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Tag - overtourism

 
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August 11, 2026
 

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OVERTOURISM

Tourists take photographs of Japanese macaques, commonly referred to as "snow monkeys," taking an open-air hot spring bath at the Jigokudani Monkey Park in the town of Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, in February last year.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2026
Japan ¡®snow monkey¡¯ park to cap visitors after overcrowding and bad behavior
As the number of tourists snowballed, so did instances of bad behavior, such as trying to feed or touch the monkeys.
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2026
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
The move comes amid complaints of lodgers partying at night, ignoring trash rules, and leaving cigarette butts on the streets.
Tourists in Nara Park in March
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 7, 2026
Benefits for foreign tourists spark debate in Japan
Some facilities stopped offering discounts amid criticism of preferential treatment for foreigners.
Tourists relax along Patong Beach on the southern Thai island of Phuket in 2024. Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 20, 2026
Thailand cuts visa-free stays, citing crime by foreigners
Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation¡¯s economy, but foreign arrivals have yet to return to their pre-COVID highs.
Johnny Somali received a prison sentence of six months with 20 days detention after repeated acts of disturbing the public in South Korea.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 15, 2026
¡®Nuisance streamer¡¯ Johnny Somali sentenced to six months in prison
The 25-year-old American influencer received a prison sentence from a South Korean court for repeated acts of disturbing the public.
Visitors in the Dotonbori area in Osaka
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2026
Japan adopts new target for regions to address overtourism
The target is intended to strengthen measures by utilizing revenue from the nation¡¯s departure tax, which is set to increase.
A city bus in Kyoto. The city announced in February its plan to introduce dual pricing for municipal bus fares in the city center.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Japan Tourism Agency to launch panel on dual pricing targeting outsiders
Some municipalities have already introduced such systems in response to a surge in the number of inbound visitors to Japan.
Arrivals from China shrank 61% in January from a year earlier, the Japan National Tourism Organization said on Wednesday, citing a shift in the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday and warnings against travel to Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2026
Chinese tourist decline fuels first drop in visitors to Japan since pandemic
Arrivals from China shrank 61% in January from a year earlier, compared with a 45% decline in December, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
The woman behind the Lost Filipina blog says typical social media fame interests her much less than the hikes she continues to map out.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 16, 2026
Off the beaten feed: Comprehensive site steers hikers in Japan past social media noise
English-language guides to hiking Â鶹´«Ã½ many mountains can be scarce, but one Filipina resident has taken it upon herself to map out the country¡¯s many trails.
Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture is pictured crowded with inbound tourists in June 2025.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
Japan to subsidize measures to ease airport congestion
The transport ministry is considering subsidizing costs for expanding passenger walkways at airports and increasing baggage conveyor belts
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with its view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossom trees and a five-story pagoda, may still see a spike in visitors in spring even with the cancellation of a cherry blossom festival in the city.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2026
Mount Fuji cherry blossom festival canceled due to overtourism
The city of Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, said ¡°the quiet lives of local residents are threatened.¡±
Ski fields in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, which rose to national prominence during Â鶹´«Ã½ 1980s and early 1990s ski boom and hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics, remain central to the village¡¯s winter economy.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 2, 2026
In Hakuba, getting the tourism balance right
As tourism surges, a ski town in Nagano Prefecture weighs economic revival against rising costs, crowds and cultural clashes.
Japan saw more tourists last year than ever ¡ª and a new report suggests its popularity among travelers is only going to grow.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 24, 2026
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world¡¯s top destination
According to travel planning outlet World Travel Index, the weak yen is a major factor in Â鶹´«Ã½ enduring popularity with global tourists.
The Japan Tourism Agency aims to disperse inbound tourists through regional tourism promotion and curb overtourism in major cities.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2025
Japan eyes intensive aid to promote regional tourism
With the program, the agency aims to disperse inbound tourists through regional tourism promotion and curb overtourism in major cities.
A poster put up in Tokyo's Chuo Ward asks tour operators to refrain from guiding tourists to the Tsukiji Outer Market toward the end of the year to avoid overcrowding.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 15, 2025
Tsukiji market urges tourists to avoid visiting at year-end to ease congestion
The Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai tourist facility, meanwhile, welcomes tourists throughout the year-end and New Year holiday season.
A plane takes off from Haneda Airport.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2025
Japan may triple departure tax to tackle overtourism
The specific size of the increase will be discussed during fiscal 2026 tax system reform talks at the end of the year.
A maiko walks down a street crowded with tourists in Kyoto. Challenges that come with a massive influx of overseas visitors and foreign nationals buying up real estate are just some of the immigration problems that have become hot-button political issues in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 11, 2025
Government and bad actors are at the root of the foreign national issue
Japan has experienced an explosive increase in overseas tourists since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, and its global appeal as a travel destination has grown.
Tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko holds a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2025
New tourism minister calls concentration of tourists in certain areas ¡®very serious¡¯
New Japanese tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko has voiced concerns about overtourism and the negative impact on the country from the large influx of foreign tourists.
Property developer I Wajan Dibawa at the site of collapsed properties after recent flooding in Mengwi, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, on Oct. 1
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Oct 21, 2025
Bali grapples with flood reckoning as overdevelopment and waste take toll
The island¡¯s south has been transformed by a tourism boom that brought jobs and economic benefits, but also paved over and built on greenery that once provided drainage.
Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Linda Joyce moved to rural Tochigi Prefecture in 2024 for a career shift from teaching to hospitality and sustainable tourism.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 25, 2025
Linda Joyce: ¡®We hope people recognize the benefits of exploring rural areas¡¯
Former teacher Linda Joyce shifted careers to the tourism industry in 2024 and now works at a historic property in rural Tochigi Prefecture.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
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Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
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