Overtourism is Destroying Japan.
Here’s my honest opinion about overtourism and large group tours in Japan.
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Hi! I’m Sarah, a Japanese local, born and raised in Japan for over two decades. While my accent may not sound fully Japanese because I studied in England, my deep roots and lifelong connection to Japan allow me to offer a truly authentic perspective.
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In today’s video, we’re talking about overtourism in Japan and how large group tours affect sacred sites like Matsushima and Asakusa. I’ll be sharing real examples of how mismanaged tourism is harming cultural experiences and what needs to change. If you’ve seen overtourism issues in Japan—or anywhere else in the world—I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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47 Comments
As a westerner, I’m sorry. I’m fat, rude and disrespectful 😂 please kick me out🎉 I’m also a pervert
I love your videos. Your concern is extremely valid. Everyone should take care of these historical, sacred and natural sites so that they last longer and more people can enjoy them as they should. It is a matter of respect for others and for the past. I live in Brazil and we have many cultural and natural beauties (beaches, forests, canyons) and, in places that are very popular, we also suffer from bad behavior, loud noise, and damage. Those who take vacations and travel to relax and see new places must be very respectful towards others. I will be going to Tokyo soon, but I will be well behaved and respectful. Congratulations for the videos.
I live in a tourist town with theme parks and over-tourism has been a thing for a while here. Unfortunately our local governments and businesses are still putting more and more money into getting people to come here. Traffic and the ability to just enjoy where we live is impossible anymore
We have the very same problem in Iceland due to volcanos. I will however visits Japan but not the normal sites like in Osaka and Tokyo. There is so much to see 🙂
Your video really hit home for me. I agree that tourist and tour guides need to understand their environment. I'm planning on visiting in October and will not be in a group tour.
When your fertility craters and crashes your economy, you don't get to complain about tourists. You are Thailand/Philippines/Vietnam now. You will accommodate the tourists whether you like it or not.
When my girlfriend and I were at Jigokudani, we saw so many disrespectful groups of Americans and others like yelling loudly and trying to touch the snow monkeys and just all around awful behavior. Often case I am embarrassed to be a tourist or a foreigner and wish I had a way to show people like…"we aren't like those people", we stay silent on the train, we observe silently, allow tranquility in culturally sensitive places, we ask questions about what is expected and okay…I don't understand why people coming to Japan can't do the bare minimum and just either look things up ahead of time, or ask questions, and be humble. It's really unfortunate
I was in Rome last summer for one day, primarily to tour Vatican with a personal guide. There are so many areas that were closed due to overcrowding. They prioritize the flow of people over showing everything they have to the tourists. Inside the Sistine Chapel, which is one of the most sacred space in Vatican, people are loud, and the attendants would hush, and they become quiet for a minute or so. There is no need to be hospitable to the loud tourists, and Japan can learn from popular tourist destinations in Europe. If you are overly nice to people, some of them take it for granted and demand more. つけ上がる奴らにおもてなしは不要。
Japan got 36.87 million visitors in 2024 for a population of 124.5 million. My country got 94 million tourists for a population of 48.37 million. You get the idea…
its only going to get worse. all of the streamers and influencers are going to japan this year. its going to attract more tourists
If anyone can control the amount of gajin/tourists visiting, then it would have to be Japan. Simply limit the numbers. And, Japan can get away with it, because everyone already expects Japan to control it's sovereignty in this way.
Your video just made Matsushima even more popular lol.
Japan should close its borders before its too late (sadly it probably already is). Two of my work colleagues are travelling to Japan for a holiday this year. A third is tentatively planning to go (all separately). Japan is becoming like what Bali is in Australia (a cheap mass-market holiday destination dumping ground for disrespectful tourists). I love Japanese culture but it's becoming so swamped with Westerners that it's putting me off visiting. I can read Hiragana, Katakana and a small amount of Kanji. I want to visit Japan one day but I want to experience it as it was in the early 2000s/1990s or 80s. I look at videos of Japan now and half the people in them aren't Japanese 🙁
We all know the main problem (couldn't find the chinese flag!)
