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With its unique culture, jaw-dropping landscapes, world-famous historical sites, and mass outpouring of cultural exports, Japan is one of the most fascinating and most popular countries in the world to visit. I've been very outspoken about how much I've enjoyed my travels to Japan, and I would gladly return any chance I get. With international tourism significantly increasing over the past few years, Japan continues to grow in popularity among tourists with each passing year.
Unfortunately, that influx of overtourism is starting to lead to backlash, and this April, a strict tourism ban went into effect in one of Japan's most popular locales. Though there's solid reasoning for this ban, and it's not exactly as grim as it sounds on the surface, it's enough to leave many international tourists outraged!
Don't worry: international tourists are not universally banned from Japan. They're not even banned from Kyoto, the city where the ban has taken effect. According to @yahooaustralia , the tourism ban applies only to a number of private streets in Gion District , a world-famous historical district in Kyoto known for its significance in geisha culture. Many tourists have an intense fascination with geishas, and Kyoto locals have complained that the once-serene, historic streets of Gion have turned into "a theme park."
Related: I Took Myself to Japan and the Cost Blew Me Away
In response, Kyoto's government has enacted a ban encompassing Gion's private streets. According to Time Out, trespassing tourists may incur a ¥10,000 (roughly $66 USD) fine for unauthorized entry, with multilingual signs posted up warning them to stay out. Public streets in Gion will still be open, but international tourists will no longer be able to clog up private roads to ogle at geishas.
Backlash Among International Tourists
Kyoto's decision to tamp down on rampant tourism is not entirely unique. Many destinations, including several big European travel mainstays, have taken steps to combat overtourism . Furthermore, with historic geisha culture dwindling and subject to frequent mischaracterization by foreign tourists, the Japanese government is eager to protect the secretive geishas from public spectacle. Unfortunately, many international tourists disagree with this decision, with some going so far as to decry it as bigotry.
"The blatant xenophobia that Japan shows is insane," scoffed one TikTok viewer.
"That's like banning Japanese people from Times Square and the Broadway district in NYC," said @memorabilia4ever. "Tourism brings more money than geisha shows."
Harsh words, but believe it or not, these were among the more polite negative responses to this decision, at least on Yahoo Australia 's video. Still, they got me thinking.
It's true that many visitors to Japan have unfortunately encountered xenophobia (though it would be entirely unfair to paint everyone in Japan with the same brush). However, I don't think that's what's happening here. The local government genuinely wants to mitigate overtourism and preserve a major historic and cultural institution (and trust me, if you've been to Gion, you know how crazy busy it is with tourists). Moreover, not all tourists make the effort to be respectful, and as often as geishas get inappropriately fetishized, this can add a nasty, objectifying undercurrent to some tourist interactions.
As many detractors as there were to this ban, there were supporters, too.
"Not from Japan but I agree with them. Tourists have no respect, even when Americans go to American states. People are nasty and they leave nasty things behind," agreed @m404casso.
"I don't blame them. Tourists didn't respect private property and people, like touching and stalking them. This is why we can't have nice things," lamented @dragonqueen146.
As tourists, we have a responsibility to be respectful, broaden our cultural understanding, and not treat destinations like they're theme parks (unless, you know, you're actually in a theme park ). It's unfortunate that bans like these are put in place, but if we can collectively better our behavior as visitors, maybe in the future, they won't have to be.
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