JAPAN TRAVEL UPDATE: A Ticking Time Bomb awaits - Tourism Warning 

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👍thanks for all the updates! Awesome job!

I didn’t realize duty free shopping was so easy in Japan. I know other countries have the tax refund at airport approach but it’s such a hassle on an already hectic last day…hope they don’t change

Thanks for the wonderful and useful information! 👍

Thanks for the info. I was stationed in Atsugi, Japan going back in April after 57 years. So excited.

The best as usual!! Thank you for the video my friend 👍👍👍👍👍

Great video as always. Very informative. 👍

👍Thanks for the update! Really hope they don't make it so troublesome on tax-free items! I'm kind of happy I planned my next trip for May instead of April now that I know the F1 doesn't affect me..

👍🏿 Good looking out, Nathan!

Great info! if you want to go to Japan.

Nice Japan travel update.

Have a trip planned for 3/6-3/23 visiting major cities but before the Sakura festivals and spring break. Hopefully less crowded

I’ll be one of those traveling for hanami and F1 🙋🏽‍♀️ thanks for the info 👍

Im going to Japan in January...is that month usually busy? I was already aware to avoid spring due to the sakura festival.

I'll be visiting Japan next year after the Golden week. Some lodgings won't let you reserve this early so I have to wait in a couple months to get started on early booking.

Awesome!! I'm visiting after golden week and fewer people!!

Great video as always. 6:50 🤣 Btw i think the new theme park's name is supposed to be pronounced similar to the english word 'Jungle', since it's meant to deliver a jungle vibe, so Jungle-lia? 😂

I have just been researching Okinawa (and Ishigaki) and hoping to go next year! The big question now is, should I still go next year or should I wait till 2025 and see the new theme park... Decisions! Thanks for that information and the video! 😄

Nice video, as always! A simple question: how do You see the period end of september 2024/end of october 2024?

Nice video. I was a bit spooked by the title but otherwise very informative as usual 👍

I am avoiding the popular visiting periods from now on. I was in Japan last month and the amounts of tourists was a joke. I have been travelling to Japan for 15 years never seen anything like it. I’ll be back there in June 2024 🌧️

Damn ill be in osaka kyoto from the start of april, will that f1 thing cause even more over crowding?

Im going early March, like I did last year...should miss all the busy-ness.....lol

Hopefully things won't be too bad when I go in January/February! It'll be a first time trip so having slightly less crowds will be a huge plus. Will never understand how F1 is such a huge event. It was here in the US in Las Vegas and all it did was just make awful changes to the strip and make locals' life harder with construction traffic

my plans that i need to book like yesterday are april 17-may 2nd. how might golden week and sakura affect those travel dates? will be n Tokyo for the first 5 or so days (Akiba/Tokotozawa then off to Shibukawa) then im off to Fukuoka and Saga areas. a 1.5 day return to Tokyo before the flight is supposed to take me home. looks like im closer to golden week and missing the Sakura. 2019 Sakura season was beautiful enough to last a while then and in my memories.

im going between April 15th-28th. sadly missing the Formula 1 but hopefully still will be able to see some Sakuras 😅

👍 I was in the Kansai region at the end of October thru to the beginning of November. The amount of overseas tourists made certain destination spots almost unbearable. I am planning to visit Tokyo during the same time frame in 2025. Probably try to avoid the usual tourist destinations. See parts I haven't seen yet.

Hi, im from philippines, you mean by next year, TB vaccine is a requirement to visit japan ? Thank you

Oops... Booked a trip to tokyo a long time ago for this upcoming sakura season. Had no clue about F1. Doable? Is it even possible to make it a good trip without being completely overwhelmed by crowds? (Trip dates arent moveable). Dang.

Is mid to late May a good time to visit?

Except when I was living there back in 2010, I unfortunately avoid Golden Weeks and the Sakura Season like the plague. I usually privilege early January, or around May-June to travel to Japan. I’m also considering looking into October-November season in the future.

What the difference between airbnb, bed and breakfast and minshuku ? Aren't they similar to one another?

I’m just going to make the best of a busy situation. Flights and hotel were already booked when they announced the change to the F1 calendar. Oh well, just had to buy tickets and shuffle the hotel dates. Luckily I have been before and don’t need to see the popular places. I love hanging out in the suburbs anyway & getting to know the locals. That way you get a better experience 👍🏼❤🏎️🌸

WoW 👌 I didn't knew about these events 😳 I am moving to japan in 2025 for further studies and for my future.

I already booked my trip to Osaka for March '24 😅😅

I'm in Japan now for the past 3 weeks. Taking Shinkansen was a nightmare with inconsiderate travelers. Even taking my seat and they boarded the wrong shinkansen. It's so busy here now.

👍🏻 one wee thumby mate

Wanting to avoid blossom season (no interest), and the Formula 1 season, travelling with a family of boys who’ll just want to see Nintendo, Ninja stuff, boy stuff, manga, technology and robotic stuff… with a splattering of cats… when would be the best time to book to avoid tourists? January? And I’m yet to find a video that tells me where I should aim my ideal itinerary (with the above) to see all the cool tech, gamer and media stuff that doesn’t include general touristy stuff… but would be very grateful for suggestions or links to any of your earlier videos. New subscriber😊

👍 also thank goodness, we're set to leave tokyo the week before the f1

Planning to go with my Girlfriend in late march 2024 to early April. I went the same time in 2023 and it wasn’t too bad, hopefully it won’t be unbearable this next Sakura season.

