Japan is extremely popular with tourists: city officials close streets, Mount Fuji is shielded

This year, Japan expects 33.1 million foreign visitors, breaking the last record set before the Covid crisis (2019). Most tourists come from South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. The US and Europe follow at a distance. The foreign visitors are mainly lured, observers say, by the weak yen, the Japanese currency. As a travel destination, the country has enjoyed an excellent reputation for decades thanks to beautiful natural beauty, refined aesthetics, ultra-fresh food, safety and efficient public transport, but Japan was also seen as very expensive. That image has now disappeared, Japan is 25 percent cheaper than before Covid.

Just as the Dutch capital Amsterdam suffers from TikTok queues in front of a pricey stroopwafel shop, for example, the town of Fujikawaguchiko suffers from tourists posing in front of the Lawson mini-supermarket. According to many social media users, the location of this – originally American – chain of convenience stores is typically Japanese and, in combination with the photogenic volcano, creates an iconic picture. Anyone who wants to see themselves in the picture, casually sipping a take-away coffee, will have to stand somewhere on a public road. “It’s a shame, but some tourists don’t respect the rules,” an official told French news agency AFP. According to him, the deployment of signs and guards had no effect. A screen of 20 meters in length and 2.5 meters in height should discourage visitors until further notice.

Torn kimono

In Kyoto, tourists in rented kimonos want a selfie with a geisha; the carefully made-up ladies in delicate kimonos who are on their way to an appointment after years of training in music and conversation. Signs not to harass or grab the geishas have not helped. A geisha complained to a Japanese newspaper that her kimono had been torn by a pushy tourist. Partly for this reason, the city council decided to close the narrow alleys in the Gion district to tourists.

The Japanese tourist office is happy with the return of tourists, the numbers are higher than expected. But more than 70 percent of foreign tourists do not go further than a city trip to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto. What also plays a role: many more Japanese are staying at home this year. Due to the weak yen, they prefer to postpone a trip to Thailand or Europe. With special advertising campaigns in countries such as Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea, the tourist office tries to convince visitors to visit the Japanese countryside. According to the traffic office, there is still a lot of space there and autumn, for example, offers an impressive display of colors.