Japan, amid an unprecedented travel boom, is starting to charge tourists more to visit

There's a meme circulating that the average millennial midlife crisis unfolds like this: 

1. Take up running.
2. Make house plants your entire personality.
3. Buy an air fryer.
4. Start planning a trip to Japan.

First of all, ouch. But second of all, the accuracy.

The allure of Japan has called to travellers (young and old, for the record) for years, but especially since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unique mix of cultural traditions and cutting-edge modernity, its emphasis on wellness and aesthetic of comfort, and its natural landscapes and popular attractions are just part of what makes Japan so appealing to many.

Last year, Japan was named the best country to visit in the world by the Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards.

And now, bolstered by a weak yen, it's also more affordable, leading to an unprecedented travel boom that saw the country cross the 10-million visitor mark at its fastest-ever pace this year. For many, it's a welcome boost, after tourism to Japan was all but halted for more than two years during the pandemic, as the country put up some of the world's strictest border controls.

But now as Japan grapples with the surge, it has a new problem: overtourism, with crowds affecting everything from some of its most sacred traditions to increasing housing and hotel prices. 

"I'm happy there are so many visitors to Japan, but I'm agonizing every day," Yoshiki Kojima, who owns an IT company, told the Japan Times in January about his struggles to find affordable hotel rooms for his employees when they travel to Tokyo.

"I've already given up," Natsuki Sato, a mother who realized she could not afford to buy a home because she lives near a popular ski resort where tourism has driven up property prices, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on April 12.

And now, to help cope, some of Japan's most popular tourism destinations are reportedly rolling out a two-tier pricing system on everything from restaurants to theme parks.

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Canadian visits on the rise

Arrivals of foreign visitors for business and leisure reached 3.5 million last month, bringing the total through the first quarter to 10.54 million, data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) showed.

Last year, Japan reached 10 million visitors in April.

For the whole of 2025, tourist arrivals are on pace to eclipse last year's all-time level of 36.87 million. The nation's famed cherry blossom season helped boost demand in March, which saw record arrivals for any single month among travellers from the United States and Canada, the JNTO said.

And Canada was among the top 20 countries whose residents have visited Japan recently, with 44,500 visits from Canadians recorded in February alone, up 31 per cent from last February. Over 550,000 Canadian tourists visited last year, up 37 per cent from the year before.

Right now, $1 Cdn gets you about 103 yen — or in other words, a bowl of ramen can cost about $5, and a standard hotel room about $200 a night.

The weakness of the yen against the Canadian dollar is a big draw right now, says Aaron Petrowitsch, 32, a Calgarian who travelled to Tokyo and Kyoto for his honeymoon in February. 

"A lot of people don't want to travel to the States right now, and fair enough," Petrowitsch told CBC News. "But looking at other places where your money goes a long way, Japan is definitely one of those places."

He and his wife Sarah had originally planned a trip to Japan in 2020, which they had to cancel due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. When they rebooked for their honeymoon, Petrowitsch says he was pleasantly surprised that the trip would be more affordable than it would have been five years ago.

"It's getting more and more popular, that's for sure," Petrowitsch said, adding that about two weeks after he got back to Calgary, a colleague of his travelled to Japan with his girlfriend, and he knows at least one other colleague planning a trip.

Overtourism

But as more tourists flock to Japan, many of them inspired by social media, what's called overtourism has become a hot topic. 

"The issue is not so much with too many people going to Japan, but with too many people going to the same places while they're there," James Mundy of Inside Japan explained on the Responsible Travel website.

"What tourists and local communities want to do is not sometimes harmonized," Kenji Hamamoto of the Japan Tourism Agency told Travel Voice, a Japanese travel news site, in January.

Some regions and attractions have taken extra measures. The historic geisha district of Gion in Kyoto, for instance, has banned tourists from some of its alleyways and private streets in an attempt to control those who have reportedly tried to force geisha and maiko to pose for photos or touched their kimonos.

Tourists flocking Kamakura for a photo op have become so problematic that the town had to add security guards to keep people away from its famed railway crossing.

And in Fujikawaguchiko, so many people have blocked roads or trespassed to get an Instagram-famous photo of the Lawson Convenience Shop by Mount Fuji that authorities had to put up a barrier to block the view. (They eventually, quietly, took it back down, CNN reports.)

Meanwhile, a 400-year-old temple in Kyoto has been plagued by litter and unauthorized photo shoots. And Mount Fuji has become so overcrowded and littered by tourists that some have called it "trash mountain."  

Two-tier pricing?

To manage overtourism, some tourist hotspots are increasing their prices. Starting in July, anyone who climbs Mount Fuji will have to pay 4,000 yen, or about $39 Cdn, for a permit — double the price of last year's so-called "tourist tax."

Starting next year, Himeji Castle in western Japan will charge tourists more than double its normal rate. A new nature-themed park called Junglia Okinawa is charging 8,000 yen for a one-day pass for tourists, versus 6,300 yen for citizens.

It's been reported that some restaurants are charging a tourist tax, such as an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant in Tokyo that offers a discount for residents of Japan.

And in 2023, officials rolled out a 100-yen tourist tax to visitors at Miyajima, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Itsukushima Shrine, to anyone entering "by boat."

Petrowitsch, from Calgary, says he didn't really notice a two-tier system on his visit, and when there was a lower price for Japanese locals, it was "minimal." He also says it likely won't deter him from visiting again, unless the price difference becomes drastic.

"We had such a great time."