According to the news, the number of tourists is increasing in Japan to the point that it’s actually causing a problem — “over-tourism.” I can agree that there are a lot of tourists at sightseeing spots.
A few days ago, I went to Tokyo Skytree and it was filled with visitors from different countries. In addition to it being so crowded, bad behavior by tourists could be seen, which makes local people uncomfortable.
When I went to Ueno with my friend, there was a spot where people were prohibited from walking because visitors hadn’t been sightseeing there with good manners. This situation is disappointing to both tourists and local people.
To solve these problems, I agree with the article “If you want to fix the problem of over-tourism then just look overseas” in the March 21 edition that Japan and tourism associations should emulate foreign countries to make this situation better.
In my opinion, one simple thing they can do is have signs with detailed directions to and descriptions of sightseeing spots. Even though Japan is working hard to increase signs and descriptions with different languages like English and Chinese, it hasn’t been enough. Tourists get confused about how they should get to the destination or how they should enjoy the spot.
Besides improving the signs, there should be more guides nearby. At famous tourist spots there are many Japanese people, but most of them are strangers there too, so it is uncertain that every Japanese there can act as an accurate guide. To solve the problems caused by the increase in tourists, it is important for Japanese people to learn the minimum necessary information about the places they visit.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
