If you watched all the way to the end, could you answer a few questions below? 1. Would you consider us racists if every hotel charged you a higher price just because you're a foreign tourist? 2. Would a '1.5' times higher price be acceptable? 3. Would you be for introducing tipping? 4. If Japan banned only US, Western or certain cultural types of tourists, would you consider us racists? 5. Should we diminish the tourism industry and focus on developing other industries for our economy? Thank you so much for answering and watching the video!! Deeply appreciate it!
1 no 2 some probably dont mind but there will be lot of complaints 3 yes im fine 4 yes , targeting specific group IS racism and discriminatiing 5 no because tourism cant be abolish that easily
1. no 2. yes, it's acceptable because foreign tourists come with an indirect cost. 3. no, it's bad idea 4. yes, it's will be racism. You should educate tourists more, make some brochures and make it mandatory to give in the airport 5. we should do everything good at the same time, you can't focus on something one only. The question is wrong.
I wouldn't exactly say you are being racist if hotels charge more. Charging 1.2x or 1.3x more is completely reasonable I think. Hotel prices fluctuates all the time anyway. I am 100% AGAINST tipping in Japan. It's absolutely nuts here in North America. 18-25%!? WTF. What's really racist is when I see "No foreigners allowed 外国人お断り" signs taped on the doors of their businesses, because there are many foreigners who are completely fluent in Japanese, like me who have been for the last 47 years (I'm Canadian).
5. People are always going to want to see Japan. I would limit the number of incoming each month. Perhaps even have a month with NO Gaijin and Japan has the islands to itself. I have no need to go to Japan, I prefer to astral travel. Too many people in Japan already have prices too high! 1,2,3 I don't like double standards. Tipping is great. 4 Ban anyone you wish. Especially loud, obnoxious, abrasive people. ->ua-cam.com/video/fYfua47NTm4/v-deo.html
In many Western countries, you are expected not to litter, make noise on trains and buses, nor deface public/private property. This is not a cultural misunderstanding, it’s simply noncompliance.
people who come to UK dont act like this and are very rude (granted we have our own rude people) and disrespect the areas they visit .. its one of the reasons i hate the internet and trends because it attracts too many people to these areas and alot of bad people.
The problem with charging tourists more is that, after a while, many businesses will deny service/access to locals, because they are not as "profitable". It happened to us in Spain, and we have lost many city centers because they turned into giant tourist traps.
i don't know where it was specifically, but i read that one country mitigated this by effectively forcing hotels to allot 20% of rooms to natives only.
maybe for restaurants this is an issue but cultural sites with admission (kiyomizu dera etc) they could easily charge 2x for those without local id. Fushimi Inari could use admission price for foreigners as well I would be happy to pay extra
@ Fushimi should charge based on how high up you go. i remember getting to the top and seeing next to no one, so they could make it the higher you go, the less you pay.
5 днів тому
@@superviola88 u don't mind paying more? how much pesos do you have if can aford
This frustration is misplaced, as wages haven’t really risen in decades. If people stopped being so passive and actually fought for fair pay, many more Japanese people would be able to travel. These hotels and businesses are now making more money from tourism, so they can afford to pay better wages. Also, it’s a two-way street. As many have pointed out and mentioned in the video, when Japanese tourists could easily travel abroad-especially to places like Hawaii-there was no issue, even if it was causing problems for locals elsewhere. But when the situation is reversed, suddenly it’s seen as a problem. Instead of complaining, take advantage of foreign money, demand better compensation from the bosses, and replace the old executives at the top who hoard money and refuse to change anything. I doubt anything will change though as this is perfect scapegoat situation for the people up top. "Oh no there is nothing we can do about X because FOREIGN TOURISM BAD"!
This is something I don't see talked about enough. The tourism problem is only a problem because the yen is almost twice as weak as the dollar. If wages arent growing anymore, how can anyone expect to do anything? Cabbage is crazy expensive right now even. The problem is much bigger than tourism... I remember when I moved here, all my friends and family had the impression that Japan is super expensive... Now it's not, and the word got out and everyone is flooding in for what's been a dream trip for ages. It'S a complex problem, and putting anger into foreigners doesn't do much to address the larger problems Japan is having.
Yea I'm a Japanese not in tourism industry and feel this charge the foreigner stuff is not the right solution. As the money flows into Japan from tourist, the country's GDP will rise and eventually, it will even out. Forcing these things with legislation is a short term solution with much larger risk, such as losing attractiveness and future travelers. Instead of raking in money from the tourist, just focus on making the Yen stronger (meaning country stronger economically) and pay better wage to the locals.
"Rising hotel rates" So hotels aren't complaining. They're making tons of cash, but Japanese people are annoyed about that good old supply/demand graph. Do you guys remember 2020 when no one was in Kyoto and many of the tourist shops were desperate for revenue and literally begged foreigners to visit Kyoto? Yea. This is the opposite problem.
what's funny is that the tourist shops were begging for foreign visitors, but the rest of Kyoto was super happy that they had their city/prefecture back. they were literally having meetings focused on things like "do we really want foreign tourists back?"
@@stop88729 Of course everyone wants their city to be quiet. Who would say no to going to Disneyland if it's only you and your friends in the park? But obviously that's short-sighted and unsustainable.
@ "foreigners view Japan as disneyland and native japanese need to just shut up" isn't something i thought someone would have the courage to say but good on you, i guess.
France has two different rates for hotels that have nothing to do with citizenship or race. If you are traveling for business you pay a lower tax. If you are traveling for leisure you pay a higher tax. It is not terribly higher, but it does mean that business travellers regardless of citizenship can save some money. Many museums all over the world have different prices for residents (who must show an ID card if asked), and tourists. I have paid the foreign/tourist rates to visit museums and non-local-resident prices here in the USA. I am so glad I visited Japan when it was relaxing and everyone was friendly.
I don't think people traveling for business or work are affected by high prices. They have to travel regardless and most companies will pay for accommodation.
sounds pretty bad considering companies pay for hotels and not the individual. they already get away with a lot of tax avoidance, this system just adds one more
In Hobart (Australia) there is an art museum which is free for locals with proof of address. When I lived in California I got a local's discount for entry to Disneyland.
I'm a resident here so whilst I do feel jealousy, this really isn't the fault of foreigners (except from bad manners, of course). The yen being weak is the fault of the government and how this society handles work. Japan should be focused on improving itself for its own people so they can live in prosperity. Until then, tourism will continue to boom.
The weak yen is good for Japanese exports as well. This tourism is a problem with culture, management, and wealth distribution, but not an economic problem for Japan as a whole.
This is the ugly truth for sure. I came here wanting to assimilate, learn the language, and understand the culture and traditions of this amazing land and people. As a kid, I dreamed of coming here and now I'm finally here. I've always been very polite and very reserved by t enjoy good conversation. But, I do think Japan needs to manage tourism in good balance and moderation. I fully agree with your comment. If the Japanese government can't get the weak yen situation figured out, Japan will continue to get tourists who don't give a damn about the culture, traditions or language, and will be very disruptive. Saw a british group of tourists that talked loudly on a deathly quiet train to Himeji the other day, and everybody was giving them looks, me included. I do hope Japan can strengthen their people and country from within. The solution to their issues is not through the help of foreigners. To me, this government incentive to increase tourism is just being naive, and lazy. I want to come here to experience Japan, not a melting pot.
So weak yen > foreigners visit Japan > their currency is stronger so its worth more yen > hotels notice lots of foreign visitors with more yen to spend and increase prices > Japanese people cant afford hotels because of weak yen I think in this case its a Japanese problem rather than a foreigner problem but I wouldnt blame Japanese ppl for feeling resentful of foreigners since from what I know its really hard to create change with their inefficient government that only cares about its voters opinions aka mostly elderly ppl because so many young people are disillusioned and have given up on voting
In 2020, Japan closed its borders, and hotel prices were so cheap that many of them struggled to stay in business and there were all sorts of government subsidies to help them stay afloat. I think this is what Nobita is recommending. It sucks to have your currency lose its value so quickly, and be dependent on imports so that prices rise even though wages are not keeping up. But honestly I agree -- if the Japanese could get their economy working with something other than tourism, then both Japanese and foreigners could enjoy traveling around Japan. I think a more worrying aspect of the weak yen is that land and companies are being bought up by foreign investors, so that people can't afford to own their own homes anymore. I wonder what would happen if Japan raised interest rates in line with western countries.
@@karlint39 You saw it everywhere around the world to an extent, especially restaurants. They are all trying to reclaim lost profits from the pandemic. It's greed.
What's annoying is the average person doesn't benefit what so ever from this tourist boom. We had to bail the service industry during the pandemic with tax monies, now they are making record profits and aren't passing this down. Government also spends tax monies on improving infrastructure to allow for them to reach their target, not set by people, to accommodate 60 million tourists. An investment that would otherwise only benefit a tiny fraction of the GDP and is fragile only for the next economic recession, disaster, pandemic to tear it all down. I'm not mad at tourists per se but I'm annoyed by the way the government is handling this and giving its citizens the middle finger.
@@xXIronSwanXx I'm not as upset as that, but during the pandemic, it did seem odd that restaurants and hotels got subsidies (or people got subsidies to use them, paid for by the government) but other industries didn't get the same support. I don't know exactly how the government benefits from increased tourism -- presumably it means increased income for businesses related to the tourist industry and thereby higher tax revenue for the government, but I don't know the details. On the other hand, I think it was Nikai-san who was influential in getting money for the Go To Campaign, even while the government was telling people not to go out. Someone in the government has a soft spot for the tourism industry, just like the US government has one for the pharmaceutical industry.
They should try democracy. I mean the real one where people vote on issues they choose, not the fake one where they vote puppets of the rulers to "represent" them.
As a resident working in hospitality ( I’m a pastry chef working for American company hotel in Japan) the wages are extremely low in my sector lower then any other country I worked in before, I’m 37 and my wages is the same of when I was teenager working during summer vacation in Europe. It’s so bad that foreigners talent in their job prefer to work in other countries. I’m still in Japan only because I’m married and I have kid. Otherwise I would have been long gone, like most of my coworkers. Wages need to go up, to find workers and attract talented people. Compared to Italy ( my home country), hotels still extremely affordable.
Income inequality must be a major problem in Japan now. Tourism generates high profits, yet workers are underpaid, and services are short-staffed. This means more Italian luxury bags and Mediterranean cruises for hotel owners. I guess you're helping your home country a little.
The foreigner situation is like acne; they're a visual signal of disharmony beneath the surface. Japan has been in a tailspin economically since the 80s. Instead of adapting like they have in the past, they became more conservative and clung onto age hierarchical structures in business and government and just avoided proactive responsibility to the situation. Increase in tourism didn't create the problem, it's capitalising on a pre-existing problem. Instead of looking at the symptom, look at the cause and ask "What have we been neglecting? Where can we come together and improve on the nations wellbeing and vitality?" Every nation needs to do this, when we start at home and build momentum, then we can start doing it collectively as a species.
I grew up in the 1980-90s and remember so many Japanese tourists coming to Miami that it was crazy at times. I've also visited Japan when the exchange rate was something like 78 yen to the dollar and the Japanese were not feeling bad about it so I don't feel bad about the current situation.
@stop88729 nothing weird about it. The 78 yen conversion rate that I mentioned was about 10 years ago only. You can't complain when something is against you after you took advantage of it before
@ everything is weird about treating the population of an entire country as a monolith or as some sort of hivemind. it's also weird that you try to reframe it as people complaining about the yen being weak when they're complaining about over tourism. you're unironically arguing that the 18 year old living in Kyoto has no right to complain about record levels of over tourism because the yen hit historic highs for a short period over a decade ago. again, what a weird boomer take.
Im in Tokyo right now. Very few foriegn tourists here now. My hotel is full of Japanese ppl. I encourage everyone to visit Japan in winter, its wonderful.
I went in summer in July this year. Im a person who prefers the heat but I would go in the summer again, even if there are alot more tourists at this time of year.
You probably don't see so many in Tokyo as they are at the ski fields. I was just there, and for the 3 times that I shared a chairlift/gondola (not as common because queues are shorter so they don't make you share) with strangers, they were always Australians like me 🤣
I have to weigh in on the litter issue. As a foreigner I have been living here for 10 years, and I’m constantly picking up trash and cigarette butts thrown out of the car windows by the Japanese…including empty beer cans - illegal to drink and drive here. They love a clean city but out in the beautiful countryside every bit of rubbish is lying on the side of the road for me to pick up and recycle. Sadly a lot of them have little or no respect for nature and keeping their cars clean is far more important. Personally, I think it should be a fineable offense like most developed countries. It’s a huge problem which also says a lot about the hypocrisy of judging tourists…which is equally shameful!
The demand side of supply vs demand is coming from one segment of the population, the tourist industry. The other segments of the population have a right to say 'no, your wants don't outweigh our needs.' Fewer foreigners is a solution to that and as someone who loves Japan and wants to go back there again and again, that's their privilege to give, not my right to take.
