Oct. 11 marks one year since Japan reopened its borders to individual tourists. Since then, the relatively new word インバウンド (inbaundo, inbound) has been making frequent appearances in the news.

While its original meaning is “inward bound,” the Japanese katakana usually suggests 訪日旅行 (hōnichi ryokō, travel to Japan) and 外国人旅行客 (gaikokujin ryokō-kyaku, foreign travelers). In the context of 訪日, the kanji 訪 (hō, otozu[reru], tazu[neru]) means “visiting,” and 日 (nichi, jitsu, hi, ka) represents 日本 (Nippon/Nihon, Japan).

According to a survey conducted by 観光庁 (kankōchō, the Japan Tourism Agency), the proportion of visitors who are リピーター (ripītā, repeaters) has been steadily increasing, making up the majority of overseas tourists. Another trend that has been spotted is 滞在の長期化 (taizai no chōki-ka, prolonged stays), which allows visitors to explore less touristy places in addition to the main destinations of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Local towns and villages are slowly benefiting from this trend by offering immersive 体験型の講座 (taiken-gata no kōza, hands-on workshops), or by allowing the renovation of 空き家 (akiya, vacant homes) into 古民家ホテル (kominka hoteru, old house hotels).

空き家 are simply 空いている家 (aite-iru ie, empty houses) that nobody lives in, but the definition of 古民家 is a little more complicated because not every old home can be given that label. 古民家 have to be 伝統的な様式の古い民家 (dentō-tekina yōshiki no furui minka, old private houses that are in a traditional style), which is still slightly different from another type of old home, a 町屋 (machiya). 町屋, often written as 町家 (machiya) with the same pronunciation, used to serve as both shops and residences. 京都のように古い街並みが残る都市では、町屋が軒を連ねているのを見つけられます (Kyoto no yō ni furui machinami ga nokoru toshi dewa, machiya ga noki o tsuranete-iru no o mitsukeraremasu, You can find rows of machiya in cities like Kyoto that still have old streets).

While local business owners appreciate the return of travelers, there’s a growing concern about オーバーツーリズム (ōbātsūrizumu, overtourism) among people living in the most popular destinations. 観光庁 defines オーバーツーリズム as: 訪問客の著しい増加等が、市民生活や自然環境、景観等に対する負の影響を受忍できない程度にもたらしたり、旅行者にとっても満足度を大幅に低下させたりするような観光の状況 (hōmon-kyaku no ichijirushī zōka tō ga, shimin-seikatsu ya shizen kankyō, keikan-tō ni tai suru fu no eikyō o junin dekinai teido ni motarashitari, ryokō-kyaku ni totte mo manzoku-do o ōhaba ni teika sasetari suru yōna kankō no jokyō, a tourism situation where the significant increase of visitors leads to negative impacts on residents’ lives, the natural environment and landscapes to an intolerable degree, which also substantially diminishes the satisfaction of travelers).

オーバーツーリズム often translates to 観光公害 (kankō kōgai) in Japanese, which literally means “tourism pollution.” The portmanteau consists of two words: 観光 (kankō, tourism) and 公害 (kōgai, pollution). If you visit a place for 観光, then you are a 観光客 (kankō kyaku, tourist). The other term, 公害, is used to describe the damage that nature and the public suffer from, such as 大気汚染 (taiki osen, air pollution) and 騒音 (sōon, loud noise). The origin of the combined word 観光公害 dates back to the 1970s, but it has become more common in the Japanese lexicon since the late 2010s, following a surge in the number of 外国人観光客 (gaikoku-jin kankō kyaku, foreign tourists).

What kind of pollution is brought by overtourism? Well, in Kyoto, for example, residents claim that バスや電車の極端な混雑 (basu ya densha no kyokutanna konzatsu, extreme crowding on buses and trains) and マナー違反 (manā-ihan, violation of manners) are the serious problems. ゴミのポイ捨て (gomi no poisute, littering of trash) and 通行を妨げる写真撮影 (tsūkō o samatageru shashin satsuei, photo shootings that impede traffic) can also be typical examples of マナー違反.

As the autumn sightseeing season of 紅葉 (kōyō, autumn foliage) approaches, Kyoto’s municipal government is preparing measures to keep overtourism at bay. The city stopped selling one-day passes for buses at the end of September, and will now encourage tourists to use a one-day pass that will allow access to both buses and subways. In addition, during November the city will launch a campaign to provide bus users heading to Kyoto Station with 乗り換え券 (norikae-ken, transfer tickets) that allow them to ride subways during the evening peak hours in order to ease 交通渋滞 (kōtsū jūtai, traffic congestion). In particular, there will be planned 交通規制 (kōtsū kisei, traffic restriction) in the vicinity of 清水寺 (Kiyomizu-dera, Kiyomizu Temple) during weekends and holidays next month.

錦市場 (Nishiki ichiba, Nishiki Market) is another popular Kyoto site that is trying to cope with マナー違反. Locals claim it is now too crowded to buy their everyday groceries, and the market utilizes posters and audio announcements in multiple languages to ask tourists to refrain from ごみのポイ捨て and 食べ歩き (tabearuki, eating while walking).

観光庁 reports that overtourism is 観光立国を目指す上で乗り越えなければならない課題 (kankō-rikkoku o mezasu ue de norikoe nakereba naranai kadai, a challenge that [Japan] must overcome in the pursuit of [becoming a] tourist destination). For the word 観光立国 (kankō-rikkoku), you may want to note that 立国 (rikkoku) has two meanings: one is to build a new country, and the other is to prosper a country via a certain concept or approach. Thus, Japan is seeking to grow through its attractions as a 旅の目的地 (tabi no mokuteki-chi, destination for travel).

Realizing 市民生活と観光の調和 (shimin seikatsu to kankō no chōwa, the harmony between the lives of citizens and tourism) may be challenging, but at the end of the day, the struggle is indicative of Japan’s draw as a tourist nation.