Also I've heard that the Japanese government aso doesn't do enough to spread out tourists, add new bus lines in Kyoto for example. It's just idiotic
The video show they are Chinese and the guide also Chinese . This is the fact where we have peace and quietly relax suddenly Chinese tour comes in everything change instantly becomes chaotic disorder, worst of all is Chinese men spitting so often and women big mouth non stop . This is fact not about racist or hatred but if Chinese can’t behaved and respect the local culture then it’s better stay home because they only shame theirs country .
And the Japanese government wants to bump up tourism numbers to 60 million a year
You need to blame your government but nobody does anything other than blaming the tourists.
Japan isn't facing over tourism. It's facing a government which wanted those so many tourists, tried to attract easy (thus bad) tourists with their Cool Japan strategy and didn't invest to absorb and manage those tourists and now still lacking the infrastructures and services, wants 60 million tourists for tomorrow. It's totally self inflicted. Paris alone welcomes more tourists than all of Japan every year, Austria which is just a bit bigger than Paris welcomes same number of tourists as Japan and it's been the case for decades unlike Japan. How do they do? They simply invested in the infrastructures and services to manage the tourists. The tourism business isn't for amateurs. That's a very technical precise industry and if you don't do things right it's going to backfire at you. That's what is happening in Japan right now.
I'm sorry it is turning into this. I know you don't want to mention it in the video but these are common behaviors of people from Mainland China. They come from a society that view preserving anything good for others is for suckers. And don't expect the guides to do anything about it because they depend on the tips, if any, from the same people. These are cheaply run tours so these guides survive on tips. If the Japanese destinations impose rules on them, they will just cry racism. You basically have an infestation. The only hope is for the Japanese Yen to be stronger so it becomes more costly for these people to visit.
Know that there are other types of Chinese who are not like these. Tourists from places like Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc. do not behave this way.
Paris or Rome in 1 year has more turists than the whole country of Japan. Not saying there Is no overturism but Tokyo or Kyoto not even top 10 of the world.. still time to adapt and control
Im thinking disrespectful tourists dont watch videos like this.
No tour group speakers need to be shouting whether it’s a large or a small group. There’s a way that each person in the group can have an earphone and can hear through that, so the speaker speaks in a normal voice.
I do agree that there should be small groups, especially in sites that should be serenity places, and also for example, temples and shrines.
I’ve been to Japan with my large tour group of one, 😀myself always had a wonderful time. Enjoyed the foods and it’s easy for me to be respectful since I am somewhat of an introvert and my parents raised me to be polite. Was in Japan for the first time in the late 1990s and always meant to get back since I was very young then and finally got back for the first time last year. Enjoyed it as much as before, the art the nature. The food, etc..
Thank you for your honesty and local perspective. I am so sorry this is happening all over Japan. Headlines of bad tourist behaviors regularly make the headlines here in the US and on BBC News. It definitely is on the tour operators to hire and/or train respectful guides who then advise that tourists behave respectfully.
In Europe, I’ve been solo and on large group tours. Every tour group I’ve seen has the tourists equipped with an ear piece and the guide using a microphone. On top of that, the guided portion of the tours ends outside of places of worship. The guided portion will take place outside and then allow tourists to go inside, being advised to be quiet. Additionally, the guides have been locals who know local customs and secret spots (like a cafe with tasty pastries tucked away). So it’s very disrespectful of the tour operators not to follow the same for Japan.
In Türkiye, guides can even be certified by the nat’l tourism board as tour guides. I don’t recall if it’s required to operate as a guide though!
Hopefully in time, tourists and Japanese cities or the nat’l gov’t can push back on tour companies to be more respectful and avoid what’s happened in Barcelona with locals yelling at tourists to go home, Amsterdam telling British men’s parties to stay away, and locals being displaced by high rent due to vacation rentals taking over local housing.
My wife and I definitely ran into this when we visted Japan again back in November. Especially in the Arashiyama area of Kyoto. We had planned on spending most of one day in that part of the city… but decided to leave early specifically because of the huge bus loads of tour groups. (Don't get me wrong… most of the 3 weeks we spent in Japan were excellent! That day was just a bit frustrating).
シンガポールの方です。旅行者の代理としてお詫びを申し上げます。すみませんでした
I admit I thought this was going to be a clickbait video. I gave it a shot but i am glad i did. I went to japan a few months ago and i strongly agree with you.
