Japan Tourism HAS CHANGED | NEW Tourism Changes To Know Before Arriving In Japan! 

Thank you for another great update! All great info to know before going!

Thanks so much for your tips and advice which I followed when I was in Japan recently. All were incredibly helpful! Good luck with the new business.

Hey thnx for the updates ! Keep up the good work

I've travelled to Japan over 100 times since first going there in 1978. (Got married there in '83 and still together). We just returned from 2 weeks in Japan (Nov 1-15) and I have to say this was the worst experience ever due to the massive numbers of tourists. Last year in Nov was the 'weirdest' as tourism had just reopened and only a limited number were admitted. However, even long time friends of over 40 years were hesitant to meet up and/or go out due to concerns about Covid. Many favorite local spots (bars, restaurants, shops) were still closed or had very limited hours. But back to this year/month: Tourism has become a social media event rather than an experience in a foreign culture. Locals were few and far between, so observing how the actual inhabitants show their respect and culture at shrines and temples was difficult. Instead, you'll see foreigners all dressed up in local clothing, posing "just right" for that Fb or IG post. Having also lived in Japan for 11 years in 3 different regions, I have favorite local hangouts and neighborhoods where one can mingle with the locals... even for those with limited Nihongo abilities. With few exceptions (which I certainly will never name or locate) these neighborhoods (esp in Tokyo) were overrun with tourists. Ugh! Fortunately, one of my faves is hard to find and has not yet been spoiled. Ahhhhh, yes.... One positive, though, was that the 'worst' tourists that we saw were not fellow Americans.... as in "Ugly Americans" of old. They seemed remarkably well behaved, well mannered, quiet, and respectful! Bravo! In Kyoto, we made the mistake of using "Western" travel guides (online) to find a sushi restaurant near us. There was a 40 minute wait to get in and every single person waiting in line was a foreigner. Not one single Japanese person. The sushi was "OK", yet the reviews raved about how good it was. We found it over-priced, under-sized, and of medium quality. Not bad, mind you, but mediocre. My wife spoke to the owner's wife who said they'd pretty much lost all their regular customers and locals and that over 90% of customers were foreigners. Is that what tourism is supposed to do? My advice to those who want to experience Japan rather than just be a tourist there is to avoid the "major" sights as much as possible. Japan is filled with incredible places and people. Get off the beaten track as much as possible. Travel solo or pairs, or in small groups if you can and soak it all in. Finding that little shrine tucked away in a busy city neighborhood is much more "typical" Japan than the massive tourist attractions IMHO. Find small local restaurants that AREN'T in any travel guides. Watch YT videos on how to use the ticket machines for shops that don't take orders from the counter/seats and only accept cash. We'll go back to visit family, friends, and relatives again next year, and will again head out of Tokyo after that into the hinterlands. (Yeah, this year we hit 2 of the 3 busy spots, but we also rented a car and drove into the mountains to get away from it all.) The very best experiences we've had travelling all over the world have always been when we avoided tourist spots completely and simply explored the country's other places. In 3 trips to Australia, I've not visited the Sidney Opera House. Saw it from afar, but really wanted to meet/see/experience locals. Choose what it is you really want from your tourist experience. See the exact same things/places everyone else has so you're just like them? OK. Get off the beaten track and have your OWN experience? OK. Whatever it is, soak it all in...

Hoping they engage great Content Creators like yourself so you can visit and promote the new areas! Your informative laid back approach really resonates well and I really like how you drill down to the key points of each topic efficiently and succinctly!

Went to Japan recently. Even with so many tourists now, the people are still so nice. Just learn what's respectful and what's not, you will have a great time

Congrats on your new business! 👏🏻

Congratulations 🎉on the new business Alex and Matilda ,I'm sure your new clients will love it,I like how the government is starting up these new tourism spots , a step in the right direction, I suppose it doesn't help that the two major airports bring everyone to the hotspots in the first place, so those with a tiny budget are just going to hang around these areas, finding dirt cheap accommodation such as a capsule rather than missing out coming all together

Hi Harb! Congratulations on your new business venture! I'm certain it'll be a great success! During my time in Japan just this past October, the only 2 places I felt were packed were the Bamboo Forest trail in Arashiyama and the Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The trail itself if much shorter than the route necessary to get there, so the neighboring town sure had loads of people. Not to say other areas didn't have lots of people, just maybe not to the levels media would have you believe. Then again, my view may be skewed as I took a more culturally oriented route avoiding some of the more touristy areas, so I saw as many foreigners as locals. Rush hour in Tokyo is an experience in-of itself, I must say. I'd like to expand a little on the Tax-Free part: many businesses do offer this service and most will advertise it upfront, but it's always best to ask (though don't expect a yes from smaller, non-chain stores). Be sure to keep your passport with you at all times since this is where immigration will place the QR sticker needed. The caveat is that most (if not all) businesses require a minimum purchase of 5,500 yen to make use of it. The more you spend the more you save, so if you can kind of make a big purchase at a single location, the savings can be significant. Cheers!

