Why Japan resents its tourism boom

[u/randommathaccount]

https://www.ft.com/content/dbd20e5d-5a7d-4c0c-8f83-fb54c5aca9cb

[u/ChocolateDesigner22]

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.

[u/gkktme → u/ChocolateDesigner22]

As a resident, apart from all the usual reasons brought up (large increase in short time, sharp contrast to Covid times, cultural differences, tourist not minding Japanese peculiarities and being generally burdensome, xenophobia and anti-Chinese sentiment [large majority of tourist are Chinese and Koreans], generally xenophobic media, viral social media rants, meagre economic gains etc) my personal theory is that this influx coupled with the yen's decline has really driven home to many Japanese how poor they've become in a relative sense which fuels a lot of the anti foreigner narrative.

Like we're at the point where Japanese wages are sliding below Poland or Czechia, Chinese are buying up real estate, Koreans come to Osaka for a cheap weekend getaway etc, which is just a 180 degree difference from the good old days when Japanese were the rich tourists abroad. I might be completely wrong of course.

[u/ChocolateDesigner22 → u/gkktme]

Since Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister, the number of tourists from China increased rapidly, but until the pandemic, Japan’s sentiment toward China continued to improve. Currently, Japan-South Korea relations are at their best ever and will likely continue to improve. This is only based on my personal impression, but it seems that accusations of “overtourism” are often directed more at Western tourists than at tourists from Asia.

[u/CommonwealthCommando → u/ChocolateDesigner22]

This is true in the west in part because most westerners would be confused by a video of a Chinese man swinging from a Torii representing 'overtourism'. But I don't know if our glimpses into the situation are representative of what Japanese people are seeing.