The onus is completely on the business owners. They raise prices and benefit from foreigners, the foreigners are not forcing it upon them. Don't take away the very obvious agency of a few individuals (those raising the prices) and accept the blunt tools of blaming the other (foreigners). If business owners didn't raise the price, Japanese people would not be frozen out. Arguments to the contrary are excuses.
@ambrant7422 there is a demand for money, it's why businesses are in business. Tourists are a major supply of those resources. It is absolutely valid to blame the excessive source of those resources for flooding the market (it's why we have that term). Arguing otherwise is to have a fundamental misunderstanding of how supply and demand work, aka, markets.
@Trahloc I'm not so hopelessly indentured to markets to think that it is the be all, end all. I know how they work, or rather, don't work, in this case. I'm calling for regulation. Save the system from itself. And no, ultimately, business owners are the ones raising the price because they want to. Blame them. To do otherwise is to remain a bootlicker.
@ambrant7422 'I'm calling for regulation" -- Let's use me as the example. I'm retired. Let's assume I can only afford to stay in Japan for 60 days. If you regulate the hotel prices down 50% I can now afford to stay there for the full 90 visa free days. You've made the over crowding problem worse not better. I personally support Japanese citizens getting a discount in certain prefectures that suffer from over tourism. If AAA can do it in the states, the Japanese people can do it as well. Perhaps that's what you mean by regulation?
@@gortys3929 nah, the case is still open. it doesn't matter how much they spend if the overall life of the native population gets worse. closing borders isn't the answer, but acting like it's okay to have the quality of life for the average native deteriorate because the government and billion dollar companies are making huge bank is an even weirder take.
Stay away from the "Big Cities". Spend your time and money in smaller towns where there are smaller crowds and your money will be more appreciated. The high rates are a good sign that hotels are busy, so they have no incentive to lower the price.
@KarlKarsnark I actually take the train early in the morning, visit a small town and take the last train around 6 pm so I don't need to pay for the hotel. I don't need organization and passport, and trains usually drop you downtown, so you don't waste 2 hours, pay for taxi or bus, like in an airport. The Japanese trains are quite fantastical and much better than where I am. So I think someone could really enjoy your stay if you use the train and you could buy a train pass to go anywhere in Japan as you like.
That's easy to say, hard for western foreigners to do. Tourists from North America basically have to land in Tokyo and leave from Tokyo, and they almost never venture outside of the golden triangle. When you go outside of the golden triangle you only see tourists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea, because they have direct flights to these places.
@RandomStuff-zw7uh Yeah, well, even in North America, most people don't take the train to go to a small municipality. But the Japan Rail Pass gives you unlimited travel for a set period of time. But most people don't use that, so the suica card (Tockyo subway) is probably best for them if their willing to go away from the center. You'll probably save if you stay away from the heart of the city. In my opinion, it's more an issue of Metropolis vs. small town then East or West. But yeah, you won't even save money if you travel all the way from the East coast to to take your flight from the West Coast. So yes, I do think it ducks if you travel from North America. Especially if you're West Coast cause you pay the same fee to travel half the distance.
@@yasaiasazuke Because the Japan Rail Pass is pretty much obsolete since the price hikes. You are almost always better off buying individual tickets now. It's only useful for people doing super high amounts of travelling, which is a silly idea since you miss out on exploring the actual locations.
This problem has been self-inflicted by Japan. The reason is the collapse of the JPY due to the central bank keeping interest rates at zero forever. With a normal monetary policy, the JPY would be much stronger and the country much less attractive for foreign tourists. Instead of implementing structural reforms, Japan chose the easy path of massive public deficits and currency depreciation. It has now bitten back.
Honestly the ‘we Japanese are not used to foreigners/other cultures’ excuse is really quite pathetic now. Japan has been ‘open’ for around 160 years now, not 160 days!
Managed to do a kawaii rebrand of the country after what imperial Japan did then cry people want to see that place presented to them as beautiful Make it make sense
I applaud and endorse your comment! You are so right in stating that a country that has been open and receptive to foreigners can have some people still using the pathetic excuse of “… not used to foreigners/other cultures”.
Companies are not the only ones profiting, higher prices means higher tax paid by every tourist, and it is the government the one controlling the tourism flow and infrastructures.
@SynxSP The taxes that companies pay to the government are huge sums and therefore the citizen will not be at the top of importance except in the case of social pressure and this is the worst thing in capitalism.
@@am3aichjam33 Companies have a duty against their workers and shareholders, governments have a duty against their citizens. If the government doesn't fulfill their duties towards citizens, the problem is in the government. Government should adapt to the society they govern, not the other way around (the other way around is called authoritarianism).
@@SynxSP Yes, balancing between citizens and companies is the best solution to avoid social discontent, and this is the government's job in the first place،But if there are unsuitable people in the government, they will not respond easily to the people's demands
The Japanese government has set a goal of attracting 60 million inbound tourists by 2030, so we need even more foreigners to visit. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan’s consumer economy is sustained by the spending of foreign tourists, who are effectively covering the amount that Japanese consumers would otherwise be spending.However, it is clear that many Japanese people are not pleased with this situation, and in fact, the number of people voicing their dissatisfaction with foreign tourists has increased significantly from my experience as a Japanese citizen.
I wish more young people would vote. I would be so proud to if I could. But so many people I have met say they don't bother because it's impossible to change anything.... Which is a sentiment I find so strange from a country that benefits so strongly from the actions of the collective. I feel the spirit of the youth of the world is being beaten down. I hope Japan can turn things around because I love Japan and I want to see it be the best it can be.
It is always easier to blame foreigners for one's own problems. Japan's big problem (one of them) is that salaries have not been increasing for a generation. Combined with the weak currency this obviously hits living standards.
I have heard a lot of the hotels being developed and pushed in Kyoto, are owned by Chinese buisness men. And the tourism board has been pushing Kyoto to cater to foreigners more and more hurting the locals further.
Im an avid japan traveler from switzerland. I dont think japan has alot of tourism in comparison.... also we have quite alot of japanese people toursists in our cities aswell, even right now. Despite im always respecting anything in japan (otherwise i wouldnt go there) i can see a problem with misbehaving tourists... its sad that people like me getting thrown in the same pod as them... but relatable
I recently visited with my wife and children and we were actually blown away and fully dived into following the social rules. The clean streets, how no one jay walks even if no cars are coming. I was there for almost 2 weeks and only heard a car honk its horn once! We loved it and wished we could have that back home, so to say all foreigners break the rules is complete BS! And yes outside of the tourist traps we only encountered Japanese citizens.
I have been living in Japan for 5 years now. I wanted to visit Nagano with my GF this winter, but it was impossible to book a stay because the prices are overblown. Ended up visiting Niigata instead, but still, the prices were rather high this time.
As a foreign resident, I feel the negative effects of overtourism. Yet, the Japanese did exactly the same thing for literally decades and many European countries (e.g. Italy, France and Spain) are in the exact same situation.
so your argument is that the current population should suffer the downsides of over tourism because people in the past may or may not have taken advantage of a strong yen to travel the world?
@@stop88729 I see this happening all over the world. Just look at Amsterdam, London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Barcelona, Lisbon, or the Greek islands in the summer-pick any major tourist destination, and you’ll find the same situation. This isn't unique to Japan, and for sure nothing that Japan is “suffering” from that isn’t a common reality in heavily visited cities worldwide. The difference is that Japan simply isn’t used to it. And yet, for decades, Japanese tourists have traveled in large groups across the world, and they still do, though to a lesser extent. How many times have I heard “Omg, it’s full of Japanese!” in European cities in the 1990s? The negative way some Japanese people perceive foreign tourists today is exactly how Japanese tourists have been perceived abroad in the past. It’s just a matter of perspective.
@@stop88729 It looks like my previous comment was deleted. Anyways, if you want to get the point you get it. There is nothing unique to the Japanese situation. They are simply not used to it. And they should know well how people in places like Venice, Amsterdam and Florence feel about being overwhelmed by foreign tourists, which obvioysly includes the Japanese.
@ so your argument is that the current population should suffer the downsides of over tourism because people in the past may or may not have taken advantage of a strong yen to travel the world, thanks for clarifying. also maybe cool it with the racism, the Japanese aren't some hivemind.
Japanese people are funny , they complain about foreigner but they are happy to have foreigners from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Vietnam to work in their factories, in their convenient stores, in their retirement houses, etc.... and paid them the minimum they can
They are not just funny, they are hilarious: when the yen was high, they complained it was crimping their exports. Now that it is weak, they complain it is causing inbound tourism. When Gohsn was running Nissan they thought it was a great company and resented the French (Renault) buying shares so cheaply. Now that Gohsn is gone and Nissan is going bankrupt again...they blame the Chinese! Common thread here: all the problems in Japan are caused by foreigners! It seems they can't even fix their Constitution unless they dig up General MacArthur and get him sign some document.
Blaming toursits for hotels charging more is ridiculous. Its the hotels gouging the public for the same rooms so why isn't the govt in Japan doing something about it?
I think It's a corporate greed issue. Thailand's economy is over 20% tourism driven. Lots of overtourism. And you don't see them ramping up prices like this. Japan needs to take a page from their book. Remain an affordable place to travel if you want to keep getting visitors. Also, You can't charge people more for everything because they litter or are noisy. That's what tickets and fines are for.
At 10:23 literally every point the guy made I’ve seen Japanese do exactly the same and much worse over the 10 years I’ve lived here. This tendency to blame everything on the foreigner, lump them all into the same group and pretend like they are less cultured is bigoted and xenophobic.
I live in japan. I don't want to me charged more for looking like a foreigner. they will just charge people who look foreign and not even check if they are tourists. they should just be more strict with a tourist visa if they really don't want more people to come
I live here too. I am curious, because I havent had much chance to talk about this with others, what do you think of just having people show their ID? I guess it's the easiest and most fair way to sus out who is from where.... but I guess then we will always have to do that, so it's kind of mendokusai....
I'm not a resident, but am also a "foreigner". I think it's more fair to just add a tourist tax for certain services, mainly hotel bookings. I.e. you'll need a residence card or national ID to prove you're not a tourist. This is similar to what is done in other countries. For instance in Spain, you can get cheaper airplane flights if you are a local resident.
I don't know why Japanese govt is not pumping resources into building manufacturing industry back. Weak yen will help in exports. Although a weak yen is not good for purchasing power of Locals...
the world simply move too fast to catch up... unless the top player willing to invest inside the country and bring their technology... it's really hard to start from ground up
Well considering the craziness of America and all the teraffs being threatened left and right... it's no wonder there is no faith in exports. Americans can barely afford cars anyway... so Japan should probably focus on other countries to forge partnerships with. I'm not the biggest fan of China, but they have been making a lot of smart moves with other countries.
The strong dollar makes Japan a cheap vacation, but local travel in America is comparatively more expensive for hotel and transportation. Japan is cheap for attractions, food, and hotel.
Indeed. If anything, it’s practically almost impossible for Americans to travel within their own country. If anything, in terms of traveling within their own country, you’d be lucky if could take a road trip to the furthest side of the state you might live in. For example, if you live in California, you’re talking about living in the most expensive state in the whole U.S., so if you live in a city like LA or San Francisco, you’re probably better off planning a trip to another part of the county, or the closest neighboring county, rather than to even going either further up north or further down south in the state. As for traveling internationally, it’s obviously a lot cheaper to visit almost every Asian country, than to visit any European country these days. Hence another reason why so many people are setting their eyes on countries like Japan and South Korea.
@@619AGT not that grandiose dude. The dollar's worth a lot, mass transit is limited and inflation is high in the US. Might as well travel to a country with a weak currency and great public transportation. Like Korea or Japan
We have discriminate pricing here in Taiwan. There is a "normal price" and a discount if you can show an ID card. Just charge more if there are too many tourists, simple as that.
@@josir1994 lmaooo suddenly a caste system among fans of japan arises with real perks. Those who don't need subtitles to watch anime are suddenly gods with shiny discounts.
I suppose - asking 'Tawainese'-looking people to show their ID card isn't that offensive - I realize that was mentioned in the video - some people will feel awkward but so be it.
So many little towns and smaller cities in beautiful parts of Japan are dying economically, they could use a boost in tourists. The Japanese have access to a lot more detailed information about these places than we foreigners do, so I'm surprised that they choose to travel to places like Kyoto and complain about being priced out of hotels. I was surprised by how many Japanese tourists I saw in Kyoto during a 2023 visit. Small and medium-sized towns and cities in places like Gunma, Akita, Shikoku and parts of the Sanin and Kyushu regions should have the lion's share of tourism advertising, especially to foreigners. As far as I'm aware, they can accommodate more tourists than they do now. That's why I've been impressed with what JR East has begun doing in recent years to better promote these places to foreigners. In my home country, they've established a cafe subsidiary that holds monthly promotional events for different prefectures in their operation area. In recent years I've travelled to Miyagi, Hokkaido and Kumamoto. I've never had problems finding a great value hotel, it's never been overloaded with tourists at all and when I visited smaller towns and neighbourhoods, the residents were so thrilled that I came to visit. It can be done, by both locals and foreigners. Promoting lesser-known places is the key to addressing this "over-tourism" problem in the long run, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and the like can't host all 60 million. It's gonna be so hard to address the stupid idiots who don't bother to familiarise themselves with local customs and culture, do whatever they want and spoiling the atmosphere for everyone else who behaves properly. Foreign media needs to call them out and that's where social media (unbelievable right?) has the power to do something good.
