Japan begins to charge tourists for more visits amid unprecedented travel boom
There is a meme circulating that the average millennial midlife crisis unfolds like this:
- running.
- Make house plants implanted into your entire personality.
- Buy a fryer.
- Start planning a trip to Japan.
First, oh. But secondly, accuracy.
The charm of Japan has been calling on travelers (young and older) for years, but especially since the pandemic on the 19th. A unique combination of cultural traditions and cutting-edge modernity, its emphasis on the beauty of health and comfort, as well as its natural landscapes and popular attractions, is just a part of what makes Japan so attractive to many.
Last year, Japan was named the best country in the world by the Conde Nast Reader Choice Award.
And now, the weak yen is also more affordable, leading to an unprecedented travel boom that has allowed the country to travel through the 10 million tourists trademark this year at its fastest speed ever. It was a welcome boost for many, with tourism in Japan almost shutting down for more than two years during the pandemic as the country established some of the world’s strictest border controls.
But now, with Japan’s efforts to surge, it has a new problem: super-tourism, crowds affect everything from its most sacred traditions to rising prices for houses and hotels.
Yoshiki Kojima, who owns an IT company, told Japan Times in January that he was looking for affordable hotel rooms for his employees when he was traveling to Tokyo, and he told the Japan Times: “I’m glad that there are a lot of tourists coming to Japan every day, but I’m in pain every day.”
“I’ve given up,” Natsuki Sato, a mother who realized she couldn’t afford a home because she lived near a popular ski resort and tourism pushed up real estate prices, told the ABC on April 12.
And now, to help cope, some of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations are reporting a two-layer pricing system for everything from restaurants to theme parks.
Global demand for matcha soared, but experts say Japan’s limited production and reduced tea farmers have led to supply shortages. As Leanne Yu reported, some Vancouver businesses will help reduce the impact by purchasing directly from Matcha Farms.
Visits in Canada are on the rise
According to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of commercial and leisure tourists reached 3.5 million last month, increasing the total to 10.54 million in the first quarter.
Last year, Japan attracted 10 million tourists in April.
Throughout 2025, the arrival of tourists was 336.87 million in history last year. JNTO said the country’s famous cherry blossom season helped boost demand in March, which brought any month’s record for U.S. and Canadian travelers.
Canada is one of the top 20 countries that residents have recently visited Japan, recording 44,500 visits by Canadians in February alone, a 31% increase from last February. More than 550,000 Canadian tourists visited last year, a 37% increase from the previous year.
Currently, a $1 CDN will get you around 103 yen – in other words, a bowl of ramen costs about $5, and a standard hotel room is about $200 per night.
Aaron Petrowitsch, 32, of the Galgarian, said the weakness of the yen to the Canadian dollar is currently a big attraction.
“A lot of people don’t want to go to the United States right now, and it’s fair,” Petroch told CBC News. “But looking at other places where other money goes a long way, Japan is definitely one of them.”
He and his wife Sarah initially planned to travel to Japan in 2020, and they had to cancel due to 19-day travel restrictions. Petroch said he was pleasantly surprised when they rebooked their honeymoon, the trip was more affordable than it was five years ago.
“It’s definitely getting more and more popular,” Petroch said, adding that about two weeks after he returned to Calgary, one of his colleagues who went to Japan with his girlfriend, who at least knew another was planning a trip.
Openism
But as more tourists flock to Japan, many of whom are inspired by social media, so-called exaggerated travel has become a hot topic.
“The problem is not that many people go to Japan, but too many people go to the same place when they are there.”
Kenji Hamamoto of Japan Tourism Bureau told Japanese travel news site Travel Foice in January.
Some areas and attractions have taken additional measures. For example, the historic Yiisa Gion district of Kyoto has banned visitors from some of its alleys and private streets to control those trying to force Geisha and Maiko to pose for photos or touch their kimono.
The influx of tourists flocked to the photo OP, so much so that the town had to add security personnel to keep people away from its famous rail crossing.
In Fujikawaguchiko, many have blocked the roads or invaded to get famous photos of Lawson convenience stores in Mount Fuji, so much so that authorities had to set up a barrier to cover up the scene. (CNN reports that they ended up quietly withdrawing it.)
Meanwhile, a 400-year-old temple in Kyoto is plagued by garbage and unauthorized photos. Mount Fuji has become so crowded and littered that some people call it a “trash mountain.”
Two-tier pricing?
To manage openism, some tourism hotspots are raising their prices. Starting in July, anyone who climbs Mount Fuji will have to pay a 4,000 yen (about $39) license, which is twice the price of last year’s so-called “tourism tax”.
Starting next year, Himeji Castle in western Japan will charge tourists more than twice its normal interest rate. A new nature theme park called Junglia Oukinawa, ticket price for visitors is 8,000 yen, while citizens are 6,300 yen.
Some restaurants are reportedly charging travel taxes, such as an outdoor food restaurant in Tokyo, offering discounts for Japanese residents.
In 2023, officials imposed a 100-year tourism tax on tourists in Miajima, the location of Itsukushima Shrine, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, to anyone entering the “ship”.
Petrowitsch of Calgary said he didn’t really notice that there was a two-tier system when visiting, which was “the smallest” when the prices were lower for Japanese locals. He also said that unless the price difference becomes huge, that may not prevent him from visiting again.
“We had a great time.”