Awesome video as always Alex, hope to see you and Matilda on January next year.

Great video and congrats on your new business. Oh and we will see you in the SEC championship game Roll Tide!!!

Going to japan in march. Might need to check out your services

Dude congratulations on the new businesses!

Yo! great vid

Here now just before Thanksgiving. It’s horribly crowded in main city centers of Tokyo. Walking around I feel like I hear any language EXCEPT Japanese lol. Compare this to a year ago when we came right when they opened the country and it’s night/day. Year ago was amazing, we could just show up and go up to Shibuya Sky rooftop with no reservation and waiting 2 min for a ticket. Restaurant with now 1+ hour waiting lines we walked right in. I def notice more shop people can speak English now, as opposed to pre covid when very few could speak any passing English.

Hey @HarbLife - great video but it could really be improved without all the quick edits. Honestly - if you need to cut a single sentence or statement into thirds or forths - it sounds like a robot after a couple minutes. Perhaps you are doing this on purpose for some reason - but whatever that is I would recommend recording this like a normal conversation or presentation.

I just hope that the 11 promoted areas end up with transport integrated into the train lines. One barrier putting off tourists from exploring away from the big three cities is the need to get around. The idea of express busses sounds interesting.

I’m sitting on a Shinkansen headed back from Kyoto to Tokyo watching this video. It’s busy at all the big spots, but honestly not more so than basically everywhere else I’ve traveled since COVID. I’d say no more than ~10% of other tourists at the sights we went to were western. Quite a number from other Asian nations - China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, etc. Overall though, for sure majority of tourists were Japanese - probably at least 60% if not more. Taxis were fine and easily accessible with 5 min waits. Subways were fine, only really crowded during rush hour. Things are cheap for sure as an American given the improved exchange rate. Overall, great experience, don’t be fearful, come to Japan and see it. It’s beautiful.

I( think the fastest way Japan can get tourists out to less popular places is by getting more Cruise ships. Cruises are by far the easiest and sometimes cheapest way to see different areas, and there really aren't enough options. We all still have to fly to Tokyo or Osaka, so if you can get more sailings out of Singapore or Korea, that would be better.

We’ve been to Japan twice this year, both in early May during Golden Week and during a couple of weeks in November, including the 23rd where pretty much every in Japan was traveling. First time I’ve been told that every JR Pass eligible bullet train seat from Osaka to Tokyo was booked. Craziest was in Kyoto, where we gave up on visiting Kiyomizu Temple because it was simply too crowded. We did go off the beaten track more than usual, visiting Minoh Falls and hiking up to the falls behind Shin-Kobe Station. Only problem with the Kobe hike was it seemed every school had an outing to the falls that day. LOL. But both hikes were a lot of fun. Miyajima was packed, but we got in and out with no issues. And we found other temples in Kyoto to visit that, while crowded, were not packed. And the fall colors were spectacular. As with many places these days, tourism is about compromise. I would rather see a “lesser” temple with fewer people than get frustrated at the “major” temples and shrines. We’re going back in March with a niece, her husband and her, at that time, six month old son. She begged us to go because she is intimidated by the train system. Despite the crowds I foresee, I’m looking forward to it. Sure, we might not get to hit some of the major attractions, but we also revel in going to out of the way places to see smaller towns or cities. Japan is full of history pretty much everywhere and we absolutely love the people there.

Nagoya and Gifu are really a nice visit

Thanks Alex - good luck with the new business. Heading back in May - off the beaten track is the way. I found using a campervan / motorhome (RV in the states) ideal. For others who think this may be too spartan, hiring a car or using the bus as well as train might help get away from the madding crowd.

The taxing of transit at peak hours is silly, in reason most shops/restaurants/ attractions don’t open during off peak, they typically open 10:30/11 am. What they should target is the season

Hey man i plan to bring several months supply of meds any recommendations on what to do to prevent issues in Japan?

The reason I want to go to Tokyo and Osaka is because of Disneyland and universal studios, that might be the reason tourists go to these the most too.

$640 for 21 days?! Are they for real? jeez... this is going to have the opposite effect just as you said with prices like that. The only reason WHY people are visiting in such large numbers is because they are taking advantage of the weak Yen while they can, but if they're hiking prices that much for a public transport travel pass that's just not going to end well.

Cries in AUD 😭 although it’s pretty neck and neck with the yen at the moment

Are there ferry services from Taiwan or Korea to Kyushu Island?

I don't think these measures will do much. I just had a wonderful visit back to Japan. Raising prices a couple dollars won't keep people off of the subway. Japan is still the best travel destination if you like sightseeing and great food. Having express busses to tourist areas might work but I normally take a cab.

