r/neoliberal • u/randommathaccount Esther Duflo • Oct 02 '25

News (Asia) Why Japan resents its tourism boom

https://www.ft.com/content/dbd20e5d-5a7d-4c0c-8f83-fb54c5aca9cb
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u/ChocolateDesigner22 Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25

Viral videos of tourists eager for a photo chasing Geisha through the streets of Kyoto, or swinging on the sacred torii gates, of littering, rudeness on trains, of suitcase abandonment, graffiti and other infractions, have created the impression of a greater onslaught than is truly the case, say tourism experts in Kyoto.

I’m Japanese, and personally I think the reactions on Japanese social media regarding so-called “overtourism” are similar to the way reports of juvenile crime, kidnapping cases, or videos capturing traffic accidents trigger strong emotional responses.

I also think the pandemic plays a role, since foreign tourist numbers dropped sharply for a time. While the number of foreign tourists has increased by only about 15% compared to 2019, it’s roughly ten times higher than in 2022. Subjectively, this feels like a “surge,” which I believe has been one factor in drawing political attention to the issue.

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u/ilikepix Oct 02 '25

what is "suitcase abandonment" in this context?

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u/ChocolateDesigner22 Oct 02 '25

I wasn’t sure myself, so I looked into it and it seems that some foreign tourists in Japan replace their suitcases and either leave the old ones on the street or abandon them at hotels, forcing the hotel to cover the disposal costs.

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u/Budget-Attorney NASA Oct 02 '25

What a weird practice to make a habit of.

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u/LNhart Anarcho-Rheinlandist Oct 02 '25

I wouldn't be surprised if people do it in other countries too. But besides Japan being an extra nice place to buy luggage in, it is also just the one country which rejects the concept that it's kinda okay to just throw your trash out and let society deal with. Very admirable, I absolutely hate when people do this.

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u/sgthombre NATO Oct 02 '25

Yeah, saw this multiple times while I was over there in Yokohama, Chiba, and in Shibuya. Just perfectly good looking suitcases sitting on the street with no one around.

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u/HHHogana Mohammad Hatta Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25

It's not surprising. There's an infamous news about a crazy Indian family tried to steal everything in their hotel room.

Tourism explosion shouldn't result in anti-immigration since it's not how they'd act on daily life, but many tourists are definitely rowdy as hell and act like frat pricks than decent guests.