There are so many wonderful places to see Mt Fuji where you don't have to walk on the middle of the roads and hold up traffic... I don't see why people keep crowding to the same 2-3 spots...
Yeah, it's incredibly dangerous just for a photo. I'm glad that tourist initiatives are being taken to help mitigate the stupidity of foreigners, at least.
I personally think Japan should impose fine on the tourists who do not follow the local rules. People forget that when they visit a place, they are the guests and should follow the host's rule. Would you enter someone's home and demand XYZ? It's crazy how entitled people are these days.
@@bhtr8 I think it’s educating the tourist. Maybe inflight videos on Japan etiquette. That’s what we do in Hawaii. They have educational videos on the plane.
I dont know if youve ever been to japan but the amount of rules that are not mandatory are pretty damn high and you will not be able to follow all of them if you are not from there considering nobody even tells you about them. You really think people should be fined for having scented perfume? For accidentally laughing at something on a train? Ridiculous
Japan has all the right to impose new fines and rules for rude tourists. I just came back from a 12 days trip through centre and southern Japan and even though I myself come from a very touristy place, the current situation in Japan is almost unbearable. It's becoming unliveable for the locals. Rude and uncultured tourists are the worst and I completely understand the locals eyerolling at unruly strangers. And anyway, every new rule (e.g.: mt. Fuji fence, Gion district) was imposed for safety and convenience… in a commendable act of balancing between preservation of their citizen's lifestyle and wellbeing and meeting the needs of modern tourism. It's just (entitled) tourists who think it was made out of hate, because they can't comprehend the concept that Japanese people have their own lives and jobs and they are not an attraction that stops existing once the tourist goes back home. I don't want to sound extreme, but this is borderline dehumanizing. In conclusion, I agree with Japan’s new policy. It's not like I decide to travel to Japan overnight anyway… and if in the future I’ll have to plan a bit more ahead and be a bit more mindful, so be it. I don’t mind.
been traveling to Japan regularly as a tourist since 2009. This year traveling to Japan 5 times and already completed 3 out of 5...Been to Sapporo for the Sapporo festival for the 2nd time last Feb (already bought a plane ticket for my 3rd time next year), just arrived from Okinawa last week, the coming August will stay at Aomori City for 2 nights for the Nebuta Matsuri fireworks finale as I managed to get a hotel 5 mins walk from Aomori Station for 2 nights for the last 2 days of the festival.
@@NinjaMonkeyguy yes, way back then Tokyo was the most expensive city in world, until 2012 I think.. but despite that, I still go regularly, but just eat hot soba or at convenience stores as everything was just so expensive back then..now it is heaven.
I used a lot of your tips for my Japan trip. I'm actually still in Japan right now! What caught me off guard was all the Chinese tourists (in Osaka and parts of Tokyo). I went to USJ and like 80% of the park was from China, it seemed. Guess it makes sense given the population of China and how close it is. Of course, there is nothing wrong with Chinese tourists in particular, but rathee that there's just soooo many of them in these areas. I'm glad that the Pokemon Gofest annual event took me up to Sendai as outside of that city, I've mostly felt more like I was in China than in Japan; that was such a lovely city!
Very well said. Honestly the more I go, the less i travel to the big 3 as there is just so much to explore outside of it and those are the areas that need tourism. I dont deny kyoto still can pull me in but i would really only go for those less traveled spots. As for unruly behavior, i think japan should consider banning some of these offenders. Irrespective which country you are from, going for pictures that you have to jaywalk or standing in the middle of a road with traffic is not acceptable. If you disagree with this, it is you that needs to reexamine your own life and priorities.😊
Latest thing I am hearing is that Shibuya in Tokyo will ban drinking outside in public as of October, yet another tourist behavior result. For those traveling, please study the culture and follow it as one of the unique things about Japan is that it is a place that truly runs by its culture. Our sloppy western ways are not a good fit for it or for the traveler experience. And please get beyond bad behavior for an Instagram photo. Hopefully the tourist numbers go down in another couple of years, all things pass.
