Japan is seeing a booming tourist business — this spring, tourism numbers blossomed to a record 3 million visitors just in March. Japan’s decades-low Yen and world-famous, ultra-courteous people are contributing greatly to the surge in tourism. However, the Japanese people’s patience has been wearing thin.
The tremendous surge in tourist numbers has brought infrastructure challenges, primarily because tourists to Japan tend to stick to key, well-known areas. In a desperate effort to manage the problem, new tourism restrictions are popping up to counter the overwhelming tourist numbers.
Recent changes made to accessing Mount Fuji are an example. New caps have been placed on the number of visitors permitted to access the mountain, and new fees have been applied to redirect tourists to the lesser-used routes. Calls for these types of fee-strategy initiatives pop up in Japan’s hardest-hit tourism areas as they attempt to deal with the record numbers of visitors.
In a recent initiative, Japan is exploring ways to encourage eco-tourism instead of fee-for-use strategies. It hopes to direct tourists away from the most popular areas and encourage visitors to see some less-typical destinations.
Demographic Shift Contributes to Tourism Industry Changes
Japan’s aging population leaves many smaller towns desperately seeking the cash flow that tourism can generate. In response, the Japan Tourist Agency (JTA) works to direct tourists off-path. Their solution, called the “New Tourism Promotion Basic Plan,” designates key areas as model tourist destinations, hoping to draw tourists to areas.
JTA-promoted cities include 11 locations across Japan, stretching from Hokkaido’s Shiretoko National Park to far-flung regions of traditional Ryukyu culture in Okinawa Prefecture. Included is Nagano, where tourists can view 30 of Japan’s highest peaks and observe Jigokudani Monkey Park’s dense population of Japanese snow monkeys. JTA also highlights Lake Suwa, a site known for sake tastings, centuries-old shrines, and accessible public transportation conveniently connecting visitors to Tokyo.
Many in the private sector also work to draw tourists away from the country’s most popular sites. In an interview with The Japan Times, former senior managing director of Japanese travel agency H.I.S Kazumasa Namekata says, “The resumption of travel post-pandemic does not have to mean a return to the status quo. Consequently, a need arose to educate travelers to adopt a more sustainable approach to travel.”
Namekata advocates for tourists to support small-scale businesses deeply ingrained in local communities. He is just one of a growing number of Japanese business owners encouraging tourists to explore lesser-known destinations instead of sticking only to the most well-known sites.
With the hope of steering visitors away from Japan’s most visited sites, tourism experts like Namekata advocate for more public transportation use and promote more sustainable tourist accommodations. They aim to lessen tourists’ burden on popular sites such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka and share tourism spending with struggling rural areas.
Remote Locations’ Robust Rental Property Market
The tourism tide shifts in Japan as its trademark tourist destinations become harder to access while plugging lesser-traveled destinations. Declining populations in Japan’s more remote communities drive a surplus of rural-area vacant properties, many of which are now rental units. Nearly 4.5 million rural homes are available for rent, creating unprecedented short-term or long-term vacation rental opportunities.
Property rental company Airbnb wants to pair with local governments to bring more of these rural abandoned homes, or akiyas, online. Though the cost of restoring these properties to their former glory is intimidating, potential earnings from vacation or long-term rental outweigh investors’ apprehension. These remodeled akiyas mean one thing for visitors to Japan: more vacation rental options in the country’s rural locales.
Japan’s Public Transportation and Roadways Redirect Visitors
One part of promoting off-path destinations to tourists is ensuring suitable road and transit infrastructure. Already having one of the world’s most efficient transit and road systems means Japan is on track to attract tourists to lesser-known destinations.
Japan’s proven rail system, bus, road, and ferry options combine to make a highly efficient public transit system. Available guides for tourists make it easier to navigate Japan’s rail system. Visitors can rely on robust rental car options at the railway’s end, and road travel guides that direct drivers through the country’s reliable infrastructure.