I follow and respect the culture and rules everytime i go to Japan. However, i have still been treated with huge doses of racism by some Japanese. So the bad foreigners upset Japanese and in turn bad Japanese upsets foreigners. what about the good Japanese and good foreigners? We all suffer becos of assholes. Be aware, dont be an asshole whether you are foreigner or local.
I live in Tokyo I never see tourists unless I go to Shibuya scramble, harajuku, etc basically all the touristy spots So it's not as bad as the media makes it look 😅😅😅
@@jonathansakura Exactly! These are very specific areas where the foreigners stay. I live in Japan, I travel and I am often the only foreigner, because I am outside of these "hot spots" in the city
Why not just have one price set and give a discount for locals by showing japanese driver's license or resident cards. Currently being done in Hawaii and LA for Disneyland. Hawaii calls it the Kamaaina rate. 🤷
Over tourism is a problem in Hawaii, too. We loss agriculture and so the solution was increase tourism...also known as the "bus boy" industry because of low wages. The result is many local residents can't afford to live here and move to the "mainland" continent. To make matters worse, the billionaires have bought thousands of acres of land for their private estates. Some Hawaii businesses offer locals "kamaaina" discounts to make their prices a little lower...so I see no issue with Japan charging tourists more.
Over-tourism is a very very good problem to have for a country. Believe it. If Japan didn't have this much tourism, their economy would be so much worse by now.
On the bright side, tourism is contributing massively towards their economy and strengthening the Yen, both of which would be much worse without tourism. If I were a Japanese local I would take the opportunity to explore less well-known places that most tourists would find difficult to get to - whether it's remote onsen, or go during tourism off-peak seasons other than the ever popular Spring or Autumn seaons. They have the homeground advantage and should be able to find somewhere cheaper to go with just a little homework.
I’m sorry Japanese must deal with these ignorant tourists who do not pay attention to the local culture and social rules. Some of the first things I’ve learned watching “how to travel around Japan?” videos were: “don’t be loud” and “don’t litter, pack your trash into a little bag and carry it to your hotel”. Vandalism and illegal behavior is obviously out of the question. There ARE sources to learn how to behave, easily! Not every tourist comes with malicious purposes or is ignorant of the Japanese culture. I still don’t think making different prices for foreigners is reasonable. What if somebody is a permanent resident? Are they to be charged more? The argument that this is racist or xenophobic is really valid. I would rather look systematically at the problem: how can we address issues like overcrowding, seasonality, and soaring prices? Giving guidance like “please set at least 33% of your housing capacity for domestic tourists” or “pay more in the tourism industry to attract more workers” or “make certain tourist attentions require signup ahead of time” would definitely be the first step in making it more sustainable.
misa's "we should charge everyone the same prices equally" take doesn't make any sense because the current pricing system is wildly inequal to the native Japanese and foreigners who live and work here. the reason so many foreign tourists are flocking to Japan right now is because of the weak yen, so flat rates on hotel rooms mean normal/high rates for Japanese and cheap rates for foreigners. not really sure how she can claim to work in tourism while being ignorant of exchange rates.
The "Tourism is only a good thing" concerning economics is short sighted, and mostly false. This often causes gentrification. So, sure, in the short term, tourism 'improves' the economy. But for the long term, permanent residents are financially fucked.
Ya i remembered the 90's in California when bus loads of nihonjin show up at the mall to shop- high end stores had Japanese speaking employees to accommodate. Now it's our turn to shop in Japan- so stop crying. thou i feel for the japanese residents and the overcrowding. america is much larger and can accommodate....thou try going to Yosemite and other great tourist site in America- ton of tourist.
Japans only way to stop the tourism boom is to fix itself, the government and president really need to get it together so that the country won’t have to rely on tourism as a major source of income. Japans economy on its own is just getting worst
That’s not the fault of tourism, it’s the fault of the weak yen. You could even go a step further: could be caused by the financial politic of the Japanese government.
We had tons of Japanese here in the US buying up everything and we never complained even when the Yen was very strong. If you raise prices to people from the US I will make sure everyone raises their prices when we see Japanese people here in the US. It works both ways. If you raise prices for foreigners only; Japan will be talked about very badly because this is what some of the third world countries do in Asia. You will start to get a bad reputation and you will be frowned upon when you travel overseas again. Be happy that you have the ability to attract lots of extra cash right now because you don’t know what’s going to happen in the near future. Be ‘Just’ to the foreigners. Allot of us love Japan and we don’t want to hear stories about their bad experiences like they do for other countries where they only talk about how they got scammed and they will never want to go back or recommend anybody to go too. Much respect to Japan. Every country has is ups and downs. You had a very very very big up in the 80’s.
If you respected the Japanese, you wouldn't disregard their bad experiences. They don't need Western tourism as much as you think. Also, they already charged higher for foreigners. No justice for foreigners is needed, only rules.
Are you dense? Americans complained all the time when japan bought stuff in us. Learn about the plaza accord kid. Entitled american. Dont come to europe
Price did not stagnate. They increased steadily The onigiri was 100y 10 years ago it is now 140y Energy increased, rice will increase again. Everything increased Wage stagnate and people are suffering.
In Las Vegas, for example, there are higher sales taxes in the main tourist spots. However, if you show your Nevada Driver's License with a Las Vegas (or other nearby area) address, you can get exempted from some of that tax that's designed for the tourists. So, discriminating just on how someone looks is bad, but if the local population can just show an ID that says they are a local resident, they can get a lower price, or not have to pay as high of a tax and that's fine with me.
That point towards the end of the video about not focusing too much on the service industry, and focusing more on other industries like they used to, in order to improve the yen, is such a good point imo. Japanese politicians need to get a grip.
I’d love to go back to school over there as an international student but won’t until Japan fixes their tourism boom. The government really messed up by opening themselves to freeing interest property owners and their leniency on foreign rule breakers
That old man and the politician are so right about it. There's one thing people do NOT talk about though. This is Japan's own fault. What do I mean by that? Japan needs WORKERS, not tourists. You can see by the dwindling population and dwindling birth rate. Many people saying "it's too expensive" but it's only expensive because the government can't subsidize, why? because there's not enough tax payers, why? because they are either dying from over work, suiciding, or leaving the country because they're fed up with Japanese work culture, or not making enough babies... One of the resons why Tokyo and Kytoto are overcrowded is because they're not buying the JR Pass after that 70% price increase, 30% would have been accepted I think, 70% is just too much so people just stay in the "popular areas". Again, Japan's own fault. Another thing, Japan is spending a lot of money cleaning up after the vandals or the littering happening in Shibuya, Shinjuku and maky other places thanks to the increse in tourism and Japanese people that get influenced by such tourists. What I think Japan should do if for a minimum N5 for tourists and permanent visas to foreigners willing to live in the countryside (who have a minimum N4). Sure tourism may decrease significantly but the QUALITY of tourists will increase and Japan won't have to spend cleaning up after the bad ones, literally.
@_sparrowhawk Raising prices seems like an an ad-hoc reaction that hurts locals more than tourists It should simply be required to have a Visa for any form of entering the country, being restricted to 1 month (31 days) per year max unless giving and being granted a specific reason. This way it weeds quite a bit of spontaneous and uncontrolled tourism, but also prevents immigration under the pretense of tourism (which is something that i personally know cases in large scale).
I'm a foreigner who has been travelling to Japan to Japan for almost 15-years. The number of tourists has definitely increased, and I think it's gotten even worse post-pandemic. I went in 2023, and twice in 2024. In 2023 it was the first time I had been back since the pandemic and the amount of tourism seemed out of control, and this was with the limited number of Chinese tourists that were allowed into the country. I think at that point it was only 20 or 40%. During that trip I noticed how dirty some areas were that had never been covered in litter, how bad the homeless problem had become in areas that I had never seen homeless people in before, and how crowded some places were that were typically busy, but not too much to handle. I did also experience my first theft in 2023 when a Spanish tourist on the shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo went through my laptop bag and stole a coin pouch with ¥1500 in it. In 2024 I went for business in November and again in December, and tourism was out of control. Some places I would never have expected to see tourists at were packed. Places that had a little bit of garbage before were filthy. Tourists were blocking walkways with baggage, talking loud, littering, being rude, and generally acting poorly in public. It was really sad to see. Tourism is a difficult subject in Japan because there is a lot of money that comes out of it. I for one am totally fine with paying more as a foreigner. It's not my country so I shouldn't assume that I have the same rights and privileges as locals. I know that isn't the case. The idea of something being "racist" because it excludes non-Japanese residents is a really twisted western perspective that a lot of people are really quick to use. That kind of thinking is dangerous.
@VanillaPeach-y7l this wouldn't be a big of an issue if people weren't shit. Wtf is so hard about being decent. The bare fuvking minimum. I can't fathom how someone can travel to another country and be a nuisance.
@VanillaPeach-y7l that is a very complex question. There is no easy solution to the problem, and I'm not an economist, so I wouldn't know what to suggest. I suppose charging non residents of Japan more would be an easy additional charge - or if prices don't go down, offering a subsidy for Japanese residents, while maintaining a minimum number of available rooms for rent. That might not solve the problem though - the yen is fairly weak and a lot of Japanese residents are being priced out of even domestic vacations. I suspect it's a more complex issue than over-tourism.
@VanillaPeach-y7l yes, they definitely need to find a solution to their economic problems. I go to Japan 1-3 times a year and I'm going back again in April for a conference.
Every foreigner that land at an airport in Japan should be given a booklet explaining unwritten rules and expected behaviors while in Japan. Why does nobody thought of this up to now ?
It’s expensive because everyone travels at the same time, especially Golden Week. Let workers take the same amount of time off, but take it anytime. Prices, crowding, and stress will be down. Incentivize workers whose jobs allow it to travel at other times.
The point that Japanese were traveling abroad in the 80s and 90s is total BS! Prices of hotels and establishments in other countries weren’t getting higher because of “Japanese” tourists. I am 100% in favor for reduced rates for residents and Japanese citizens, and normal rates for tourists. The fact that locals can’t even travel in their own country is just unacceptable at this point.
I think it would honestly be as easy as charging a non resident fee. As long as its something that is enfored by ID and not by LOOKS, I totally don't mind different prices.
Price discrimination doesn't really work. Let's say I run a ramen restaurant and I somehow managed to pull this off. Well the problem is that tourists are price elastic and they can just go to a different ramen restaurant instead that doesn't price discriminate. So unless all ramen restaurants somehow band together and form a price discrimination union it's going to be hard to pull off.
The easiest way would be to allow people to pay in US dollars at a higher exchange rate. It is basically a convenience fee and it goes to the establishment.
One thing Japan could do is try to promote more places other than the most visited cities by advertising/featuring less frequented but also beautiful places. I find when I read or watch about new places in Japan, I want to visit them rather than the bigger or most popular cities. I don’t think the hotel prices should be higher for tourists but maybe a visitor’s tax could be implemented for all foreigners coming into the country.
was just in japan- they need to raise prices for tourists unless people can show local ID. burden is too much for the poor locals. we can afford it. they do this in hawaii for many attractions.
I work in a hotel, perhaps the most expensive hotel in the area. Last year, 80% of our guests were Japanese. This year, and due to Chinese New Year, Japanese guests have fallen to about 50%. Still, people are staying at our hotel, with high occupancy, and high room rates. Let alone eating, drinking, and spending elsewhere. If anything, we have raised our rates, yes. And perhaps they may come down in low season. But most of our guests are still Japanese. Everyone says Japan is as this video states, but, I don't really see it from where I am.
im american, any tourist who says its an inconvenience to carry trash around until you find a garbage can is just a lazy piece of shit. one could very easily approach a shopkeep and use something like google translate to ask to throw away a simple wrapper or can. Im sure that would be more appropriate and appreciated than throwing it on the ground. i would be furious to see my country trashed by foreigners and then have to say thank you as they leave just because they have a stronger currency. they’re all adults, and they need to use their heads and recognize the perspective of others, this should be very basic!!
It's full of police stations everywhere in Japan...why don't policemen just start giving fines to tourists behaving like savages? I've been to Japan 8 times and I saw myself the number of tourists increasing and most of them are loud, rude and uncaring or local customs. The local police is responsible for keeping Japan under control
giving discounts to natives sounds good in theory but a potential issue is that foreigners will hire a native give to book reservations on their behalf and then take a cut of what would have been the full price.
It’s not the foreigner’s fault. The Japanese government pushed tourism as a way to generate revenue for Japan’s economy. And it’s also the responsibility of the current government that the Yen is so depreciating. No one in Japan should think things will stay the same or automatically get better.
100%. The blame is so misplaced and the narrative is all wrong. Bring the tourists, raise the exit tax (or change it) so that the tax is centrally collected and benefits all residents not random hotels, and make a waiver so that you don't have to pay if you stay in an approved regional area (to get more people / money to regions). It kind of annoys me how the gov is handling this.
