Has Japan gotten worse for foreign tourists in the last 10 years? (Brutally Honest Thoughts)
For over 30 years, I’ve lived in Japan and worked as a tour guide and YouTuber, diving into Japan’s culture, daily life, and tourism trends for foreigners. Plus, I’ve spent two years working in the U.S. and have traveled to 75 countries. So, with this experience, I can really look at Japan through a traveler’s eyes and make comparisons to other countries.
In the last decade, the number of visitors to Japan has nearly tripled. But here’s the big question: has Japan actually gotten better or worse for foreign tourists over these 10 years? In this video, I’ll give you a brutally honest answer based on my experiences and insights.
I’ll break down five ways Japan has improved and five areas where things might have gotten more challenging. These are the things that will directly impact your travel experience, so it’s worth knowing what to expect. And at the end, I’ll also share my thoughts on where I see Japan’s tourism future heading for foreign visitors.
By watching this video, you’ll get a clear picture of Japan’s highs and lows for tourists today, along with tips to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. So, stay tuned and let’s dive in!
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⭐️CHAPTERS⭐️
0:00 Opening
1:44 **5 Good Points**
1:46 1.More Activities for Foreign Tourists
2:59 2.More Multicultural Dining Options
4:10 3.Improved Tourist Information for Foreign Visitors
5:23 4.Japan is Cheaper than Before
6:26 5.More Stay Options
7:27 **5 Bad Points**
7:30 6.Overcrowding in Japan’s Tourist Hotspots
8:28 7.Tourist Behavior Issues
9:34 8.Japan’s Traditional Culture is at Risk
10:43 9.New Tourism Taxes & Foreigner Price
12:57 10.Climate Change is Altering Japan’s Seasons & Events
13:58 11.Conclusion & Advice
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16 Comments
Hello Toshi ! Warm wishes ❣
Greetings our favorite tour guide!
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Share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
Japan has not gotten worse. Tourists have.
I was just there once recently but I loved every bit of it my best vacation so far 🙂
Even though the weak yen makes it affordable I really wish for it to become stronger for the sake of Japanese people.
For the bad points I have to say that this seems more like problems tourists bring with them or we as humans in general cause, so nothing Japanese people are fully in control off, when I travel to a country I try my best to get to know it and spoken languages a bit out of respect for locals. Yes it definitely takes a lot of work because you have to figure out what advice is legit or just misinformation for clout.
Overall I loved my trip to Japan would be happy to visit again and wish the best for the Japanese people.
Thank you for your channel and your constant delivery of updates 🙏🏻
foreign tourists has gotten worse for japan in the last 10 years
On point 9 – it's sad, that many people say "YEN is dropping, so tourists find things super affordable". And yet in the last few months YEN to PLN (Poland's currency) conversion rate changed by about 8% in favour of YEN. On top of that we had a period of super high inflation recently (over 25% in just 2 years) and a median salary in Poland is much lower than in Japan. On top of that, costs of hotel accomodation and transport in Japan are much higher than in Poland, so it is pricey in comparison. While Japan may not be as expensive as e.g. France or USA, it isn't a cheap vacation to go there, even if you get a reaction of "oh, it's less expensive than I thought it would be", it doesn't mean it's cheap. Thus, whenever I hear, that there should be a higher price for tourists, it really makes me angry – not every tourist is earning in $$$ and not everybody comes to Japan with loads of cash to spend. I guess it might be a good way to discourage some poorer visitors from coming and fighting overtourism this way, but in the end it seems to be mostly well-off people and so called "social media celebrities" that really cause problems (like the cases of some streamer breaking the law for "content" and a rich kid craving his name on a shrine gate).
Also on point 2 – I don't exactly see it as such a good thing – one of the perks of traveling to new places is fiding more about new cultures, local cuisine being an important part of it. Traveling thousands of km to eat the very same thing you would at home? Seems like a total waste.
— "Vegan, vegetarian and Halal options…" Which are dietary choices.
But not medical/allergy free options which are non-negotiable as in some cases, people can die from eating the wrong food.
Eating in Japan is a minefield.
— Rising costs do not mean more choices on activities, shinkansen, or hotels. It means there are fewer choices. Could I afford any of those fish bowls at Tsukiji market? No. It's just another example of greedy people trying to fleece visitors.
– Traditional festivals are adjusting by permitting foreigners and women to take part in areas they normally were not. This is a win in the long term.
– I believe that there is a moral difference between fees for views/places and charges for food/water. Food and water are necessities of life and to overcharge is morally dubious. Water should be free IMHO, especially if it is from the tap!
I just got back from Japan a few weeks ago. Definitely the tourists are a problem. All the local people were very nice to us. You give respect you get respect. I tried to learn some Japanese and it seemed to me that Japanese people appreciated us trying to speak the language. Along with learning customs and showing respect to everyone we talked to. Tokyo was definitely busier than I originally thought. Okinawa was amazing – a very relaxing area. I want to plan my next trip there! This time exploring other areas. Thank you Toshi. Your videos are on point. Next time I would want to have you as a tour guide!
Hi Toshi thanks as always for your video honestly I don't agree with making different rates for tourists I know that other countries do it as you mentioned but I still find it wrong it could happen that some less "rich" tourists will be forced to avoid some attractions.
Pls. Pls. Maitain your tradition and culture. Do not allow tourist to DESTROY it, that is your BEAUTY and TRADEMARK and the reason why tourist visit Japan.👌👍👍
you got your title completely wrong , it's "Dumb Obnoxious Entitled Foreign Tourists Are Ruining Japan"
Thanks for the breakdown! A bit off-topic, but I wanted to ask: I have a SafePal wallet with USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). How should I go about transferring them to Binance?
Toshi is an AMAZING tour guide, hands down, the best time I had in Tokyo, Japan in July was with Toshi as my guide and Japanese friend. I was taken to hidden gems, exciting arcades, temples of interest, food that I wanted to try, places with no tourists! He helped my dreams come true and he will help you with your dream destination!
75 countries??? bro you got me beat by 5x
11:54 did not understand, did you mean yoshinoya is more expensive to tourists than to locals?