As more inbound tourists pour into Japan, locals are facing an onslaught of issues brought on by overtourism. The one that seems to be irritating people the most lately? Travelers clogging up public transit with their large, clunky suitcases. As Japanese residents complain on social media, some cities and transit companies are pushing visitors to switch to “hands-free travel.”
The baggage crunch
Picture: mits / PIXTA(ピクスタ)
With Japan serving over three million tourists a month, the country’s transportation systems have struggled to keep up. The spike has caused a taxi shortage, leading Japan to legalize unlicensed gig-economy taxi drivers for the first time. (It’s also caused a spike in illegal taxi services.)
Public transit is also clogging up. In Kyoto, residents have complained that, sometimes, there’s no room for them to board so they can get to work or school. (That inspired Kyoto to launch dedicated buses just for tourists.)
But now, a new issue is emerging: tourist luggage.
Several posts have gone viral on Japanese social media lately, showing buses packed so hard with suitcases that passengers can’t get through the aisles. FNN highlighted one such picture from Kyoto that went viral in June on social media.
Another post from last month that garnered 77,000 likes shows a row of suitcases in a space reserved for passengers of the last train who’d reserved use of that space. The user says that, when they told a white tourist not to put their luggage there, the person replied, “Who cares? I don’t care.”
Hands-Free Travel?
Large suitcases are also causing problems on trains and at train stations. Airports like Haneda in Tokyo and Kansai International in Osaka make it easy to travel to your hotel by train. However, large suitcases clog up space on trains during rush hour.
Even worse, tourists hauling luggage typically use elevators to get from the train platform to the station exit. That makes it harder for people with disabilities or parents with baby strollers to use them.
Suitcase size and number have been an issue for a while. Back in April, Miyabe Yoshiyuki, the head of the Kansai (west Tokyo) Economic Cooperation Council, held a press conference asking tourists to help out by “packing light.”
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“We need to be urging people to be more compact,” he said.
As you can imagine, not many inbound tourists to Japan are aware of this call from the Kansai Economic Cooperation Council. However, other organizations – such as the Japan National Travel Organization (JNTO) – are now beating the drum to raise awareness. JNTO’s “Hands-Free Travel” campaign seeks to introduce tourists to various luggage transfer services so they can travel lightly.
Options for baggage shipment in Japan are growing
As outlined by JNTO, there are already ways to get your luggage from the airport to your hotel without clogging up public transit:
Beyond that, you can also use services such as Yamato Transport to shuttle your luggage, not only from the airport to your hotel, but from one hotel to another destination in Tokyo. All major airports across Japan should have luggage transfer counters where you can arrange to ship your bags to your hotel upon landing.
Various areas around Japan are also working to provide more alternatives for luggage transfer. Seibu Holdings is testing a new service in Tokyo called pikuraku Porter. You can deposit your luggage at a train station in a coin locker and, using the locker’s touch panel display, arrange to ship your bags to a nearby hotel. The service is reasonably priced, with large bags (W330×D645×H807.6mm) costing only 2,400 yen ($16) to ship.
Meanwhile, Kyoto is sponsoring a “hands-free tourist bus” dedicated to transferring large luggage. And the city of Noboribetsu in Hokkaido is dedicating space for oversized luggage inside certain buses.
Overtourism causes more and more issues
Crowded buses and large luggage aren’t the only problems plaguing Japanese residents thanks to tourism.
Some businesses report struggling with rude customers, especially when staff can’t speak the customer’s native language. Other restaurants say they’re refusing service to customers who can’t speak Japanese in order to reduce friction.
Some tourists have also shown themselves incapable of following rules. The Gion geisha district in Kyoto has taken to fining trespassers who mill around the private streets where geisha and maiko, their apprentices, live.
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Luggage has also created a different sort of problem. Some hotels say tourists have a nasty habit of leaving their busted and broken luggage behind.
Despite all of this, Japan says it wants to boost tourism from 35 million visitors yearly now to 60 million a year by 2030. Given the current crop of problems, that’s going to require creating more infrastructure and support than currently exists. And I don’t doubt the country will experience some growing pains along the way.
Sources
【オーバーツーリズム】京都市バス“大量スーツケース”で市民乗れず SNS投稿の写真が物議 外国人観光客「タクシー高い」. FNN Prime Online
大荷物の外国人観光客、混雑緩和へ バスに専用スペース、実証実験. Mainichi Shimbun
「荷物小さく」訪日客らに呼びかけるべきか 「観光公害」に危機感. Asahi Shimbun
観光客の手荷物をコインロッカーからホテルに 実証実験始まる. NHK News Web
Enjoy the freedom and luxury of “Hands-Free” travel. Japan Travel official Web site
大型荷物預けて観光…京都で『手ぶら観光バス』実証運行開始 市バスの混雑緩和へ 背景に運転手不足も. ytv
AloJapan.com