More people are traveling to Japan than ever. But it’s still not enough, says Japan’s government. The current government of Kishida Fumio aims to welcome 60 million visitors by 2030.
The question is: can it actually handle that many visitors? Here’s how Japan is planning to expand its carrying capacity in the next six years – and how you as a tourist to Japan can help with issues related to overtourism.
Even 35 million is straining the country
Japan has been piling on visitors post-health crisis at an amazing rate. Earlier this year (2024), it exceeded three million tourists a month for the first time in history.
This pace hasn’t abetted, either. Current estimates from the government’s Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) say the country welcomed 17,277,200 visitors between January and June 2024. It’s currently on track to log 35 million visitors by the end of the year.
Sadly, with more tourists come more problems. We’ve cataloged a number of these on Unseen Japan.
Some of these issues are structural or capacity issues. For example, a lack of available taxis has led to a cottage industry of illegal taxi services. Local buses are so packed with tourists that some cities, such as Kyoto, have launched buses dedicated to serving travelers. Officials in Yamanashi Prefecture have implemented a reservation system for climbing Mt. Fuji to counter over-crowding on the trails during the summer hiking season.
Other issues are cultural. Japanese restaurants report struggling to serve tourists who don’t speak Japanese – and who get irate when their staff can’t speak English well. Some restaurants say they flat-out refuse to serve tourists who can’t speak Japanese. While many say they can’t hire enough English-speaking staff, others are worried that hosting non-residents will “change the atmosphere” of their stores.
The 60 million goal
These issues, however, aren’t stopping Japan’s government. In November 2023, outgoing Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told reporters his government wanted to welcome 60 million tourists a year by 2030. That’s 25 million more than the country is estimated to welcome by EOY.
Kishida said he wanted to pursue these goals while also tackling issues related to overtourism. He also acknowledged Japan will need to address the country’s chronic labor shortage. The nation’s declining and aging population means it’s had to expand immigration laws to allow more foreign workers. We’ve written before about how more convenience stores are employing foreign exchange students to staff stores.
More tourists may mean more problems – but it also means more money. The government estimates that welcoming 60 million tourists yearly will expand tourism revenue to ๏ฟฅ15.6T (USD $106B) a year.
Easy as ESTA
So what’s the Japanese government doing to welcome an additional 25 million tourists in the next six years?
One major step is implementing an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Japan’s new ESTA program, JESTA, which will go into effect in 2030, is modeled after a similar program in the United States.
Once passed, up to 60 million inbound visitors can file electronically for a pre-authorized travel visa. Suspicious or blacklisted individuals will be forbidden from even boarding a plane. However, approved entrants can enter the country simply by scanning their passports at a port of entry.
Japan announced its intention to implement JESTA earlier this year. This month, the Ministry of Justice officially requested a budget for the project.
JTA is also looking at ways to eliminate or reduce congestion as visitors travel throughout the country. It recently selected 32 companies to develop new services ranging from digital signage to off-airport check-in and luggage deposit. Other companies are developing plans for installing more garbage cans in key areas – an innovation that Japan could definitely use.
Additionally, many prefectures and cities throughout Japan are implementing strategies to
Diffusing the visitors?
One strategy often floated – both in social media and in government circles – is to spread tourists out better. The majority of tourists to Japan visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto as part of their journeys.
To be sure, there’s so much more to Japan than just the big three cities and the usual inbound tourist locations. We encourage spreading your wings and exploring places like Morioka, Kanazawa, Izumo, and elsewhere. However, “tourism offloading” isn’t a viable long-term overtourism strategy.
The primary driver of tourism to a specific location is popularity – especially discussion on social media. People want to go to see the sights and have the experiences they see on Instagram or in news articles.
Tourists also tend to flock to the destinations that are easy to get to. In the case of Japan’s three major cities, that means the cities with international airports. Finally, large cities and popular tourist destinations are easier to navigate for tourists who don’t speak conversational Japanese.
How you can help
People are going to continue to come to Japan. And they’re going to largely visit the places that people are visiting now. This raises the question: What can you, as a tourist to Japan, do to help relieve the burden of overtourism?
The advice I give people is to remember that you’re a guest in Japan. Being a respectful guest means following local rules and customs, just as you would if you were a guest in someone’s house. In Japan, this means following a few simple rules that might not apply in your home country, such as not eating while walking, as well as keeping the volume of your voice low inside stores, trains, and restaurants.
In terms of planning your trip, try and avoid off-season trips. The Japan National Tourism Organization suggests avoiding extremely busy travel times, such as New Years, Golden Week, and the summer Obon holidays. Try to time the bulk of your visits to extremely popular locations during non-holiday weekdays to avoid the crush caused by mixing with city residents and domestic tourists.
More and more cultural sites, like Mt. Fuji, will likely implement reservation systems to alleviate overtourism. Check the official Web site for your intended destinations instead of going in blind.
Mind the signs
Additionally, be attentive to and follow directions around traffic flow in areas such as train stations. Heed any posted signs warning if specific areas are off-limits (e.g., certain corridors in Gion, Kyoto’s geisha district). Check to see if it’s okay to take photos at certain sites – such as Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and even certain figure shops in Akihabara – before whipping out your phone. (If in doubt, ask!)
You can also hire a tour guide to create an itinerary that takes you off the beaten path to less-touristed locations. An experienced guide can introduce you to hidden gems even in major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Contact Unseen Japan Tours and ask us about creating a custom tour with guided interpretation for you today.
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1๏ฝ6ๆใฎ่จชๆฅๅคๅฝไบบๅฎขใ้ๅปๆๅคใๅนด้ใง3500ไธไบบใ่ฆ้. Asahi Shimbun
่จชๆฅ6000ไธไบบใซๆๆฌฒใๅฒธ็ฐ้ฆ็ธใๆ็ถๅฏ่ฝใช่ฆณๅ ้่ฆ. Kanko Keizai Shimbun
ๆฟๅบใๆฅๆฌ็ESTAๅฐๅ ฅใธใ30ๅนดใพใงใซ้ๅงใๅๆปใชๅ ฅๅฝใไธๆณๆปๅจ้ฒๆญขใซ. Travel Journal Online
ใชใผใใผใใผใชใบใ ๆๅถใธๆฐ่ฆ32ไบๆฅญใ่ฆณๅ ๅบใๆกๆใๆทท้ใฎๅฏ่ฆๅใชใฉ. Travel Journal Online
ใชใผใใผใใผใชใบใ ใจใฏ๏ผใๅๅ ใๅฝฑ้ฟใๅ้ก็นใๅฏพ็ญใๅ ทไฝไพไปใใง่งฃ่ชฌ. Asahi Shimbun
