Japan is welcoming more tourists than ever – and the problems it’s causing are making headlines. One musical artist in Japan has a solution: Return the country to the Edo Era.
Singer/songwriter GACKT posted a sizable rant to his X account on December 19th about how different countries have different rules and that “it’s natural that what’s acceptable in America isn’t acceptable in Japan.” The impetus for the post was a recent change to Japanese law that makes using, and not just possessing, marijuana a crime. Japan, he argued, is “moving in a different direction” than countries like the US, where several states have legalized marijuana use.
He further lamented that, “In the current state, Japanese people don’t understand what’s common sense in the world, and foreigners often don’t understand what constitutes common sense in Japan. Issuing tons of guidelines will just invite more problems.”
“I suppose one choice is to seal off the country [鎖国; sakoku] and do our own thing. Even though that’s next to impossible in this day and age.”
“By the way, I’m an advocate for isolationism. How about you?”
"Noah [at Unseen Japan] put together an itinerary that didn’t lock us in and we could travel at our own pace. In Tokyo, he guided us personally on a walking tour. Overall, he made our Japan trip an experience not to forget." - Kate and Simon S., Australia
GACKT received a lot of agreement (As you’d expect on X) from people who would be happy if every tourist and foreign resident was kicked out yesterday.
Others, however, pointed out that the star is one to talk, as he lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Okinawan-born musician is also a famous world traveler who speaks English, Mandarin, Korean, and French.
Japan’s so-called isolationist period lasted under the Tokugawa regime in Japan’s Edo era from 1639 to 1854. The policy didn’t cut Japan off from the world completely, as it continued to trade with the Dutch via ports such as the island of Dejima. Rather, it was a way for the Tokugawa shogunate to control the flow of goods and information in the country and retain its grip on power. It lasted until the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry on Japan’s shores in 1854.
While GACKT’s post is about Japan’s marijuana laws, it feeds into the current debate on overtourism, as the record influx of visitors leads to overcrowding and increasing instances of inbound travelers violating local customs.
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