Most obvious solution i can think of would be introducing cheaper flights to some of the less known areas. This way it would encourage people to stay in the area especially when its very difficult to find a flight to anywhere else in Japan

The price hikes is not a good solution, because as you said, tourists might likely choose to still use local buses to save on that extra fare. Not all tourists comes trom first world country... And if I was a resident I'd probably be angry at the train fare hike- wasn't there one recently before the pandemic, for Kyoto/Nara/Osaka? I know people didn't like it because they were equally affected, then the news on the mismanagement of funds in Kyoto came out ..

This guys giving us a 5 year outlook😂 bro im coming next week whats happenin

I just came back from a trip to Kyoto. I guess I should have done my research bc I didn’t know Kyoto was facing an overtourism issue. There were crowds in certain popular spots/areas. An example would be Kiyomizu Dera. I visited the temple for the autumn night viewing and that turned out to be a mistake bc it was PACKED with tourists, students on field trip and other local residents. I honestly did not enjoy it. I wanted to visit the bamboo forest too but I heard that was also crowded so I decided not to. The worst part of my trip was the Kansai airport experience going back home. OMG. It was traumatizing. It took me 3hrs to get through check in and TSA. People we’re getting upset. There were people yelling. After waiting hours in line to get to TSA, guess what, there were issues with their ticket scanner machines where some tickets would not scan (mine included). So the staff would instruct us to go to another line for the “manual ticket scanning”. After getting my ticket manually scanned, I noticed that the line i was in (the people who had issues with the ticket scanning machines not scanning our tickets) I noticed that our line merged with those people who were able to successfully pass through the ticket scanning machines. And guess what? Those guys we’re getting upset at us and the staff bc they thought we were cutting in line and that the staff were letting us cut in line 😫 like what?? One man was even yelling at us and the staff and would not let us pass through. It was crazy. Lucky i was an early bird and got to the airport really early so I still managed to get to my plane 15 minutes before the final boarding time. Phew. I would visit other less crowded areas in Japan if transportation and language barrier isn’t an issue. Since I can’t speak in Japanese, I stick to touristy areas bc it’s foreigners-friendly.

Alex is the ハイボール 日本酒 tour still available the one where the お客様 buys the tour guide enough booze to incapacitate 2 livers. Congrats on your venture 頑張れ 🥴🍶🥃🗻

There used to be direct flights from Taiwan to Kagoshima. I want to avoid Tokyo. Years ago I went from Vancouver to Taiwan to Kagoshima. So glad I did. That's not available anymore.

I was wondering what is the best option to convert currency to exchange to yen, i live in Portugal as you see the currency is euro so should i exchange the money here in Portugal or Japan ?

🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵

Got include restaurant reservation?

hey so no more pasmo and suica cards available at the airport anymore? would mobile pasmo & suica will for just fine?

If they just charged every person 1000Y at the airport as tax lol they'd be rolling in cash! Also, congratulations on your new business!!! 🎉 Im literally flying into Osaka tomorrow so am super excited.

1SGD to 120JPY soon, implement more measures please. HAHAHAHAS

I think canceling the one day bus ticket will not stop the tourists. Than they buy the regular tickets

wont it hurt their finances to cap tourism? isnt it best to just redirect the tourism in other unpopular places in japan, cuz most people tour tokyo, kyoto and place around it but dont tour the rest of the country. its better to make insentives to redirect tourism so they wont hurt their own finances

Thanks for the vids, but i have a feeling you are changing your voice. My advice would be just use your original voice.

first view? this is new 😅

Hard to avoid the tourist hotspots when your conference is in the heart of Tokyo and there's barely enough time to visit the cities close by instead of going somewhere in Hokkaido o

Japanese tourism: * suffering from succes *

Japan has more money regardless of report in nyse

It would have been better if video is kept short, too much emphasis for a liner of info.

Jony Somali is an inspiration

Not strong for Canadians

Wow, talking about only targeting US travellers and mentionging only the US dollar 🙄🙄

Japan could easily combat overtourism. Just implement tipping culture and you will see less crowds 🤣

Translate in Telugu

A very simple overtourism countermeasure would be delivering less tourism visas, say -30% less.But Japan is full of contradictions, hypocrisy and greed. We want your money but please don’t come 😏

ive watched a few of your vids prior to visiting Japan a few weeks ago and this video just comes across as sensationalist and making a big deal out of nothing to get people to use your new business it feels. I didn't see any issues or overcrowding by 'foreigners' when I was there. The measures you talk about are all positive for tourists too, part from the possible price increase, but the buses and local trains cost peanuts anyway, its only the high speed trains that are expensive, and the price had already gone up for those, and they are still cheaper as a tourist anyway.

Imagine a tourist whining about 2 many tourists

hmmm,... I think reduce foreign tourism by creating special tourist visas which require minimal language skills, historical and manners knowledge ... and also forbid all videos.