@ In my view, Japanese needs to replace the politics to growth. This current political alliance is entirely outdated and has a dirty past going all the way back to its formation.
Japanese hotel rooms are more expensive now than when yen was strong. We are trying to book hotels and honestly I'm thinking about cancelling the trip already. Hotels are overcharging because they can. Its price gouging. Japan is getting way more money than the rooms are worth. Poor value compared to other countries. I travel a lot but never to Japan because of the poor value perception and this price gouging had high risk of destroying Japan's reputation when it needs tourists to fix its economy.
Nah - you get what you pay for - its BETTER value than other countries - Bai might be cheaper but ist an absolute shithole - go there if thats your level and leave Japan to people with taste.
All of this will die out when the Yen recovers and tourism shrinks again. Right now Japan is in a massive tourist boom but it wont last, all of this is due to pent up demand from travel restrictions in covid. Everything swings like a pendulum
The problem is the weak yen. That's not the fault of tourists, and banning or limiting them would only make it worse. Most Japanese people understand this. It's a decision made by the Japanese government. The anger should be directed there. Bad behavior by tourists is a different issue. Rules against littering, being a public nuisance etc should absolutely be enforced. Just because someone is foreign isn't an excuse, nor is it a reason to assume someone can't follow basic rules of behavior. But there's a large chunk of hypocrisy there, too. "Foreign tourists litter!" Yes, but so do Japanese people - they just do it when they think nobody is looking. Go out to any ravine by a road and peek over the edge, and odds are it'll be filled with trash and broken appliances that people were too cheap to pay the disposal fee for, so they just chucked it over the edge at night when nobody was around. It isn't foreign tourists doing that.
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As an American who has visited Japan on several occasions, I can say that I would happily pay a higher rate being a tourist and I wouldn't be offended if locals have a reduced rate. This is very common in a number of countries and it helps reduce the burden of excessive tourism. In Thailand for example, it is well known that there is a "Farang tax." Some tourists may have a problem with it, that's ok, don't go there then. Japan belongs to the Japanese people, they shouldn't have to concern themselves with the feelings of foreigners when it comes to the destiny of their own country. I think it is also very important that Japan should limit tourism. If a hotel is flooded with bookings from tourists who will pay higher prices per night, they will be inclined to reject bookings from locals who expect to pay less, because naturally they will want to optimize profits by taking higher paying bookings, thus favoring bookings for foreigners. In addition to instituting an appropriate "foreigner tax," it is critical to protect the culture, language, history, and heritage of Japan by limiting tourism and foreign work visas. Many studies have shown that increasing the cost of something, increases it's perceived value as well. It also serves to "filter out" less desirable visitors by making tourism in your country unaffordable to them, which is a good thing. Japanese people should be strongly cautioned against giving in to pressure about "discrimination." Discrimination is a good thing, not a bad thing. It can serve as a bulwark against invaders who seek to corrupt and poison the culture and the country at large. Arguments of "it's rude to discriminate," or "you're racist," or anything along those lines should be summarily dismissed with prejudice. The world loves Japan and it's unique people and it's fascinating heritage and inspiring history. That's why it's such a popular destination for tourism. We all should make the necessary sacrifices to preserve and protect Japan and the Japanese people by ensuring their continued autonomy and agency over their own destiny.
I am a nisei US citizen. I think that tourist pricing is unfair because in the 80's and 90's I have been expoited by Japanese men (and a few women); they were able to do it to me and not white Americans because they were afraid. I was surrounded by more advantaged young Japanese people, but I had pride, as I was independent , hard working, and disciplined about money and lifestyle I have been a tourist at a place where everything was more expensive for tourists (and so small that everyone knew each other). Tourists had to watch their belongings, count their change, make sure nobody drugged their drinks (I didn't have alcohol except for one drink in one famous tourist restaurant the whole trip) After a trip to Japan last year, I saw how Japan has a culture to be proud of, and do not want it to be a place where people get into taxis that take long ways to hike up fares, people have to haggle to buy everything, and cause Japanese people a different reputation. About rules: tourists adjust to dress codes when they travel to Muslim countries; they follow strict rules in Singapore (like gum chewing) if you go to cathedrals visitors do not graffitti. I think that it is OK to fine and/or punish offenders. Tourists should be ticketed for throwing garbage. There are receptacles at conbini and train stations (where there are cameras, so passing off of poison would be recorded) People can walk a few blocks to throw out their soda cans or paper napkins.
In hotels as a tourist myself I am totally good with charging foreign passport holders more - up to 50% is fine i would say. Would be even better if they could redistribute some of the profits to help local economy generally....even give direct cash back to Japanese residents. Challenge is you'd need a quota for hotels to make sure they still admit local people...like 25% of their hotel capacity is reserved for locals or something.
If you increase too much price for foreign tourists, they will go somewhere else and japanese tourism would have bad reputation... but maybe in some overtourism aera it could work during peak season
Personally I would trade domestic travel for the economic benefits created by tourism. I remember up until 2023 the amount of businesses that once thrived prior to 2020 ended up dying. Some of my favorite Japanese spots turned to ghost towns. A few are beginning to recover. The real issue is concentration of tourists. They really only go to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. To be fair, the same is true for locals when looking for jobs. Japan really needs to expand tourism to other regions and cities. Drive up costs for hotels for non nationals in the main three while providing flights / train travel to other cities for cheap. I think more youtubers and influencers showcasing these other regions could help. I had never really heard of Fukuoka before seeing it on Abroad in Japan. Having now gone, its amazing its not more well known.
Complaining about it doesn't just change your economy, you get what you Vote for and if your candidates do not support your views why don't you organize and run for an election. Get involved just don't make videos about it or just suck it up.
I have a Japanese wife and when I point our Japanese people doing bad things she always deflects. She complains about America being so dangerous but often watches homicide or criminal case shows from the US. I'm like if you keep watching this stuff your impression will be skewed smh.
DUDE some of the very most fucked up murder cases happen in Japan. And usually for no reason at all. Cognitive bias is real. It reminds me of when I was a teacher living near the sea of Japan and I talked about how the beach was so full of litter. All my students would say that I comes from China, but if you look at the labels on stuff, they are very clearly Japanese. There is the Jappan that Japan thinks it is, and the Japan that Japan really is.
You often see single women walk down dark and narrow alleyways in Tokyo without a care in the world. Do that in the USA or some parts of Europe and you might not have any more cares in this world.
Its different than back in the 80s and 90s when all the Japanese tourists went all over the world, compared to now, the entire world is arriving in Japan. There's nothing wrong with charging a higher rate for hotels to foreigners compared to Japanese citizens. Its called a two-tier system. It would not be the first time. Airlines do it. The Shinkasen does it.
I studied Japan for about 20 years now and went there about 10 times including 1 year working on working holiday visa. Last year I spent one year in Japan studying the language and searched for a job upon completing my Bachelor degree, but couldn't find ANY JOB although my speaking skills are pretty good. I'm so sad, I really wanted to work in Japan but it's EXTREMELY hard to find ANY JOB as a foreigner.... Especially when you're about 40 years old. Some days I just want to abandon my life-long dream of working in Japan.
i saw many answers already but regarding questions 1 I'd like to point out this is common practice in countries in South East Asia , where locals always get a discount on entrance fee's .
Perhaps the Japanese should stop being so passive and start demanding their government or companies to fix the almost 40 years old wages…it’s ridiculous to be paid a wage that clearly isn’t compatible with the current prices.
No offense but I love when you asked the Chinese tourists they were ok with paying cheaper prices but the Filipino woman was not.I agree with her, I think in order for it to be fair and balanced tourists should have to pay a bit more to stay in japan.
This is the time for Japanese people and businesses to set up shop and work forward making those foreign dollars. If something like this were to happen in periphery Malaysia we would have taken advantage of this in a heartbeat
@emelle1283 in such a condition as it is in Japan right now, it is expensive to set up shop but it is relatively cheap for foreigners particularly from Western countries to buy get into Japan and buy from those who do set up shop(provide it is legal business), and due to overtourism in Japan there's bound to be business even for budget travelers, they can pay while it's cheap. When the economy and currency recovers, those who start or restart now with cheaper solutions will reap the rewards.
I've already noticed, even since 2022, locals already get discounts at many places in the form of app discounts that require a Japanese number to register. I've seen it in many shops, chains, and restaurants.
One thing I don't understand about the littering: Sure, there are no trashcans, but there are convenience stores everywhere! And 9/10 times they have trashcans, tourists go to konbini enough to keep that in mind ;)
Unfortunately most tourists will only go to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto because those are the cities pushed the most in travel blogs and social media and that makes those cities the hardest hit by tourism. It makes me sad to see smaller towns where the population is shrinking and rail service ends, etc, and wish they could somehow benefit from tourism dollars also and take some of the pressure off the major cities.
On my recent trip to Japan i seen Japanese folks break every taboo they complain that foreigners do every day from littering, j-walking, being loud on the train, etc. i didn't see one misbehaving tourist... Japan is xenophobic, i hate to say it cause i've always loved Japan and dreamed of going. also was a little disappointed how un friendly Japanese folks are. they're very polite but not friendly....
@@davidpark2509 if they speak Japanese with a native accent then yes they are Japanese. Also, Japanese look distinct from other Asians like Chinese and Koreans
@kageyamareijikun koreans and chinese can both speak japanese fluently. Every ethnicity has a distinct look. There are some koreans that look japanese and chinese but aren't. Native japanese ppl speaking loudly on a train isn't a thing. Dude is just making up some anecdote to fit his argument.
Japan gets a fraction of tourism that other european countries have and they loose their minds (Italy, France, Spain, etc have 3 to 4x more tourists). Portugal is 1/4 size of Japan and has the same number of tourists every year. Japanese only want globalization for traveling abroad but others going to their country? That’s a big no no
If you watched all the way to the end, could you answer a few questions below?
1. Would you consider us racists if every hotel charged you a higher price just because you're a foreign tourist?
2. Would a '1.5' times higher price be acceptable?
3. Would you be for introducing tipping?
4. If Japan banned only US, Western or certain cultural types of tourists, would you consider us racists?
5. Should we diminish the tourism industry and focus on developing other industries for our economy?
Thank you so much for answering and watching the video!! Deeply appreciate it!
1 no
2 some probably dont mind but there will be lot of complaints
3 yes im fine
4 yes , targeting specific group IS racism and discriminatiing
5 no because tourism cant be abolish that easily
1. no
2. yes, it's acceptable because foreign tourists come with an indirect cost.
3. no, it's bad idea
4. yes, it's will be racism. You should educate tourists more, make some brochures and make it mandatory to give in the airport
5. we should do everything good at the same time, you can't focus on something one only. The question is wrong.
I wouldn't exactly say you are being racist if hotels charge more. Charging 1.2x or 1.3x more is completely reasonable I think. Hotel prices fluctuates all the time anyway.
I am 100% AGAINST tipping in Japan. It's absolutely nuts here in North America. 18-25%!? WTF.
What's really racist is when I see "No foreigners allowed 外国人お断り" signs taped on the doors of their businesses, because there are many foreigners who are completely fluent in Japanese, like me who have been for the last 47 years (I'm Canadian).
5. People are always going to want to see Japan. I would limit the number of incoming each month. Perhaps even have a month with NO Gaijin and Japan has the islands to itself.
I have no need to go to Japan, I prefer to astral travel. Too many people in Japan already have prices too high!
1,2,3 I don't like double standards. Tipping is great. 4 Ban anyone you wish. Especially loud, obnoxious, abrasive people. ->ua-cam.com/video/fYfua47NTm4/v-deo.html
1. No.
2. Yes, but only tourists.
3. No.
4. Yes.
5. Yes, but not too much.
In many Western countries, you are expected not to litter, make noise on trains and buses, nor deface public/private property. This is not a cultural misunderstanding, it’s simply noncompliance.
Tell mainland Chinese tourists that.
@ we shouldn’t judge lower cultures so harshly
people who come to UK dont act like this and are very rude (granted we have our own rude people) and disrespect the areas they visit .. its one of the reasons i hate the internet and trends because it attracts too many people to these areas and alot of bad people.
@@paul2609中国だけではありません。欧米、欧州も迷惑な外国人ばかり。
@@paul2609the worst of all hands down
The problem with charging tourists more is that, after a while, many businesses will deny service/access to locals, because they are not as "profitable". It happened to us in Spain, and we have lost many city centers because they turned into giant tourist traps.
this comment should be top.... although i do not mind paying more, things always have unintended consequences
i don't know where it was specifically, but i read that one country mitigated this by effectively forcing hotels to allot 20% of rooms to natives only.
maybe for restaurants this is an issue but cultural sites with admission (kiyomizu dera etc) they could easily charge 2x for those without local id. Fushimi Inari could use admission price for foreigners as well I would be happy to pay extra
@ Fushimi should charge based on how high up you go.
i remember getting to the top and seeing next to no one, so they could make it the higher you go, the less you pay.
@@superviola88 u don't mind paying more? how much pesos do you have if can aford
There's no excuse for graffiti. I'm so sorry that people do that.