Hi Nathan. Good bto see you again. Best wishes. Joan Nagase Manchester.

ohboi, my first visit is in all of March 2024 - its hard to not want to visit the big cities on a first visit...

So it would be a bad idea to stay in Kyoto during the Sakura season? I changed my plans and decided to visit Japan in 2025 instead.

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I had Sakuraco Mobile Wifi, great customer service and fast and steady internet and.. 👍

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i book my visit for january i hope forn no snow in Tokyo and less croud

Literally just got back from Japan. If they switched the tax free where I have to do it at the airport and show things I just won’t buy as much or I won’t try to get my tax back. No way would I want to sit through what will prob take a couple hours as all passengers have to unpack their bags and repack them.

if they make tourists pay upfront, i think most tourists will just buy and avoid queuing for tax refund, after all those that travel to japan are quite rich, they wont want to waste time queuing

I like the Airbnb idea, I would book a stay in a wooden house! And that's begging for cross play!

Yes, avoid Golden Week. When I came here to live and work in 2022, the 'sakura' season had been 'short' in Iwate. People told me it ended abruptly, because of the weather and it only was good for about two weeks. In 2023 it lasted about a month, and I saw it in its full glory... saw, trees with blossoms... okay. Eh. There weren't any festivals, and nothing really happened. My language learning group took a walk to the park. Before I came here, I had heard a lot about 'sakura' season. In Iwate, it's a concept but there aren't tangible things like festivals or street food. Go out and enjoy the flowers, if you want to. They will be gone soon. A lot of Japanese holidays are like that in Iwate, Japan. Tsukimi for example. You can... look at the moon. Tsukimi dango? Uh, ... just ...

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As much as I've want to see the sakura blossoms...I always hear about how insanely busy it is, so I usually avoid it. Here's that emoji you asked for. lol. 👍

HAAH I could spend 5000 yen on Zero cool....How do I keep it and show it at an airport....Dont think this will work....! Great channel..!!

There is no maybe. With tourism back in full swing, including Chinese organised tour groups, this WILL be the busiest Sakura season on record in terms of tourist numbers. I love Japan, but there is no way I'd be going near a tourist hotspot (Kyoto, Tokyo, etc) next April.

Thank god me and my gf are going tomorrow until the end of January so everything is going to be free of other tourists

The whole presenting the items is just a rubbish way to go about it. This means that you need to go to the airport even earlier, already cutting short your holiday. Thankfully its still in discussion, I will get all my shopping done for reals.

Where is the pocket wifi link 🤔

So...first you say things are great, now say warning? oh boy. You haven't been talking to Cynic again have you?

yes tourism is booming but lets face it ALL tourists stay in the same 4 areas so the majority of Japan 99.9% of it has ZERO tourists... so simply as I do stay away from Namba Osaka, Kyoto and the 2 places in Tokyo...... tourists simply dont go out of these areas and once your out of these areas its cheap friendly uncrowded and much much better

Agree completely, why punish the masses because of a few offenders.

Japan and popularity is the two edged sword. Japan needs the economic infusion of tourist dollars. Japan is not really ready for increases of twenty percent focused mainly on already crowded tourist locations. It's not that the country is not experienced in moving large numbers of people, it's that they are resistant to change what worked fine ten or twenty years ago, but now creates issues for both residents and tourists alike. Every country wants the high value glitteri tourist for whom cost is no object. Problem is this is a highly mobile class, that goes wherever the latest in thing is. They get the best, but they move on to the next thing just as quick. Motor car racing like F1 often have a short shelf life in spots they choose. The backers demand big subsidies, inconvenience locals with construction that meets F1's needs, but doesn't improve the daily lives of the locals. When the organization doesn't get the response from their customers that they expect, they move to new spots very quickly. The locals are left with infrastructure that doesn't benefit their day to day lives, but cost their governments and them bis money. The Air B n B of repairing and renting old wooden traditional Japanese homes is great, I'd stay in them if the are affordable to me. Again it's you make the investment, maintain it and I'll do my best to promote it and take a cut for my limited effort. If your ROI isn't as fast or great as you wanted or needed, well that's not my problem. I'll promote something else, somewhere else. I accidently hit Sakura season in 2018 and yes it was very nice for a couple days, but then I was done with it. The fascination was done for me, and I wanted to have something more than just pretty flowers for couple weeks with huge crowds and big prices. I'll be back in Japan because something about it speaks to my inner being. There is much to see and do, but not everywhere or for everyone, all the time. As usual you created a video that provokes thought, and highlights the good that is already or may be soon in Japan. How reality affects it all is unknown till it isn't.

I'm not buying anything if we're going to have to queue for it. Also, folks should tread lightly with Air BnB. All of their talking points are what we heard in 2016. It's come to the detriment of communities and cultures globally ever since. You've been warned.

Hmmm,... cherry blossoms are nice but I prefer wisteria and lotus blooming season. Regarding tax-free shopping,... tourists were reselling items within Japan. To catch and prosecute a short term visit tourist seems completely impractical ... Air BNB seems disgusting to me; my flat isn't occupied right now but I would never subject my neighbors to foreign tourists. Many of the vacant homes look very shabby,. The " traditional " homes especially look bad; there is no insulation and Summer especially is miserable with mosquitoes and cockroaches. . anyway, I think tourism is becoming out of control again, even more of relatives are getting annoyed with foreigners ...

I’m gonna say it. Cherry Blossoms are OVERRATED.

Your channel it's all over the place, its hard to be a subscriber. You say "it will be better for tourist" and then all of a sudden you release a video like this. Do you not pay attention to the content you release?

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