Japan is struggling to deal with tourists who know no bounds of propriety. One small town has been overwhelmed with people who come to take a picture of mount Fuji with a specific convenience store in the foreground. The problem is that there are so many people that they’re blocking a sidewalk and making it difficult for patients to get in and out of the nearby dental clinic. In addition, they’re throwing trash everywhere and crossing the road in front of oncoming traffic. The town is trying to fight the problem by putting up barriers to stop people from taking these pictures, but some asshole tourists are poking holes in the barrier to take their photos:
Seems some people just can’t take a goddamn hint.
Meanwhile in Kyoto, asshole tourists have been chasing down geisha and maiko, hounding them like paparazzi and invading their personal space as they try to get souvenir photos of these poor women. Except worse, because these jerks are also doing things like pulling on their hair, or trying to swipe articles of clothing from them. Kyoto is now banning gawkers from some private streets and paths, threatening fines up to $65. Hope it works.
I don’t live in Japan, but I’ve been visiting a lot lately. As a taller-than-average white dude who only speaks a few words of Japanese, I don’t exactly blend in here - and I hate the idea that locals may see me coming down the sidewalk and think to themselves “oh great, another fucking tourist.” The assholes in the articles above are certainly doing their part to make that kind of resentment all the more prevalent.
The article says that people want to capture two Japanese icons in one shot; Mount Fuji and a convenience store. I’m guessing this is an Instagram sort of thing.
I’d be fascinated to know who these asshole tourists are. My theory is that there’s a pretty big overlap with “American Trump supporters”. I do acknowledge that European and Canadian assholes are a thing, but come on … statistics and correlations with asshole-ish behaviours!
I have read (no cite) that most of those uncivilized tourists are from the rest of Asia, mostly Chinese. I have the prejudice that “American Trump supporters” don’t travel abroad much, and certainly not to Japan. I may be wrong.
Shitty behaviour in a foreign country should follow you around in some form. Over tourism is a real thing in a lot of places, a rapidly expanding list, I’m afraid.
If you spray paint your name on something or behave in culturally offensive way, it should be marked on the passport. Other over touristed popular destinations deserve to know and should not be afraid to say, ‘Nope, you can’t come here.’
This sort of obnoxious tourism is hard to check, something should be done beyond booting them out or fining them. And public shaming doesn’t really seem to matter to them.
This is nothing to do with Japan, but connects to the “Instagram ruins everything” theme: some asshole in Seattle who is terrorizing Belltown with his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat specifically for the Instagram follows, and getting remarkably light fines for it so far (NYT gift link):
Instagram ought be banning users who violate local laws. And in addition to merely going after idiot kids with a camera (or a loud car) the governments ought to be going after Instagram for motivating and enabling this kind of thing.
I have the same impression, and I think the fact that the Japanese Yen is very cheap makes Japan affordable for that kind of tourism. If it gets out of hand everywhere and not just in a couple of social media hyped sites it will be a shock for the Japanese. I hope they can cope and don’t end feeling like Mallorca.
Sadly so in many areas. African safaris are full of Chinese tourists. It seems that all the women do is scream every time they see a wild animal, and film themselves screaming. Bad for the animals, bad for other tourists, just. . .bad.
A small % of Westerners in Japan have for decades been assholes. Getting away with behavior that would get them arrested in the US, and kinda given a pass by the Japanese police. Obnoxious drunken behavior being par for course. It certainly happened when I lived in Tokyo in 1991-1994. An example back then was to take over a subway car on Halloween on the main Yamanouchi line that circled Tokyo. Drunken western revelers would fill the car, and while having their own fun were very intimidating and definitely crossed a cultural behavioral if not legal line.
There are certain neighborhoods, bars, restaurants, places of business such as apartment leasing agencies, where “gaijin” or foreigners are definitely not welcome. And when I say “not welcome”, that could translate into a good old ass kicking if you didn’t immediately fuck off.
As for Chinese tourists. It’s an issue. Unsophisticated country bumpkins on very budget tour groups have no idea on how to act or what cultural norms are in other countries. They are not deliberately being jerks, but certainly act that way. And the tour guides are often the worst ring leaders (Ex. explaining that when the flight staff say to stay in your seats until the seatbelt signs are off, that’s the signal to rush to the front of the plane where you stuffed the overhead bins with take on luggage and beat the crowd off the plane).