For real
Facts
That’s a none complaint. Lot of Osaka has Japanese street art. Pretending like the Japanese don’t do “graffiti” is dumb.
graffiti??? jesus I regret booking my ticket now. I'm gonna keep it posted in a Fukuoka or a Hokkaido this time. Nevermind Tokyo
@schrodingerscat3912 for real.
Many countries are in the situation of where they do not like tourism but at the same time cannot afford to shun tourists due to a weak economy.
For some reason many countries think that they have to earn their money abroad. Net exports and stuff. It is very bizarre
@@azo5000 gotta deal with idiots breakdancing in the train to boost your local economy
This frustration is misplaced, as wages haven’t really risen in decades. If people stopped being so passive and actually fought for fair pay, many more Japanese people would be able to travel. These hotels and businesses are now making more money from tourism, so they can afford to pay better wages.
Also, it’s a two-way street. As many have pointed out and mentioned in the video, when Japanese tourists could easily travel abroad-especially to places like Hawaii-there was no issue, even if it was causing problems for locals elsewhere. But when the situation is reversed, suddenly it’s seen as a problem. Instead of complaining, take advantage of foreign money, demand better compensation from the bosses, and replace the old executives at the top who hoard money and refuse to change anything.
I doubt anything will change though as this is perfect scapegoat situation for the people up top. "Oh no there is nothing we can do about X because FOREIGN TOURISM BAD"!
This is something I don't see talked about enough. The tourism problem is only a problem because the yen is almost twice as weak as the dollar. If wages arent growing anymore, how can anyone expect to do anything? Cabbage is crazy expensive right now even. The problem is much bigger than tourism... I remember when I moved here, all my friends and family had the impression that Japan is super expensive... Now it's not, and the word got out and everyone is flooding in for what's been a dream trip for ages. It'S a complex problem, and putting anger into foreigners doesn't do much to address the larger problems Japan is having.
@@krissydiggswithout tourism the Japanese Yen would become even weaker 😂
Yea I'm a Japanese not in tourism industry and feel this charge the foreigner stuff is not the right solution. As the money flows into Japan from tourist, the country's GDP will rise and eventually, it will even out. Forcing these things with legislation is a short term solution with much larger risk, such as losing attractiveness and future travelers. Instead of raking in money from the tourist, just focus on making the Yen stronger (meaning country stronger economically) and pay better wage to the locals.
"Rising hotel rates"
So hotels aren't complaining. They're making tons of cash, but Japanese people are annoyed about that good old supply/demand graph.
Do you guys remember 2020 when no one was in Kyoto and many of the tourist shops were desperate for revenue and literally begged foreigners to visit Kyoto? Yea. This is the opposite problem.
what's funny is that the tourist shops were begging for foreign visitors, but the rest of Kyoto was super happy that they had their city/prefecture back.
they were literally having meetings focused on things like "do we really want foreign tourists back?"
@@stop88729 Of course everyone wants their city to be quiet. Who would say no to going to Disneyland if it's only you and your friends in the park? But obviously that's short-sighted and unsustainable.
@ "foreigners view Japan as disneyland and native japanese need to just shut up" isn't something i thought someone would have the courage to say but good on you, i guess.
France has two different rates for hotels that have nothing to do with citizenship or race. If you are traveling for business you pay a lower tax. If you are traveling for leisure you pay a higher tax. It is not terribly higher, but it does mean that business travellers regardless of citizenship can save some money. Many museums all over the world have different prices for residents (who must show an ID card if asked), and tourists. I have paid the foreign/tourist rates to visit museums and non-local-resident prices here in the USA. I am so glad I visited Japan when it was relaxing and everyone was friendly.
I don't think people traveling for business or work are affected by high prices. They have to travel regardless and most companies will pay for accommodation.
france is over taken by islam.who really want s to go there lol
sounds pretty bad considering companies pay for hotels and not the individual. they already get away with a lot of tax avoidance, this system just adds one more
In Hobart (Australia) there is an art museum which is free for locals with proof of address. When I lived in California I got a local's discount for entry to Disneyland.
I'm a resident here so whilst I do feel jealousy, this really isn't the fault of foreigners (except from bad manners, of course). The yen being weak is the fault of the government and how this society handles work. Japan should be focused on improving itself for its own people so they can live in prosperity. Until then, tourism will continue to boom.
Exactly! Foreigners are always the scapegoat.
they need to pipe up and enjoy the tourism dollars coming in.Japans gdp is 2 1/2 times goverments takings
The weak yen is good for Japanese exports as well. This tourism is a problem with culture, management, and wealth distribution, but not an economic problem for Japan as a whole.
Technically bad mannered foreign tourists
This is the ugly truth for sure. I came here wanting to assimilate, learn the language, and understand the culture and traditions of this amazing land and people. As a kid, I dreamed of coming here and now I'm finally here. I've always been very polite and very reserved by t enjoy good conversation. But, I do think Japan needs to manage tourism in good balance and moderation. I fully agree with your comment. If the Japanese government can't get the weak yen situation figured out, Japan will continue to get tourists who don't give a damn about the culture, traditions or language, and will be very disruptive. Saw a british group of tourists that talked loudly on a deathly quiet train to Himeji the other day, and everybody was giving them looks, me included. I do hope Japan can strengthen their people and country from within. The solution to their issues is not through the help of foreigners. To me, this government incentive to increase tourism is just being naive, and lazy. I want to come here to experience Japan, not a melting pot.
So weak yen > foreigners visit Japan > their currency is stronger so its worth more yen > hotels notice lots of foreign visitors with more yen to spend and increase prices > Japanese people cant afford hotels because of weak yen
I think in this case its a Japanese problem rather than a foreigner problem but I wouldnt blame Japanese ppl for feeling resentful of foreigners since from what I know its really hard to create change with their inefficient government that only cares about its voters opinions aka mostly elderly ppl because so many young people are disillusioned and have given up on voting
In 2020, Japan closed its borders, and hotel prices were so cheap that many of them struggled to stay in business and there were all sorts of government subsidies to help them stay afloat. I think this is what Nobita is recommending. It sucks to have your currency lose its value so quickly, and be dependent on imports so that prices rise even though wages are not keeping up. But honestly I agree -- if the Japanese could get their economy working with something other than tourism, then both Japanese and foreigners could enjoy traveling around Japan. I think a more worrying aspect of the weak yen is that land and companies are being bought up by foreign investors, so that people can't afford to own their own homes anymore. I wonder what would happen if Japan raised interest rates in line with western countries.
@@karlint39 You saw it everywhere around the world to an extent, especially restaurants. They are all trying to reclaim lost profits from the pandemic. It's greed.
What's annoying is the average person doesn't benefit what so ever from this tourist boom. We had to bail the service industry during the pandemic with tax monies, now they are making record profits and aren't passing this down. Government also spends tax monies on improving infrastructure to allow for them to reach their target, not set by people, to accommodate 60 million tourists. An investment that would otherwise only benefit a tiny fraction of the GDP and is fragile only for the next economic recession, disaster, pandemic to tear it all down. I'm not mad at tourists per se but I'm annoyed by the way the government is handling this and giving its citizens the middle finger.
@@xXIronSwanXx I'm not as upset as that, but during the pandemic, it did seem odd that restaurants and hotels got subsidies (or people got subsidies to use them, paid for by the government) but other industries didn't get the same support. I don't know exactly how the government benefits from increased tourism -- presumably it means increased income for businesses related to the tourist industry and thereby higher tax revenue for the government, but I don't know the details. On the other hand, I think it was Nikai-san who was influential in getting money for the Go To Campaign, even while the government was telling people not to go out. Someone in the government has a soft spot for the tourism industry, just like the US government has one for the pharmaceutical industry.
They should try democracy. I mean the real one where people vote on issues they choose, not the fake one where they vote puppets of the rulers to "represent" them.
As a resident working in hospitality ( I’m a pastry chef working for American company hotel in Japan) the wages are extremely low in my sector lower then any other country I worked in before, I’m 37 and my wages is the same of when I was teenager working during summer vacation in Europe. It’s so bad that foreigners talent in their job prefer to work in other countries. I’m still in Japan only because I’m married and I have kid. Otherwise I would have been long gone, like most of my coworkers. Wages need to go up, to find workers and attract talented people. Compared to Italy ( my home country), hotels still extremely affordable.
Income inequality must be a major problem in Japan now. Tourism generates high profits, yet workers are underpaid, and services are short-staffed. This means more Italian luxury bags and Mediterranean cruises for hotel owners. I guess you're helping your home country a little.
@ in hospitality is worst than other sectors unfortunately
@@suohfgh803
Can you still afford things
The foreigner situation is like acne; they're a visual signal of disharmony beneath the surface. Japan has been in a tailspin economically since the 80s. Instead of adapting like they have in the past, they became more conservative and clung onto age hierarchical structures in business and government and just avoided proactive responsibility to the situation. Increase in tourism didn't create the problem, it's capitalising on a pre-existing problem. Instead of looking at the symptom, look at the cause and ask "What have we been neglecting? Where can we come together and improve on the nations wellbeing and vitality?" Every nation needs to do this, when we start at home and build momentum, then we can start doing it collectively as a species.
I grew up in the 1980-90s and remember so many Japanese tourists coming to Miami that it was crazy at times. I've also visited Japan when the exchange rate was something like 78 yen to the dollar and the Japanese were not feeling bad about it so I don't feel bad about the current situation.
昔の話しと今を比べるのはおかしい。日本は外国人に来てほしくない。
"their grandparents benefitted 40-50 years ago, so screw the youth of today!"
what a weird boomer take.
@stop88729 nothing weird about it. The 78 yen conversion rate that I mentioned was about 10 years ago only. You can't complain when something is against you after you took advantage of it before
@ everything is weird about treating the population of an entire country as a monolith or as some sort of hivemind.
it's also weird that you try to reframe it as people complaining about the yen being weak when they're complaining about over tourism.
you're unironically arguing that the 18 year old living in Kyoto has no right to complain about record levels of over tourism because the yen hit historic highs for a short period over a decade ago.
again, what a weird boomer take.
Im in Tokyo right now. Very few foriegn tourists here now. My hotel is full of Japanese ppl. I encourage everyone to visit Japan in winter, its wonderful.
I went in summer in July this year. Im a person who prefers the heat but I would go in the summer again, even if there are alot more tourists at this time of year.
>_> Where? I just did a gig there last week and there were TONS of tourists everywhere... lol
You probably don't see so many in Tokyo as they are at the ski fields.
I was just there, and for the 3 times that I shared a chairlift/gondola (not as common because queues are shorter so they don't make you share) with strangers, they were always Australians like me 🤣
@@krissydiggs ....maybe youre in a tourist trap...I'm not.
@ hmmm is Suginami shi a tourist trap? I dunno man, I'm from Nagoya.
I have to weigh in on the litter issue. As a foreigner I have been living here for 10 years, and I’m constantly picking up trash and cigarette butts thrown out of the car windows by the Japanese…including empty beer cans - illegal to drink and drive here. They love a clean city but out in the beautiful countryside every bit of rubbish is lying on the side of the road for me to pick up and recycle. Sadly a lot of them have little or no respect for nature and keeping their cars clean is far more important. Personally, I think it should be a fineable offense like most developed countries. It’s a huge problem which also says a lot about the hypocrisy of judging tourists…which is equally shameful!
Japanese business owners are the ones raising prices. Blame them, not foreign visitors.
The demand side of supply vs demand is coming from one segment of the population, the tourist industry. The other segments of the population have a right to say 'no, your wants don't outweigh our needs.' Fewer foreigners is a solution to that and as someone who loves Japan and wants to go back there again and again, that's their privilege to give, not my right to take.
The onus is completely on the business owners. They raise prices and benefit from foreigners, the foreigners are not forcing it upon them. Don't take away the very obvious agency of a few individuals (those raising the prices) and accept the blunt tools of blaming the other (foreigners). If business owners didn't raise the price, Japanese people would not be frozen out. Arguments to the contrary are excuses.
@ambrant7422 there is a demand for money, it's why businesses are in business. Tourists are a major supply of those resources. It is absolutely valid to blame the excessive source of those resources for flooding the market (it's why we have that term). Arguing otherwise is to have a fundamental misunderstanding of how supply and demand work, aka, markets.
@Trahloc I'm not so hopelessly indentured to markets to think that it is the be all, end all. I know how they work, or rather, don't work, in this case. I'm calling for regulation. Save the system from itself. And no, ultimately, business owners are the ones raising the price because they want to. Blame them. To do otherwise is to remain a bootlicker.
@ambrant7422 'I'm calling for regulation" -- Let's use me as the example. I'm retired. Let's assume I can only afford to stay in Japan for 60 days. If you regulate the hotel prices down 50% I can now afford to stay there for the full 90 visa free days. You've made the over crowding problem worse not better.
I personally support Japanese citizens getting a discount in certain prefectures that suffer from over tourism. If AAA can do it in the states, the Japanese people can do it as well. Perhaps that's what you mean by regulation?
Don’t blame foreigners for the situation. Foreign tourism is the result, not the cause.