Be mindful, though, while it's easy to blame "the West," people from these regions make up a small portion of overall tourism in Japan. America being just 9%. Statistically, it's probably not the West to blame. I've been in many tourist spots in the last week and a half (im still here), and I've hardly seen anyone from European countries or America. I've seen more Chinese tourists than any other group by far. That's not to say there are no bad Western tourists, or even Chinese tourists are bad, but rather that there is a lot of anti-west propaganda in Japan's tourism media (with hints of it in your post) that doesn't fit reality, and it's best not to point at specific groups of people for a scapegoat. Thankfully, I haven't really seen any bad behavior from tourists, but the current amount of tourists really do bog down areas that would otherwise be enjoyable. Let's hope some of the interest of other parts of Japan disperse crowds.
@@Ditronus. I am encouraged by your observations, thanks. A Chinese colleague told me recently that at present most of the Chinese visitors are from Taiwan right now. And I also saw a lot of visitors from other parts of Asia and from India. I still say an interest in the culture for visiting such a culturally driven place is important. It's not Vegas.
The everchanging Japan. This is all great information. I really wanna climb Mt. FUJI. Maybe next time. Wow QR codes for railways. Wooooo! That's awesome.
Ive taken my family there for nearly 10 years as well, we are heading there early September , every time we go we fine tune it more and more , we love catching local trains every where , this time for the first time we will not be getting JR pass we will be hanging out further down from Tokyo city Shinagawa/Yokohama/Kawasaki and we are going to see and explore some more coastal regions , Japan has SO MUCH MORE to offer then these shitshows for example, Kyoto (any tourist spot there / Osaka (Dotonbori/ Nara/ Harajuku/ Ginza/ Takeshita Street/ Tokyo Disneyland/Golden Temple/ Sapporo Clock Tower/ Imperial Palace/ Tokyo Sky Tree/ Roppongi/ DON’T get shrined-out and visit all the temples pick a few and enjoy them. ..but hey you do you, if you really need help youtubers like this guy and many many more others put ALOT of effort into these uploads and they are very helpful, all the best !!
i don't think i would've found out about the qr codes news if it wasn't for this video lol. i really look forward to travelling to japan when it's implemented :)
Thanks to Covid, we haven't been since 2019, will be there new years day 2025. It will be interesting to see what changes there have been in our 6 year absence :) Thanks for the updates, hopefully it will be a trouble free trip
Im Japanese. If you want to avoid crowds, avoid Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto and go to Tohoku, Shikoku, or Kyushu regions. However, Fukuoka in Kyushu is very crowded with tourists, so we recommend going to other prefectures in Kyushu except Fukuoka.
@@NinjaMonkeyguy I guarantee that there are crying children on that train that are traumatized by the uncanny valley human-train monster. Like telling little kids that “Clowns are fun!” No they aren’t… I predict the production of a Thomas serial-killer film as soon as this property’s copyright expires. Percy will finally know Thomas’ wrath and the mayor of the island of Sodor is totally screwed. (Huh. I might need to write the screenplay now that I thought it through…).
I'm curious how the Qr ticket works though. They will send a qr code to your phone or print a ticket with a qr code? If they print a ticket out, it will be the same speed as scanning the magnetic ticket isn't it? 🤔
I hope that tourism doesn't effect the Japenese way of life. I saw a lot of changes just in a couple years that saddened me. Like more more western style cafes , like Starbucks, maccas. I love the politeness, the awareness and selfless way that they live. There is an innocence that is so beautiful. I love Japan so much that it's hard for me to leave when Ive been there.
Tourism will change things, its the way things work but I think it wont spoil things too much especially since there are so many other areas to explore
I've been to Japan twice now. First in 2020 where literally no tourists seemed to be at major tourist spots (for the obvious reason of what was happening in 2020) then, in 2023 all over Kyushu. Kyushu was practically tourist free. It was like being back in 2020 Japan. People were super curious about me being there. I managed to showcase the beauty of Kyushu and will forever talk about how amazing Kyushu is. I went back to Kyoto and Osaka too and went to Nara as well at the end of the trip. The amount of tourists I saw not even following basic Japanese etiquette astounded me. I was embarrassed to be western seeing those people.
I honestly know the solution is to impose fines. Like the comment said if you’re a law abiding tourist, then the changes is not going to affect you. Sadly no one is going to learn without consequences. It’s tourists responsibility to research the dos and don’ts prior to visit. And use common sense…be respectful.
