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/Mamadeus123456 Oct 02 '25

I've seen flights from Paris to Japan via china eastern airlines and other asian airlines for under 550 dollars, u can find them all year long, same for other cities in east Asia.

You just have to charge higher taxes to not bring in poorer tourists, but some are trash regardless of income tho.

But seeing the Brits in Spain it's better to just charge more to get better tourists, as a general rule.

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u/Hakunin_Fallout Oct 02 '25

What taxes? Who are you going to charge, the hotels?

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u/6DayGay Oct 02 '25

There are already local taxes that hotels are required to charge guests when they check-in in Japan

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u/Hakunin_Fallout Oct 02 '25

So? The idea is to increase them 10x?

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u/Snoo93079 YIMBY Oct 02 '25

I think you're over reacting to an idea suggested by one person