There was a handful of times i ran into these problems with tour groups specifically large Chinese ones in kyoto.
I was at Kiyomizu-dera waiting to take pictures. The tour group left so i walked up towards the ledge in front of the Pagoda facing the main entrance to take pictures.
The moment i started taking pictures they came running back cause they wanted to take another group picture and started screaming at me to get out of their shot.
Another time I was at Tenryūji Temple and there was a bunch of people sitting on the stairs or inside the actual temple sitting on the tatami admiring the view and the atmosphere.
All of sudden this group of 50+ people just came and just stopped in stood in front of everyone while the tour guide was shouting at the top of his lungs the history of the temple
I just subscribed and going to take a look at your other videos. Well done.
Thank you, Sarah, for posting this important video about overtourism and the accompanying disrespect towards local, sacred places. I have enjoyed watching your videos for several years (and sharing with friends and family); your expressed enthusiastic "mmm!" while trying a new dish is so infectious! I visited Matsushima in 2004 for a day, kindly hosted by a professor from Tohoku U– the crowds back then were nowhere like what they are in your video. I feel mass tourism is like "fast food" for local/national governments–an easy way to generate money, but with "unhealthy", damaging consequences. I've seen it in my own town where I grew up, London, where recently wanting to show a friend some clothing stores around Regent and Carnaby Streets, it was impossible to move because of crush of people. Where I live now in rural Vermont, some small towns are putting up roadblocks during fall foliage season to prevent out of state people from clogging the roads and (sometimes) causing environmental damage. But how to fix these problems happening the world over? I feel that outstanding videos like the ones you make can be part of the solution, giving the viewer an intimate sense of what it's like to be there without having to physically be there. Town and city governments also need to be more strict in limiting numbers of visiting tourists–especially tour groups and who runs them–to a sustainable level; they don't need to be so greedy. Like you said, I don't believe individual tours are the problem–and you really get to experience and learn about a place that way. Please keep doing what you're doing!
Hi Sarah-さん,
I visited Japan in October last year and experienced similar craziness at 清水寺. The streets were jam packed with large tourist groups about 1km before I even managed to arrive at the temple gate. The tour groups were loud, obnoxious, and just had to touch everything. It was really hard to watch. 同じく観光客として、そのような行為は本当に腹が立つ。
Personally, I think Japan could do with stricter requirements for visitor visa. Currently there are a fair few passports that would let you into Japan, for up to 90 days, automatically without any processes (e.g New Zealand passport) which just makes things way too easy. I think that if in order for someone to obtain a visitor visa to Japan, they must be required to complete and pass basic online course on Japanese etiquette and/or the Japanese language. Doing so would help build understanding for the visitors before they arrive, and the process would also filter out the tourists that are going to Japan simply because "it's cheap, and easy to go to".
This is a long post, apologies in advance.
I went on holidays in Japan last year for a month. (Tokyo -> Yokohama -> Zushi (Kamakura) -> Fuji -> Nagoya -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Kobe). I travelled alone, no tourguides. From my observations, the problems with overtourism are mostly in the big cities, particularly Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, with Kyoto having the most tourist crowds out of all the places I went to – Fushimi Inari Taisha was nothing but a sea of people as far back as Inari train station a few hundred metres away. In contrast, if you go to places like Yokohama, Kobe and parts of Fuji (away from the mountain and the main town) you would see far less tourists, or barely any at all, just regular Japanese people living normal lives.
From my perspective, the government/tourism board should promote areas/towns/cities in Japan that don't get that much publicity to spread the crowds out a bit, rather than everyone cramming into the big 3 cities mentioned earlier – Japan is more than just those 3 places, and there's plenty to see and do. I'm planning to go back again this year, and I'd like to go to places like Tottori, Nari, etc. The alternative is to put limits on how many people can visit Japan – I'm not sure this would be an easy decision to make, or even a desirable one from the perspective of those working in hospitality/tourism.
Also, the government needs to properly address bad behaviour by tourists, and not just vandalism of sacred sites. There's a video going around recently of a streamer who threw a snowball into a Japanese person's face deliberately, which resulted in him bleeding – in other words, assault. This same person also has videos of them harassing local women, and urinating on the floors of hotel rooms and office buildings. So far, no consequences. I know Japanese don't like confrontation, but unfortunately the police/authorities are going to have to take a more punitive approach to stop people like this from continually behaving this way, which will deter others with the same thoughts/urges.
