Fujiyoshida, Japan — The trouble started with a beautiful photo.
Social media was soon filled with breathtaking views of snow-clad Japan Mount Fuji looming over a red pagoda and short life cherry blossoms Which informs the arrival of spring season.
Tourists seeking similar excursions soon surrounded this peaceful town situated at the foot of the mountains. Complaints were not far behind: long-term traffic jams; Garbage heaps; Rude foreigners knocking on the doors of private homes to borrow toilets; Tourists relieving themselves in the front courtyard.
Matters got so bad that officials in Fujiyoshida announced in February that they were canceling this year’s annual cherry blossom festival, which began a decade ago as a way to boost tourism.
What locals are calling “tourism pollution” has exposed a broader problem for Japan: As the country’s economic malaise deepens, officials are eager to economically promote increased tourism, even as local communities find themselves completely unprepared for what a small army of foreign visitors could mean for their communities.
“This area is primarily an ordinary residential neighborhood, where it has been difficult to balance (tourism) with the safety of people’s living environment,” Masatoshi Hada, manager of the Fujiyashida Economics and Environment Department, told The Associated Press. “We decided not to promote a festival that would invite more visitors.”
Even without the festival, foreign tourists would pack the area on a sunny day in early April cherry blossoms Reached its peak. The narrow streets leading to the popular Arakurayama Sengen Park were packed as visitors lined up for the chance to film the world-famous panoramic views.
In recent years, the number of foreign tourists in the area has exceeded 10,000 per day, which has “endangered the daily lives of residents”, the city said in a statement in February.
Overtourism has also been seen in other popular destinations in Japan, such as Kyoto and Kamakura. In Kyoto, locals complain that tourists with large suitcases clog city buses.
The “tourism pollution” comes as Japan faces a rapidly growing influx of foreign workers brought in as the country’s population shrinks and ages. The combination is led xenophobiaand prime minister Sanae Takaichi The nationalist government of the United States has proposed strict rules on foreigners.
Even as it promises to address overtourism concerns, the government wants to increase the current level of tourist arrivals from 40 million to 60 million by 2030.
Starting April 1, the beginning of the area’s cherry blossom season, Fujiyashida increased his security guards and restricted the entry of tour buses and vehicles to the scenic neighborhood, requiring visitors to access the park on foot.
On a recent day, security guard Hiroki Nagayama motioned to passersby to stay away from busy areas. He asked tourists to throw cigarette butts at designated places and tried to help the lost people.
“I’m struggling. I can’t communicate with them in Japanese. Some people buy food at the stalls and leave garbage,” says Nagayama. “I think what’s happening here is a typical example of overtourism.”
Sitting on a bench a short distance from his home, Hitoshi Mori, 93, says having so many visitors is “good but annoying.”
“It’s so crowded outside so I can only do groceries once a week and stock up on food,” he says.
Meanwhile, tourists are overjoyed at the spectacular sight, despite numerous signs appearing to order them to behave better. There are also hours long queues to reach the attractive tourist places.
“It’s very (well) organized. When they let you in, you had five minutes to take as many pictures as possible, and it was amazing,” said Lisa Goedert from Paris.
Vicky Tran, who came with her family and friends from Melbourne, Australia, said they couldn’t go all the way up to see Mount Fuji and the Cherry Blossom Pagoda because it was so crowded. Still, she said she enjoyed the view and the neighborhood.
Overtourism has opened up a divide between residents who want peace and those who have started businesses using their yards to operate toll parking or set up new shops or food stalls.
A nearby shopping arcade, where several shuttered mom-and-pop shops once stood, has seen a boom in business after another viral social media shot showed Mount Fuji looming over the street.
Crowds of tourists line the road to take photographs of Mount Fuji, often blocking traffic with vehicles honking their horns.
“For people like us who are used to a quiet suburban lifestyle,” says Masami Nakamura, who runs a decades-old school uniform shop with her husband, “the sudden influx of visitors is a big change.” “I just hope that tourists respect our rules and etiquette.”
Crowding is also a big change for those looking to see an increase in business.
“I once almost hit a tourist who jumped across the road without looking,” said Kyoko Funakubo, a 60-year-old employee of a local hotel and part-time vendor selling Fuji-themed souvenirs. “This place had become almost deserted, with many shops closed. But now, with many shops reopened or new shops opening, I feel good to see the area coming back to life.”