外国人は信じられないくらい日本の町を汚し、ホテルの部屋も汚します。安い宿泊費では経営はできません。食事も安いコンビニやラーメンですます、お金のない貧乏な外国人ばかりです。外国人が来れば来るほど、日本は困ります。
That brings in foreign tourist
The entitlement of foreigners is gross. Japan has a right to close the borders to preserve their country.
@@CorruptedDogg In 2024 foreign tourists spent 52 000 000 000 USD in Japan. Case closed.
@@gortys3929 nah, the case is still open.
it doesn't matter how much they spend if the overall life of the native population gets worse.
closing borders isn't the answer, but acting like it's okay to have the quality of life for the average native deteriorate because the government and billion dollar companies are making huge bank is an even weirder take.
Stay away from the "Big Cities". Spend your time and money in smaller towns where there are smaller crowds and your money will be more appreciated. The high rates are a good sign that hotels are busy, so they have no incentive to lower the price.
宿泊費が高いのは、信じられないくらい外国人が町を汚し、ホテルの部屋を汚すから元に戻すためにはたくさんのお金がかかります。安い宿泊費、安い食事しかしない貧乏な外国人ばかりで日本は迷惑です。
@KarlKarsnark I actually take the train early in the morning, visit a small town and take the last train around 6 pm so I don't need to pay for the hotel. I don't need organization and passport, and trains usually drop you downtown, so you don't waste 2 hours, pay for taxi or bus, like in an airport. The Japanese trains are quite fantastical and much better than where I am. So I think someone could really enjoy your stay if you use the train and you could buy a train pass to go anywhere in Japan as you like.
That's easy to say, hard for western foreigners to do.
Tourists from North America basically have to land in Tokyo and leave from Tokyo, and they almost never venture outside of the golden triangle.
When you go outside of the golden triangle you only see tourists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea, because they have direct flights to these places.
@RandomStuff-zw7uh Yeah, well, even in North America, most people don't take the train to go to a small municipality. But the Japan Rail Pass gives you unlimited travel for a set period of time. But most people don't use that, so the suica card (Tockyo subway) is probably best for them if their willing to go away from the center. You'll probably save if you stay away from the heart of the city. In my opinion, it's more an issue of Metropolis vs. small town then East or West. But yeah, you won't even save money if you travel all the way from the East coast to to take your flight from the West Coast. So yes, I do think it ducks if you travel from North America. Especially if you're West Coast cause you pay the same fee to travel half the distance.
@@yasaiasazuke Because the Japan Rail Pass is pretty much obsolete since the price hikes. You are almost always better off buying individual tickets now. It's only useful for people doing super high amounts of travelling, which is a silly idea since you miss out on exploring the actual locations.
This problem has been self-inflicted by Japan. The reason is the collapse of the JPY due to the central bank keeping interest rates at zero forever. With a normal monetary policy, the JPY would be much stronger and the country much less attractive for foreign tourists. Instead of implementing structural reforms, Japan chose the easy path of massive public deficits and currency depreciation. It has now bitten back.
So the main issue it seems.... is that the local japanese businesses are not paying their employees enough.
Honestly the ‘we Japanese are not used to foreigners/other cultures’ excuse is really quite pathetic now. Japan has been ‘open’ for around 160 years now, not 160 days!
Managed to do a kawaii rebrand of the country after what imperial Japan did then cry people want to see that place presented to them as beautiful
Make it make sense
Agreed 💯
I applaud and endorse your comment! You are so right in stating that a country that has been open and receptive to foreigners can have some people still using the pathetic excuse of “… not used to foreigners/other cultures”.
As long as Japan relies on tourism in such a large way, its citizens will suffer because companies prioritize their interests above all else
Companies are not the only ones profiting, higher prices means higher tax paid by every tourist, and it is the government the one controlling the tourism flow and infrastructures.
@SynxSP The taxes that companies pay to the government are huge sums and therefore the citizen will not be at the top of importance except in the case of social pressure and this is the worst thing in capitalism.
@@am3aichjam33 Companies have a duty against their workers and shareholders, governments have a duty against their citizens. If the government doesn't fulfill their duties towards citizens, the problem is in the government. Government should adapt to the society they govern, not the other way around (the other way around is called authoritarianism).
@@SynxSP Yes, balancing between citizens and companies is the best solution to avoid social discontent, and this is the government's job in the first place،But if there are unsuitable people in the government, they will not respond easily to the people's demands
The Japanese government has set a goal of attracting 60 million inbound tourists by 2030, so we need even more foreigners to visit. It is no exaggeration to say that Japan’s consumer economy is sustained by the spending of foreign tourists, who are effectively covering the amount that Japanese consumers would otherwise be spending.However, it is clear that many Japanese people are not pleased with this situation, and in fact, the number of people voicing their dissatisfaction with foreign tourists has increased significantly from my experience as a Japanese citizen.
I wish more young people would vote. I would be so proud to if I could. But so many people I have met say they don't bother because it's impossible to change anything.... Which is a sentiment I find so strange from a country that benefits so strongly from the actions of the collective. I feel the spirit of the youth of the world is being beaten down. I hope Japan can turn things around because I love Japan and I want to see it be the best it can be.
@@krissydiggs japan is run by senile boomers, who rely on other senile boomers to keep them in power.
It is always easier to blame foreigners for one's own problems.
Japan's big problem (one of them) is that salaries have not been increasing for a generation. Combined with the weak currency this obviously hits living standards.
Do Foreigners own the Hotels? No, it's a decision made by Japanese owners who set the prices. 😎😎
I have heard a lot of the hotels being developed and pushed in Kyoto, are owned by Chinese buisness men. And the tourism board has been pushing Kyoto to cater to foreigners more and more hurting the locals further.
@@VampguyN85 But in order for these Chinese Business men to own any thing they have to go through Japanese Goverments approval
Im an avid japan traveler from switzerland. I dont think japan has alot of tourism in comparison.... also we have quite alot of japanese people toursists in our cities aswell, even right now. Despite im always respecting anything in japan (otherwise i wouldnt go there) i can see a problem with misbehaving tourists... its sad that people like me getting thrown in the same pod as them... but relatable
I recently visited with my wife and children and we were actually blown away and fully dived into following the social rules. The clean streets, how no one jay walks even if no cars are coming. I was there for almost 2 weeks and only heard a car honk its horn once! We loved it and wished we could have that back home, so to say all foreigners break the rules is complete BS! And yes outside of the tourist traps we only encountered Japanese citizens.
@@leiheiemigli1174
Still a foreigner issue
Japan is in no position to shun billions of dollars spent by tourists. Take it as you will.
I have been living in Japan for 5 years now.
I wanted to visit Nagano with my GF this winter, but it was impossible to book a stay because the prices are overblown.
Ended up visiting Niigata instead, but still, the prices were rather high this time.
It's not too far from the south of Niigata. A 1 hour trip from Myoko and 2 from Joetsu by train.
Check out Gujo when you get a chance. Thank me later.
my Bnb is just 6500 a night - coudnt you price filter to find it?
As a foreign resident, I feel the negative effects of overtourism. Yet, the Japanese did exactly the same thing for literally decades and many European countries (e.g. Italy, France and Spain) are in the exact same situation.
so your argument is that the current population should suffer the downsides of over tourism because people in the past may or may not have taken advantage of a strong yen to travel the world?
@@stop88729 I see this happening all over the world. Just look at Amsterdam, London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Barcelona, Lisbon, or the Greek islands in the summer-pick any major tourist destination, and you’ll find the same situation. This isn't unique to Japan, and for sure nothing that Japan is “suffering” from that isn’t a common reality in heavily visited cities worldwide. The difference is that Japan simply isn’t used to it. And yet, for decades, Japanese tourists have traveled in large groups across the world, and they still do, though to a lesser extent. How many times have I heard “Omg, it’s full of Japanese!” in European cities in the 1990s? The negative way some Japanese people perceive foreign tourists today is exactly how Japanese tourists have been perceived abroad in the past. It’s just a matter of perspective.
@@stop88729 It looks like my previous comment was deleted. Anyways, if you want to get the point you get it. There is nothing unique to the Japanese situation. They are simply not used to it. And they should know well how people in places like Venice, Amsterdam and Florence feel about being overwhelmed by foreign tourists, which obvioysly includes the Japanese.
@ so your argument is that the current population should suffer the downsides of over tourism because people in the past may or may not have taken advantage of a strong yen to travel the world, thanks for clarifying.
also maybe cool it with the racism, the Japanese aren't some hivemind.
With respect, Japan can do what is best for its citizens and legal residents. Just like all countries should do for theirs.
The tricky part is that legal residents often get lumped in with tourists regardless of if we are good citizens or not.
Japanese people are funny , they complain about foreigner but they are happy to have foreigners from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Vietnam to work in their factories, in their convenient stores, in their retirement houses, etc.... and paid them the minimum they can
They are not just funny, they are hilarious: when the yen was high, they complained it was crimping their exports. Now that it is weak, they complain it is causing inbound tourism. When Gohsn was running Nissan they thought it was a great company and resented the French (Renault) buying shares so cheaply. Now that Gohsn is gone and Nissan is going bankrupt again...they blame the Chinese!
Common thread here: all the problems in Japan are caused by foreigners!
It seems they can't even fix their Constitution unless they dig up General MacArthur and get him sign some document.
Need to increase the birthrate
@ yes for that better having real estate prices lower and increase wages
Blaming toursits for hotels charging more is ridiculous. Its the hotels gouging the public for the same rooms so why isn't the govt in Japan doing something about it?
This is a really important topic. I wish more people watched your videos. Keep up the good work nobita!
I think It's a corporate greed issue. Thailand's economy is over 20% tourism driven. Lots of overtourism. And you don't see them ramping up prices like this. Japan needs to take a page from their book. Remain an affordable place to travel if you want to keep getting visitors.
Also, You can't charge people more for everything because they litter or are noisy. That's what tickets and fines are for.
how does thailand deal with tourism better than japan if they're not raising prices/
are you unironically arguing that Japan needs to take a page from the book of the country most famous for sex tourism?
Unfair? Blame the people who charge and increase the prices.
At 10:23 literally every point the guy made I’ve seen Japanese do exactly the same and much worse over the 10 years I’ve lived here. This tendency to blame everything on the foreigner, lump them all into the same group and pretend like they are less cultured is bigoted and xenophobic.
I live in japan. I don't want to me charged more for looking like a foreigner. they will just charge people who look foreign and not even check if they are tourists. they should just be more strict with a tourist visa if they really don't want more people to come
I live here too. I am curious, because I havent had much chance to talk about this with others, what do you think of just having people show their ID? I guess it's the easiest and most fair way to sus out who is from where.... but I guess then we will always have to do that, so it's kind of mendokusai....
I'm not a resident, but am also a "foreigner". I think it's more fair to just add a tourist tax for certain services, mainly hotel bookings. I.e. you'll need a residence card or national ID to prove you're not a tourist.
This is similar to what is done in other countries. For instance in Spain, you can get cheaper airplane flights if you are a local resident.
I don't know why Japanese govt is not pumping resources into building manufacturing industry back. Weak yen will help in exports. Although a weak yen is not good for purchasing power of Locals...
When they did, the government pushed “safe” investments that got eclipsed by foreign competitors. So these government investments fell out of favor.
The Japanese government are morons and the citizens keep voting in the same party as if it's communism
Huge lack of labor
the world simply move too fast to catch up... unless the top player willing to invest inside the country and bring their technology... it's really hard to start from ground up
Well considering the craziness of America and all the teraffs being threatened left and right... it's no wonder there is no faith in exports. Americans can barely afford cars anyway... so Japan should probably focus on other countries to forge partnerships with. I'm not the biggest fan of China, but they have been making a lot of smart moves with other countries.
The strong dollar makes Japan a cheap vacation, but local travel in America is comparatively more expensive for hotel and transportation. Japan is cheap for attractions, food, and hotel.
Local travel in the US has become ridiculously expensive. It's much cheaper to travel in other countries now
Indeed. If anything, it’s practically almost impossible for Americans to travel within their own country.
If anything, in terms of traveling within their own country, you’d be lucky if could take a road trip to the furthest side of the state you might live in.
For example, if you live in California, you’re talking about living in the most expensive state in the whole U.S., so if you live in a city like LA or San Francisco, you’re probably better off planning a trip to another part of the county, or the closest neighboring county, rather than to even going either further up north or further down south in the state.
As for traveling internationally, it’s obviously a lot cheaper to visit almost every Asian country, than to visit any European country these days.
Hence another reason why so many people are setting their eyes on countries like Japan and South Korea.
@@619AGT not that grandiose dude. The dollar's worth a lot, mass transit is limited and inflation is high in the US. Might as well travel to a country with a weak currency and great public transportation. Like Korea or Japan
cheap? compared to south east asian countries like thailand? the ticket alone is pretty expensive imo.
@@everythingisfine9988 there's something called renting a car in the US.
We have discriminate pricing here in Taiwan. There is a "normal price" and a discount if you can show an ID card. Just charge more if there are too many tourists, simple as that.
I think that's the way to go, you have to show some id to get the "local" price, that stops foregners residents being miss labeled as tourists.
