Inclusive Society / Japan’s Remote Tourist Areas See Deluge of Foreign Visitors with Overtourism Being Serious Problem

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, January 11, 2026

This is the third installment in a series of articles on coexistence with foreign residents and visitors.

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The village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture received more than 2 million visitors in 2024, half of whom were overseas tourists.

The village is home to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site that features 114 houses made in the gassho-zukuri style of steeply pitched thatched roofs.

Italian tourist Gioia Corvagia, 30, was impressed with the scenery. She said she felt as if she were in a different world from her home country when she visited with her husband, Marco, 37, last month.

About 500 people live in Shirakawa-go. Souvenir shops, restaurants and other businesses generate revenue and provide jobs, and the locals coexist with tourists. However, with the recent surge in tourism, there are concerns about this coexistence being strained.

According to Shirakawa’s local government, more than 2 million tourists visited the area in 2024. Foreign visitors totaled about 1.11 million, accounting for more than half of the total for the first time. That number was also more than 400% higher than in 2014.

About 30 days a year, Shirakawa’s one-lane main road is clogged with traffic, making it hard for residents to get through.

In winter, incidents have included tourists having a snowball fight in front of the front door of a resident’s house and a snowman being made without asking permission. Such behavior has impacted residents. Discarded socks and gloves have been found in fields after the snow has melted.

In a survey conducted in fiscal 2024 by the local government, 59.4% of residents said their impression of overseas visitors was “not very good” or “not good.”

In 2023, the town began promoting the concept of responsible tourism, asking visitors to follow five key etiquette guidelines, including using designated parking lots.

A reservation system is set to be introduced next fiscal year that will limit the number of tour buses and tourists.

However, even if this works, accepting visitors during peak times, such as the autumn foliage and winter snowy seasons, is a heavy burden on residents.

“We’re nearly reaching our limit,” said Hiroaki Nishimura, 59, who chairs the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association.

Visitors to Japan soared after the COVID-19 pandemic, totaling 39.06 million nationwide from January to November last year. That is up 650% from 2003, when the central government began promoting Japan as a tourist destination.

Relaxed visa requirements and a weak yen have made it easier for foreigners to travel to Japan and to travel around once they arrive here.

However, due to the surge in tourists, Shirakawa-go and other popular destinations in remote areas are facing the downsides of overtourism, which means residents suffering the effects of overcrowding and poor manners.

Another tourist hot spot is the Nikobuchi plunge pool, located upstream along the Niyodo River, which runs through Kochi Prefecture. The pool, at the base of a waterfall deep in the mountains, is called “Niyodo Blue” because of how its surface glows blue in sunlight.

Chen Jiayou, 53, visited the spot from Singapore with his family in early December. He was mesmerized by the shimmering surface of the waters and said it was far more beautiful than what he’d seen in photos or videos.

Only a few thousand tourists visited the pool in 2010, but after it was featured on a TV program in 2012, it went viral on social media. Many social media posts can still be found that recommend the place, with one overseas visitor saying that Niyodo Blue is a long way away, but a must-see.

In 2023, the spot saw a surge in tourists, who numbered about 300,000 in total. Around 20% of these visitors were foreigners, according to a source.

A convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, whose roof Mt. Fuji appears to sit on, also saw a flood of foreign tourists after drawing attention on social media. But people took photos on the nearby road, which prompted Fujikawaguchiko’s municipal government to install barriers along the road.

“In what we may call the era of social media, it’s become impossible to tell when or where social media will ignite overtourism,” said Akiko Kosaka, a senior researcher at the Japan Research Institute, Ltd.