Last Updated: Jan 12, 2025

Empty Japan

Is There Really an Overtourism Problem

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

The topic of today’s article is one that has recently emerged from the zeitgeist of the online world. You see, as I was pondering where to write about for this week’s article, I happened to see a notification on Threads about a reply I made to a post on overtourism in Japan the other day. Assuming you haven’t been living under a rock for the past year or so, you’ve likely heard all about the ill side effects caused by the massive spike in visitors and how cities like Kyoto are struggling to meet the demand. It’s gotten so bad now that even the overseas travelers themselves are starting to complain. Or… has it?

To be blunt, while the news headlines may make it look as if Japan is drowning in a deluge of international tourists, spurred on by the continually weak yen, the reality is quite different. As many on social media have astutely pointed out, Japan doesn’t actually have an overtourism problem. Instead, only a handful of select places in the whole country have fallen victim to the hordes, and even then, the worst of it is largely limited just to mainstream attractions like Asakusa’s Senso-ji. As you’ll find if you venture just a few steps off the beaten path, much of Japan is still surprisingly empty.