Or maybe speak fluent Japanese to get a discount
@@josir1994 lmaooo suddenly a caste system among fans of japan arises with real perks. Those who don't need subtitles to watch anime are suddenly gods with shiny discounts.
I suppose - asking 'Tawainese'-looking people to show their ID card isn't that offensive - I realize that was mentioned in the video - some people will feel awkward but so be it.
So many little towns and smaller cities in beautiful parts of Japan are dying economically, they could use a boost in tourists. The Japanese have access to a lot more detailed information about these places than we foreigners do, so I'm surprised that they choose to travel to places like Kyoto and complain about being priced out of hotels. I was surprised by how many Japanese tourists I saw in Kyoto during a 2023 visit. Small and medium-sized towns and cities in places like Gunma, Akita, Shikoku and parts of the Sanin and Kyushu regions should have the lion's share of tourism advertising, especially to foreigners. As far as I'm aware, they can accommodate more tourists than they do now. That's why I've been impressed with what JR East has begun doing in recent years to better promote these places to foreigners. In my home country, they've established a cafe subsidiary that holds monthly promotional events for different prefectures in their operation area. In recent years I've travelled to Miyagi, Hokkaido and Kumamoto. I've never had problems finding a great value hotel, it's never been overloaded with tourists at all and when I visited smaller towns and neighbourhoods, the residents were so thrilled that I came to visit. It can be done, by both locals and foreigners. Promoting lesser-known places is the key to addressing this "over-tourism" problem in the long run, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and the like can't host all 60 million. It's gonna be so hard to address the stupid idiots who don't bother to familiarise themselves with local customs and culture, do whatever they want and spoiling the atmosphere for everyone else who behaves properly. Foreign media needs to call them out and that's where social media (unbelievable right?) has the power to do something good.
I follow and respect the culture and rules everytime i go to Japan. However, i have still been treated with huge doses of racism by some Japanese. So the bad foreigners upset Japanese and in turn bad Japanese upsets foreigners. what about the good Japanese and good foreigners? We all suffer becos of assholes. Be aware, dont be an asshole whether you are foreigner or local.
I live in Tokyo I never see tourists unless I go to Shibuya scramble, harajuku, etc basically all the touristy spots
So it's not as bad as the media makes it look 😅😅😅
@@jonathansakura Exactly! These are very specific areas where the foreigners stay. I live in Japan, I travel and I am often the only foreigner, because I am outside of these "hot spots" in the city
Same. Foreigners actually make up for less than 1% of Japan’s residents
Same in New York. Go to tourists sports = see tourists. The other 80% is all locals
@@Herrera_70
Which area
But tourist are there
Why not just have one price set and give a discount for locals by showing japanese driver's license or resident cards. Currently being done in Hawaii and LA for Disneyland. Hawaii calls it the Kamaaina rate. 🤷
Over tourism is a problem in Hawaii, too. We loss agriculture and so the solution was increase tourism...also known as the "bus boy" industry because of low wages. The result is many local residents can't afford to live here and move to the "mainland" continent. To make matters worse, the billionaires have bought thousands of acres of land for their private estates. Some Hawaii businesses offer locals "kamaaina" discounts to make their prices a little lower...so I see no issue with Japan charging tourists more.
Over-tourism is a very very good problem to have for a country.
Believe it. If Japan didn't have this much tourism, their economy would be so much worse by now.
Don't charge more for tourists. Instead, set a regular price and give discounts to local residents.
So many countries have a local price and tourist price - why can’t Japan have it too?
On the bright side, tourism is contributing massively towards their economy and strengthening the Yen, both of which would be much worse without tourism.
If I were a Japanese local I would take the opportunity to explore less well-known places that most tourists would find difficult to get to - whether it's remote onsen, or go during tourism off-peak seasons other than the ever popular Spring or Autumn seaons. They have the homeground advantage and should be able to find somewhere cheaper to go with just a little homework.
I’m sorry Japanese must deal with these ignorant tourists who do not pay attention to the local culture and social rules. Some of the first things I’ve learned watching “how to travel around Japan?” videos were: “don’t be loud” and “don’t litter, pack your trash into a little bag and carry it to your hotel”. Vandalism and illegal behavior is obviously out of the question. There ARE sources to learn how to behave, easily! Not every tourist comes with malicious purposes or is ignorant of the Japanese culture.
I still don’t think making different prices for foreigners is reasonable. What if somebody is a permanent resident? Are they to be charged more? The argument that this is racist or xenophobic is really valid. I would rather look systematically at the problem: how can we address issues like overcrowding, seasonality, and soaring prices? Giving guidance like “please set at least 33% of your housing capacity for domestic tourists” or “pay more in the tourism industry to attract more workers” or “make certain tourist attentions require signup ahead of time” would definitely be the first step in making it more sustainable.
misa's "we should charge everyone the same prices equally" take doesn't make any sense because the current pricing system is wildly inequal to the native Japanese and foreigners who live and work here.
the reason so many foreign tourists are flocking to Japan right now is because of the weak yen,
so flat rates on hotel rooms mean normal/high rates for Japanese and cheap rates for foreigners.
not really sure how she can claim to work in tourism while being ignorant of exchange rates.
The "Tourism is only a good thing" concerning economics is short sighted, and mostly false. This often causes gentrification. So, sure, in the short term, tourism 'improves' the economy. But for the long term, permanent residents are financially fucked.
Ya i remembered the 90's in California when bus loads of nihonjin show up at the mall to shop- high end stores had Japanese speaking employees to accommodate. Now it's our turn to shop in Japan- so stop crying. thou i feel for the japanese residents and the overcrowding. america is much larger and can accommodate....thou try going to Yosemite and other great tourist site in America- ton of tourist.
It's not a problem to charge tourists more
だって日本に住んでる外国人はいつも在留カードを持ってるから証拠があるよね。店員さんに見せてるなんてあんまり迷惑じゃないと思う
Japans only way to stop the tourism boom is to fix itself, the government and president really need to get it together so that the country won’t have to rely on tourism as a major source of income. Japans economy on its own is just getting worst
That’s not the fault of tourism, it’s the fault of the weak yen. You could even go a step further: could be caused by the financial politic of the Japanese government.
We had tons of Japanese here in the US buying up everything and we never complained even when the Yen was very strong. If you raise prices to people from the US I will make sure everyone raises their prices when we see Japanese people here in the US. It works both ways. If you raise prices for foreigners only; Japan will be talked about very badly because this is what some of the third world countries do in Asia. You will start to get a bad reputation and you will be frowned upon when you travel overseas again. Be happy that you have the ability to attract lots of extra cash right now because you don’t know what’s going to happen in the near future. Be ‘Just’ to the foreigners.
Allot of us love Japan and we don’t want to hear stories about their bad experiences like they do for other countries where they only talk about how they got scammed and they will never want to go back or recommend anybody to go too.
Much respect to Japan. Every country has is ups and downs. You had a very very very big up in the 80’s.
Yup
If you respected the Japanese, you wouldn't disregard their bad experiences. They don't need Western tourism as much as you think. Also, they already charged higher for foreigners. No justice for foreigners is needed, only rules.
Are you dense? Americans complained all the time when japan bought stuff in us. Learn about the plaza accord kid. Entitled american. Dont come to europe
Price did not stagnate. They increased steadily
The onigiri was 100y 10 years ago it is now 140y
Energy increased, rice will increase again. Everything increased
Wage stagnate and people are suffering.
Reducing tax is also a way to give more power purchase
In Las Vegas, for example, there are higher sales taxes in the main tourist spots. However, if you show your Nevada Driver's License with a Las Vegas (or other nearby area) address, you can get exempted from some of that tax that's designed for the tourists. So, discriminating just on how someone looks is bad, but if the local population can just show an ID that says they are a local resident, they can get a lower price, or not have to pay as high of a tax and that's fine with me.
That point towards the end of the video about not focusing too much on the service industry, and focusing more on other industries like they used to, in order to improve the yen, is such a good point imo. Japanese politicians need to get a grip.
They're too busy embezzling money. >_>
I’d love to go back to school over there as an international student but won’t until Japan fixes their tourism boom. The government really messed up by opening themselves to freeing interest property owners and their leniency on foreign rule breakers
the entitlement one of the tourists had when he said that people should freely be able to go there and that you can't stop them is pretty offputting
That old man and the politician are so right about it.
There's one thing people do NOT talk about though. This is Japan's own fault. What do I mean by that?
Japan needs WORKERS, not tourists. You can see by the dwindling population and dwindling birth rate. Many people saying "it's too expensive" but it's only expensive because the government can't subsidize, why? because there's not enough tax payers, why? because they are either dying from over work, suiciding, or leaving the country because they're fed up with Japanese work culture, or not making enough babies...
One of the resons why Tokyo and Kytoto are overcrowded is because they're not buying the JR Pass after that 70% price increase, 30% would have been accepted I think, 70% is just too much so people just stay in the "popular areas".
Again, Japan's own fault.
Another thing, Japan is spending a lot of money cleaning up after the vandals or the littering happening in Shibuya, Shinjuku and maky other places thanks to the increse in tourism and Japanese people that get influenced by such tourists.
What I think Japan should do if for a minimum N5 for tourists and permanent visas to foreigners willing to live in the countryside (who have a minimum N4).
Sure tourism may decrease significantly but the QUALITY of tourists will increase and Japan won't have to spend cleaning up after the bad ones, literally.
I am a foreigner.
And my frustration with overtourism grows as well.
Japan needs to regulate very soon.
.... by raising prices? That's what they are doing.
@_sparrowhawk Raising prices seems like an an ad-hoc reaction that hurts locals more than tourists
It should simply be required to have a Visa for any form of entering the country, being restricted to 1 month (31 days) per year max unless giving and being granted a specific reason.
This way it weeds quite a bit of spontaneous and uncontrolled tourism, but also prevents immigration under the pretense of tourism (which is something that i personally know cases in large scale).
I'm a foreigner who has been travelling to Japan to Japan for almost 15-years. The number of tourists has definitely increased, and I think it's gotten even worse post-pandemic. I went in 2023, and twice in 2024. In 2023 it was the first time I had been back since the pandemic and the amount of tourism seemed out of control, and this was with the limited number of Chinese tourists that were allowed into the country. I think at that point it was only 20 or 40%. During that trip I noticed how dirty some areas were that had never been covered in litter, how bad the homeless problem had become in areas that I had never seen homeless people in before, and how crowded some places were that were typically busy, but not too much to handle. I did also experience my first theft in 2023 when a Spanish tourist on the shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo went through my laptop bag and stole a coin pouch with ¥1500 in it.
In 2024 I went for business in November and again in December, and tourism was out of control. Some places I would never have expected to see tourists at were packed. Places that had a little bit of garbage before were filthy. Tourists were blocking walkways with baggage, talking loud, littering, being rude, and generally acting poorly in public. It was really sad to see. Tourism is a difficult subject in Japan because there is a lot of money that comes out of it.
I for one am totally fine with paying more as a foreigner. It's not my country so I shouldn't assume that I have the same rights and privileges as locals. I know that isn't the case. The idea of something being "racist" because it excludes non-Japanese residents is a really twisted western perspective that a lot of people are really quick to use. That kind of thinking is dangerous.
So what do you want
@VanillaPeach-y7l this wouldn't be a big of an issue if people weren't shit. Wtf is so hard about being decent. The bare fuvking minimum. I can't fathom how someone can travel to another country and be a nuisance.
@VanillaPeach-y7l that is a very complex question. There is no easy solution to the problem, and I'm not an economist, so I wouldn't know what to suggest. I suppose charging non residents of Japan more would be an easy additional charge - or if prices don't go down, offering a subsidy for Japanese residents, while maintaining a minimum number of available rooms for rent.
That might not solve the problem though - the yen is fairly weak and a lot of Japanese residents are being priced out of even domestic vacations. I suspect it's a more complex issue than over-tourism.
@@joshabooth
I think the japanese should figure things out on solving their country's issue. Are you revisiting japan sir ?
@VanillaPeach-y7l yes, they definitely need to find a solution to their economic problems. I go to Japan 1-3 times a year and I'm going back again in April for a conference.
Every foreigner that land at an airport in Japan should be given a booklet explaining unwritten rules and expected behaviors while in Japan. Why does nobody thought of this up to now ?
It’s expensive because everyone travels at the same time, especially Golden Week. Let workers take the same amount of time off, but take it anytime. Prices, crowding, and stress will be down. Incentivize workers whose jobs allow it to travel at other times.
The point that Japanese were traveling abroad in the 80s and 90s is total BS! Prices of hotels and establishments in other countries weren’t getting higher because of “Japanese” tourists. I am 100% in favor for reduced rates for residents and Japanese citizens, and normal rates for tourists. The fact that locals can’t even travel in their own country is just unacceptable at this point.
Couldn't agree more with you! Like what kind of reason is that? Thata weird reason to bring tbh
I think it would honestly be as easy as charging a non resident fee. As long as its something that is enfored by ID and not by LOOKS, I totally don't mind different prices.
Price discrimination doesn't really work.
