With summer vacation just around the corner, many ‘Iolani students and faculty are looking to enjoy their time off in Japan, eager to experience its food, culture and world-famous cities. In recent years, Japan has seen a large influx of visitors, with almost 43 million tourists visiting the country in the last year alone. The popularization of Japanese culture, coupled with the relative affordability of goods and services due to the declining strength of the Yen has put Japan at the top of many tourists’ bucket lists. This wave of enthusiasm, however, has not been without its pitfalls, putting a strain on local resources, driving up prices and reshaping daily life for the country’s 122 million residents.
Locals have begun avoiding popular cultural sites, shopping districts and even certain neighborhoods that have become dominated by tourists. The problem is especially pronounced in Japan’s former capital city, Kyoto. Amongst both Japanese residents and visitors alike, Kyoto is lauded as a place of cultural significance. Beginning in 2024, for example, Kyoto introduced a ban prohibiting visitors from entering the Gion district, an area frequented by traditional entertainers known as geiko and maiko, after visitors became invasive of the performers’ space. For Japanese residents, the influx of tourists is making it difficult to access and engage with their own cultural and historical places.
For many residents, the rapid increase in visitors has also disrupted everyday life. As Japanese teacher Chiharu Iwamoto explained, “many young people these days leave Kyoto because it’s hard to live there now.” Public transportation, for example, has become slower and more crowded, making daily commutes difficult for the country’s residents. Iwamoto Sensei said, “There’s so many tourists that they [locals] cannot take the bus because it is so crowded. It’s normal to miss two or three buses.”
While tourism has boosted economic growth, it has also contributed to rising costs for everyday goods and services. Tourism has increased Japan’s GDP by an estimated 7.5%, providing revenue for businesses, hotels and transportation networks. At the same time, it has fueled inflation, making essential goods and services more expensive for Japanese residents. Increased demand for food, retail goods and services, has contributed to a rise in prices in recent years. “There’s a lot more demand overall for food and shopping that’s driving up the demand overall in the country,” said AP Economics teacher Kit-U Wong. “So that drives up inflation for everyone involved, including the local people.” For residents whose wages have not risen at the same pace, these changes are making everyday expenses more difficult to manage.
In response to rising demand, some businesses have begun implementing different pricing for tourists and local customers. On Jan. 7, TV Asahi News aired a feature on a ramen shop in Osaka that had started varying its prices depending on whether customers used a Japanese or English menu to order. The owner, Yusuke Arai, explained that those using the English menu would be receiving larger portions, with a broth and toppings that were catered towards the taste of foreigners. The move has sparked controversy, raising questions about fairness and cultural authenticity. Iwamoto Sensei raised concerns over these practices, arguing that foreign visitors should experience Japanese culture as it is, rather than through modified versions designed to suit outside preferences.
She also opposed broader discussions about similar dual pricing initiatives at cultural sites, such as temples or shrines. While Japan remains a largely homogeneous country, she argues, it is not always possible to distinguish between tourists and locals based on appearance alone. Instead, Iwamoto Sensei is a proponent of measures similar to Hawai‘i’s kama‘āina discount, where all visitors pay a standard fee, but locals can show an ID to receive a discount.
In order to strike a better balance between tourists and quality of life for residents, the Japanese government has begun exploring potential solutions. These include implementing lodging taxes in cities like Kyoto, and reducing tax-free shopping options for visitors, both of which aim to manage tourist spending and volumes. As Ms. Wong said, these initiatives will certainly not prevent tourists from visiting altogether, but they “could dissuade those of lower income from visiting Japan, right, or continuously visiting Japan, at least. They could visit once, but not continuously go.”
Another alternative that the government is promoting is the redistribution of tourism across the country. Most visitors are concentrated in the country’s 5 major prefectures: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido and Fukuoka. These destinations, popular for their cultural landmarks and accessibility, have become focal points for international travel. Rather than discouraging visitors from coming altogether, the officials are encouraging visitors to explore outside of the popular tourist spots. Japan Airlines, for example, offers free domestic flights for those arriving in Japan via international flights. By encouraging tourists to explore beyond major cities, officials hope to spread the economic benefits of tourism more evenly across the country, while reducing the strain on the most popular destinations. A large part of convincing tourists to venture outside of major cities is making things seem more accessible to non-Japanese speaking visitors. As Ms. Wong explained, “Maybe if there are tours that make it easy to go there, instead of having people plan on their own, for example. For places that they’re [tourists] not as familiar with, it’d be harder to plan an itinerary, and could be intimidating.”
As members of the ‘Iolani community and travelers from all around the world set their sights on Japan, the country faces the ongoing challenge of balancing its growing popularity with the needs of its residents. While tourism offers clear economic benefits, its long-term sustainability will depend on how well Japan can manage its growing appeal without compromising the lives of residents at home.