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I am so shocked to see this behaviour, especially at a place such as matsushima bay. I was aware of this in the big cities as I saw it with my own eyes in the Namba area or Osaka and its mainly tourists from other asian countries such as China & Taiwan thst don't respect the culture and cleanliness of Japan. I hope something can be done. I feel sorry for the local people as tourism is ruining Japan. 😢
I'm so sorry this is happening. Maybe some cultural training should be required of the tour guides/companies if they want to bring groups to Japan; e.g they need to complete a course and be assessed to get accredited for a licence first. I really want to visit Japan, mainly for the beautiful nature and serenity, but I won't be going until things quieten down. I hope a balance can be achieved for the Japanese people soon.
It's about making money and not making money. For 3 years during the pandemic, Japan was closed and there were no international tourists and a lot of businesses closed up and leading to job losses. Businesses are making whatever they can because you never know when the next pandemic might be.
Even though we're in the States, my Japanese wife is angry and furious at the way foreigners have been disrespectful, thoughtless, rude, crass; and even damaging of property/parks/Shrines. Have you seen the video of the Chinese guy, kicking the deer? This craziness has to stop. The subway is NOT for FILMING TIK-TOK vids.
There are better ways to boost GDP than tourism. In fact, there are better ways to improve the standard of living than boosting GDP. Money isn't everything.
Overimmigration is a far greater long-term threat to Japan.
To be honest, I visited Japan in 2023 and 2024, and even as a Brazilian I was bothered by some tourists. I spent years studying Japanese culture, the values of silence, how Japanese people behave, speak, eat, pay, take trains, dress, and I saw inappropriate scenes of tourists.
It seems to me that some people think that Japan is a theme park and not a country with its own culture.
they need to address the concerns you brought up now or else it will be more difficult later when everything you have pointed out as an issue becomes the norm. You make great suggestions and I hope the council or government can persuade the tour group companies to adhere to the changes so that everyone even future tourist can enjoy what the area has to offer instead of the place being shut down due to poor tourist behavior, it's all about respect
Sorry, your videos is part of the problem.
Those large tour gruops are wild, like a typhoon of people. And of course because they are so many of them they have a sense of "do anything we want to do". Where do most of them come from?
Thank you for the video.
a honest question: how do you feel about gaijin who want to purchase property, and live in Japan? It’s something I’m considering, after becoming enamored with the country after many visits over the years. I don’t speak language beyond the most basic of basics, but of course I would try to learn.
The tour companies just want to make as much as they can.
We're also a touristy town, and there are two distinct tourist groups that are the rowdiest. The superpowers in the west & east.
I am coming to Japan for the first time in a couple weeks before the cherry blossom crowds roll in to celebrate my honeymoon. It has been a dream since I was a young girl, and it breaks my heart seeing everything that has been going on. And honestly, all the streamers going is disheartening. It feels like they are just using Japan as a backdrop.. I can’t help but feel sad that we are coming at a time when Japan is having to deal with all of this.
wow i thought it was "the triangle cities area" was bad if even tohoku's northern region is this bad then it really is bad huh. . I was planning on going to kyuushu or the north to avoid tourist guess its going to be possible to avoid them. Its really sad, I study japanese etiquette so well that I actually impressed local japanese when i did everything correctly at a temple and one of my most proudest moment.
THATS ALL CHINESE TOURISTS. IF JAPAN STOP CHINESE TOURISTS PROBLEM SOLVED
Overtourism in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kawaguchiko I understand, but I didn't know that the overtourism extends to Matsushima as well 😱I thought Matsushima would be considered more off the beaten track
When I visited Fushimi Inari-Taisha I was shocked at how most of the tourists behaved there. They were so loud and disrespectful. And there were people trying to pray there, but I can only imagine what they must have felt. And as a tourist myself I couldn't trully appreciate everything. Because in other shrines less crowded you can feel a sense of calmness that should be respected. It's awful to think that the only way of fixing this is to make more laws and more prohibitions for the people that don't know how to behave.