Estoy planeando un viaje para noviembre de este año, específicamente a Fukuoka ya que nunca he estado en esa parte de Japón. El año pasado empecé con problemas gastrointestinales que no me permiten comer cebolla, ajo, trigo, col… mi pregunta es, sería muy grosero de mi parte llevar una tarjeta conmigo en japonés, diciendo que hay ciertos alimentos que no puedo comer? No quiero ofender a nadie, y aunque ya estoy en tratamiento no me gustaría enfermarme estando allá. Gracias 🤩
llevar una tarjeta en japonés es una buena idea pero ten en cuenta que quizas no puedan cambiar el menu (en japon no es commun cambiar el contenido de la comida) mejor es investigar lugares para comer o typos de comida antes de ir
I still think an acrylic Lawson picture is what you need. Then you can have Lawson in every natural beauty photo if you want to. It's idiotic. What next, people on each other's shoulders? Extra long selfie sticks? Drones? Erect a platform, charge tickets to get an unobstructed view. All this shouldn't be so difficult. I've just about understood train ticketing in Japan and... QR tickets arrive. Unimpressed that just over a year until I travel, my dreams of a 10-year SUICA are drifting away again. Eco? No, I want the Penguin!
I think one thing we need to normalize... tourist activities are still fun! My fear is people will avoid these solutions (the new tourist tours, etc.) because they think they're too cool for them. No! The tourist activities are awesome in Japan! Also, it's okay if it's crowded. The Inari Shrine is still awesome to check out, even if it's busy. Let's get rid of this "I'm too cool for tourist activities/areas and crowds" when we are literally tourists ourselves.
Brilliant and very much appreciated content as always Nath! Really good of you to keep encouraging a wider appreciation of Japan’s travel destination potential. And, yep, glad you’ve finally outed yourself as a train otaku 😂 Japan is just a playground of train marvels. I often bend my itineraries wildly just to make sure I can get on a specific, special train 😅
yeah i went in early april for hanami and it was slammed in the usual spots, but i went out to shiga pref and had the place all to myself, consider stretching out to somewhere off the path a big if you have the time. shiga and lake biwa is just north west of kyoto, so you're not really out in the 'cuts' yet, but still WAYY less crowded literally two stops away from kyoto
It seems like Japan has a chronic problem of wanting to attract more tourists, but not having the necessary infrastructure to support the numbers they are aiming for 😅
@@NinjaMonkeyguy still going 2027 not much of the new law or restriction has changed plans , were hoping to get to visit a traditional looking town like the one had the geishas, do you now ang good guides got those regions of japan ?
The increase pricing of the JR Pass really affected the travel for all foreign tourists! Before it was affordable and one could travel to one city to another. Now options for tourists is just visiting one city and stay there for days or for a week because buying a shinkansen ticket round trip is so expensive. JR should lower it back!
I agree that the cost is getting pretty high but for my wife and I, it was actually cheaper. We’re going to Tokyo Osaka, Hiroshima, and then back up to Tokyo to finish off our trip before flying home over a 10 day period. One of the websites Japan has does calculations to determine if it’d be cheaper to just pay for a pass or a ticket for every Shinkansen ride. I agree that it is expensive though. We paid $637 usd for 2, 7 day passes. If you really wanna save money you can just fly to each destination but it’s already 13 hours from America. I would rather do a different form of transportation. Lol
@@NinjaMonkeyguy can you tell me if there is a way to buy tickets for bus from shinjuku to subaru 5th station for yoshida trail mt fuji climbing, online in advance?
Creating a quota system or tourist visa for entry to Japan as well as quota system for busy sites I think will be good. The overtourism only gets worse year by year. Already local municipal governments are trying to manage this problem but I think, at this rate, some central government rules will need to be created. I think, for my relatives now, they truly resent foreigners.
@@NinjaMonkeyguy T]he mentality to me seems to be 「I am forcing myself into your country and it is up to you to provide for me]」。This seems so rude. Anyway, to restrict tourism now I think will be best for all natives, especially service workers who especially suffer with the weak Yen.
@@NinjaMonkeyguy I don't think so. The reality is that promotion of tourism is from JNTO at the instruction of the central government. Little to no consideration is given to Japan citizens. Even PM Kishida realizes there is a real problem now. One worry for me is a foreign tourist doing something stupid during a Nippon Kaigi rally and gets hurt. They should just stay out of the country.