences here - but they are, and they’re ranting and raving about the country on social media, encouraging other people to come as well. I predict it’s just going to keep getting worse and worse, unless the government puts a cap on the number of people who can enter the country.

[@ルユク-h3h]

I am a resident and I watched the news and read comments from japanese people and they are truely bothered by foreigners. Number 1 complain was tourists filming everywhere, also in trains are loud, Smoking everywhere, the tatoos showing are a big problem, have no manners in trains at all, take seats from people, making lines already at Hachiko and they are too many. They also say tourists are drunk and loud and dirty the streets and toilettes. Also they want new renovated toilettes because of it. I hope this whole hype will stop soon. We are all not comfortable with so many foreigners here

[@ルユク-h3h]

KZbinrs are definitiv at fault. Most people only come here to film content only to get likes and views because it clicks well. As a ressident if I see any tourists annoying other japanese people by filming without permission and blocking the way I will do something and report it