Until recently, Japan didn’t have much of an influx of foreign tourists. Now, it does, and with that comes problems.
For much of the 20th and 21st century, foreign tourism in Japan didn’t really exist. Now, with the rise of Japan’s neighbors in Asia, the country has seen an influx of travelers like never before. In 2018, a record number of 32 million foreign tourists visited Japan, with over fifty percent from mainland China and South Korea. In comparison, less than 5 million foreign tourists visited in 2001. In 1970 there were only 854,000.
This sudden spike has caused growing pains, such as overcrowding and hotel shortages, and conflicts caused by cultural differences over things like smoking and garbage.
However, foreign tourists also spent a record $40.1 billion in Japan last year, which is four times the amount spent in 2012. As TV host Beat Takeshi said, “It’s a matter of do we pick money or do we pick culture?” According to Takeshi, he felt as though allowing lots of visitors will chip away at the culture. “I feel like, wouldn’t it be okay if Japanese were poor?”