Let's say I run a ramen restaurant and I somehow managed to pull this off. Well the problem is that tourists are price elastic and they can just go to a different ramen restaurant instead that doesn't price discriminate. So unless all ramen restaurants somehow band together and form a price discrimination union it's going to be hard to pull off.
The easiest way would be to allow people to pay in US dollars at a higher exchange rate. It is basically a convenience fee and it goes to the establishment.
One thing Japan could do is try to promote more places other than the most visited cities by advertising/featuring less frequented but also beautiful places. I find when I read or watch about new places in Japan, I want to visit them rather than the bigger or most popular cities. I don’t think the hotel prices should be higher for tourists but maybe a visitor’s tax could be implemented for all foreigners coming into the country.
this is clearly the hotels they're the ones that rises their prices
Well you will get a huge decrease from America as we about to be super poor because of Trump.
was just in japan- they need to raise prices for tourists unless people can show local ID. burden is too much for the poor locals. we can afford it. they do this in hawaii for many attractions.
I work in a hotel, perhaps the most expensive hotel in the area. Last year, 80% of our guests were Japanese. This year, and due to Chinese New Year, Japanese guests have fallen to about 50%. Still, people are staying at our hotel, with high occupancy, and high room rates. Let alone eating, drinking, and spending elsewhere. If anything, we have raised our rates, yes. And perhaps they may come down in low season. But most of our guests are still Japanese. Everyone says Japan is as this video states, but, I don't really see it from where I am.
im american, any tourist who says its an inconvenience to carry trash around until you find a garbage can is just a lazy piece of shit. one could very easily approach a shopkeep and use something like google translate to ask to throw away a simple wrapper or can. Im sure that would be more appropriate and appreciated than throwing it on the ground. i would be furious to see my country trashed by foreigners and then have to say thank you as they leave just because they have a stronger currency. they’re all adults, and they need to use their heads and recognize the perspective of others, this should be very basic!!
It's full of police stations everywhere in Japan...why don't policemen just start giving fines to tourists behaving like savages? I've been to Japan 8 times and I saw myself the number of tourists increasing and most of them are loud, rude and uncaring or local customs. The local police is responsible for keeping Japan under control
dont want litter.
dont put trash bins everywhere.
want everyone out.
perfect country, so considerate, so polite..
giving discounts to natives sounds good in theory but a potential issue is that foreigners will hire a native give to book reservations on their behalf and then take a cut of what would have been the full price.
It’s not the foreigner’s fault. The Japanese government pushed tourism as a way to generate revenue for Japan’s economy. And it’s also the responsibility of the current government that the Yen is so depreciating. No one in Japan should think things will stay the same or automatically get better.
100%. The blame is so misplaced and the narrative is all wrong. Bring the tourists, raise the exit tax (or change it) so that the tax is centrally collected and benefits all residents not random hotels, and make a waiver so that you don't have to pay if you stay in an approved regional area (to get more people / money to regions). It kind of annoys me how the gov is handling this.
@ In my view, Japanese needs to replace the politics to growth. This current political alliance is entirely outdated and has a dirty past going all the way back to its formation.
Yet you wanna let them vote lol
Japanese hotel rooms are more expensive now than when yen was strong. We are trying to book hotels and honestly I'm thinking about cancelling the trip already. Hotels are overcharging because they can. Its price gouging. Japan is getting way more money than the rooms are worth. Poor value compared to other countries. I travel a lot but never to Japan because of the poor value perception and this price gouging had high risk of destroying Japan's reputation when it needs tourists to fix its economy.
Nah - you get what you pay for - its BETTER value than other countries - Bai might be cheaper but ist an absolute shithole - go there if thats your level and leave Japan to people with taste.
All of this will die out when the Yen recovers and tourism shrinks again. Right now Japan is in a massive tourist boom but it wont last, all of this is due to pent up demand from travel restrictions in covid. Everything swings like a pendulum
The problem is the weak yen. That's not the fault of tourists, and banning or limiting them would only make it worse.
Most Japanese people understand this. It's a decision made by the Japanese government. The anger should be directed there.
Bad behavior by tourists is a different issue. Rules against littering, being a public nuisance etc should absolutely be enforced. Just because someone is foreign isn't an excuse, nor is it a reason to assume someone can't follow basic rules of behavior.
But there's a large chunk of hypocrisy there, too. "Foreign tourists litter!" Yes, but so do Japanese people - they just do it when they think nobody is looking. Go out to any ravine by a road and peek over the edge, and odds are it'll be filled with trash and broken appliances that people were too cheap to pay the disposal fee for, so they just chucked it over the edge at night when nobody was around. It isn't foreign tourists doing that.
As an American who has visited Japan on several occasions, I can say that I would happily pay a higher rate being a tourist and I wouldn't be offended if locals have a reduced rate. This is very common in a number of countries and it helps reduce the burden of excessive tourism. In Thailand for example, it is well known that there is a "Farang tax." Some tourists may have a problem with it, that's ok, don't go there then. Japan belongs to the Japanese people, they shouldn't have to concern themselves with the feelings of foreigners when it comes to the destiny of their own country. I think it is also very important that Japan should limit tourism. If a hotel is flooded with bookings from tourists who will pay higher prices per night, they will be inclined to reject bookings from locals who expect to pay less, because naturally they will want to optimize profits by taking higher paying bookings, thus favoring bookings for foreigners. In addition to instituting an appropriate "foreigner tax," it is critical to protect the culture, language, history, and heritage of Japan by limiting tourism and foreign work visas. Many studies have shown that increasing the cost of something, increases it's perceived value as well. It also serves to "filter out" less desirable visitors by making tourism in your country unaffordable to them, which is a good thing. Japanese people should be strongly cautioned against giving in to pressure about "discrimination." Discrimination is a good thing, not a bad thing. It can serve as a bulwark against invaders who seek to corrupt and poison the culture and the country at large. Arguments of "it's rude to discriminate," or "you're racist," or anything along those lines should be summarily dismissed with prejudice. The world loves Japan and it's unique people and it's fascinating heritage and inspiring history. That's why it's such a popular destination for tourism. We all should make the necessary sacrifices to preserve and protect Japan and the Japanese people by ensuring their continued autonomy and agency over their own destiny.
I am a nisei US citizen. I think that tourist pricing is unfair because in the 80's and 90's I have been expoited by Japanese men (and a few women); they were able to do it to me and not white Americans because they were afraid. I was surrounded by more advantaged young Japanese people, but I had pride, as I was independent , hard working, and disciplined about money and lifestyle I have been a tourist at a place where everything was more expensive for tourists (and so small that everyone knew each other). Tourists had to watch their belongings, count their change, make sure nobody drugged their drinks (I didn't have alcohol except for one drink in one famous tourist restaurant the whole trip) After a trip to Japan last year, I saw how Japan has a culture to be proud of, and do not want it to be a place where people get into taxis that take long ways to hike up fares, people have to haggle to buy everything, and cause Japanese people a different reputation. About rules: tourists adjust to dress codes when they travel to Muslim countries; they follow strict rules in Singapore (like gum chewing) if you go to cathedrals visitors do not graffitti. I think that it is OK to fine and/or punish offenders. Tourists should be ticketed for throwing garbage. There are receptacles at conbini and train stations (where there are cameras, so passing off of poison would be recorded) People can walk a few blocks to throw out their soda cans or paper napkins.
Are you revisiting
In hotels as a tourist myself I am totally good with charging foreign passport holders more - up to 50% is fine i would say. Would be even better if they could redistribute some of the profits to help local economy generally....even give direct cash back to Japanese residents. Challenge is you'd need a quota for hotels to make sure they still admit local people...like 25% of their hotel capacity is reserved for locals or something.
If you increase too much price for foreign tourists, they will go somewhere else and japanese tourism would have bad reputation... but maybe in some overtourism aera it could work during peak season
Personally I would trade domestic travel for the economic benefits created by tourism. I remember up until 2023 the amount of businesses that once thrived prior to 2020 ended up dying. Some of my favorite Japanese spots turned to ghost towns. A few are beginning to recover. The real issue is concentration of tourists. They really only go to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. To be fair, the same is true for locals when looking for jobs. Japan really needs to expand tourism to other regions and cities. Drive up costs for hotels for non nationals in the main three while providing flights / train travel to other cities for cheap. I think more youtubers and influencers showcasing these other regions could help. I had never really heard of Fukuoka before seeing it on Abroad in Japan. Having now gone, its amazing its not more well known.
Complaining about it doesn't just change your economy, you get what you Vote for and if your candidates do not support your views why don't you organize and run for an election. Get involved just don't make videos about it or just suck it up.
I have a Japanese wife and when I point our Japanese people doing bad things she always deflects. She complains about America being so dangerous but often watches homicide or criminal case shows from the US. I'm like if you keep watching this stuff your impression will be skewed smh.
DUDE some of the very most fucked up murder cases happen in Japan. And usually for no reason at all. Cognitive bias is real. It reminds me of when I was a teacher living near the sea of Japan and I talked about how the beach was so full of litter. All my students would say that I comes from China, but if you look at the labels on stuff, they are very clearly Japanese.
There is the Jappan that Japan thinks it is, and the Japan that Japan really is.
You often see single women walk down dark and narrow alleyways in Tokyo without a care in the world.
Do that in the USA or some parts of Europe and you might not have any more cares in this world.
Its different than back in the 80s and 90s when all the Japanese tourists went all over the world, compared to now, the entire world is arriving in Japan. There's nothing wrong with charging a higher rate for hotels to foreigners compared to Japanese citizens. Its called a two-tier system. It would not be the first time. Airlines do it. The Shinkasen does it.
I studied Japan for about 20 years now and went there about 10 times including 1 year working on working holiday visa.
Last year I spent one year in Japan studying the language and searched for a job upon completing my Bachelor degree, but couldn't find ANY JOB although my speaking skills are pretty good. I'm so sad, I really wanted to work in Japan but it's EXTREMELY hard to find ANY JOB as a foreigner.... Especially when you're about 40 years old. Some days I just want to abandon my life-long dream of working in Japan.
i saw many answers already but regarding questions 1 I'd like to point out this is common practice in countries in South East Asia , where locals always get a discount on entrance fee's .
Perhaps the Japanese should stop being so passive and start demanding their government or companies to fix the almost 40 years old wages…it’s ridiculous to be paid a wage that clearly isn’t compatible with the current prices.
No offense but I love when you asked the Chinese tourists they were ok with paying cheaper prices but the Filipino woman was not.I agree with her, I think in order for it to be fair and balanced tourists should have to pay a bit more to stay in japan.
This is the time for Japanese people and businesses to set up shop and work forward making those foreign dollars. If something like this were to happen in periphery Malaysia we would have taken advantage of this in a heartbeat
What do you mean? How?
Malaysia is weak country and can’t survive without foreign assistance
@emelle1283 in such a condition as it is in Japan right now, it is expensive to set up shop but it is relatively cheap for foreigners particularly from Western countries to buy get into Japan and buy from those who do set up shop(provide it is legal business), and due to overtourism in Japan there's bound to be business even for budget travelers, they can pay while it's cheap. When the economy and currency recovers, those who start or restart now with cheaper solutions will reap the rewards.
I've already noticed, even since 2022, locals already get discounts at many places in the form of app discounts that require a Japanese number to register. I've seen it in many shops, chains, and restaurants.
residents shoukd get discounts but just by showing resident ID - no need for apps - many dont even use apps or phones - i never will
One thing I don't understand about the littering: Sure, there are no trashcans, but there are convenience stores everywhere! And 9/10 times they have trashcans, tourists go to konbini enough to keep that in mind ;)
Unfortunately most tourists will only go to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto because those are the cities pushed the most in travel blogs and social media and that makes those cities the hardest hit by tourism. It makes me sad to see smaller towns where the population is shrinking and rail service ends, etc, and wish they could somehow benefit from tourism dollars also and take some of the pressure off the major cities.
It is also easier to navigate these places without being able to speak Japanese than more rural areas.
On my recent trip to Japan i seen Japanese folks break every taboo they complain that foreigners do every day from littering, j-walking, being loud on the train, etc. i didn't see one misbehaving tourist... Japan is xenophobic, i hate to say it cause i've always loved Japan and dreamed of going. also was a little disappointed how un friendly Japanese folks are. they're very polite but not friendly....
Except they weren't japanese. They were asians that looked japanese. Nice try w/ the gaslighting tho.
@@davidpark2509 if they speak Japanese with a native accent then yes they are Japanese. Also, Japanese look distinct from other Asians like Chinese and Koreans
@kageyamareijikun koreans and chinese can both speak japanese fluently. Every ethnicity has a distinct look. There are some koreans that look japanese and chinese but aren't. Native japanese ppl speaking loudly on a train isn't a thing. Dude is just making up some anecdote to fit his argument.
@ you're a clown if you really think native Japanese won't be loud on trains...
@@kageyamareijikunYou have to be ethnically Japanese to be considered Japanese. Speaking the language is not enough.
Japan gets a fraction of tourism that other european countries have and they loose their minds (Italy, France, Spain, etc have 3 to 4x more tourists).
Portugal is 1/4 size of Japan and has the same number of tourists every year.
Japanese only want globalization for traveling abroad but others going to their country? That’s a big no no