Tourists have transformed Tokyo from a tranquil urban oasis into a congested scramble for the perfect selfie. Still, there has never been a better time to visit.
| If you are thinking of staying in my spare room in Tokyo in the next six months, then bugger off.
Fears the Land of the Rising Sun could take time to bounce back from its pandemic isolation have been erased by the latest government data which shows 1.8 million foreigners visited Japan in March. Estimates suggest April numbers will be 2.9 million, on par with the same month in 2019. Then floodgates opened last month, with the arrival of the famous cherry blossom season. It was a shock after only experiencing a relatively sleepy Tokyo since I arrived here mid-pandemic in 2021.Travellers are experiencing three-hour waits to clear immigration. Tickets to attractions like the Shibuya Sky Observation Deck and TeamLab Planets are sold-out weeks in advance, and there are queues for just about everything.
last week, there was a line and a sign urging customers not to use tripods or props when taking photos.Japan is ‘rammed’ with tourists – and Chinese visitors aren’t even back”.There is a good reason for this. Japan is a fantastic place to holiday. Great food, a weak yen, polite people, the world’s most convenient convenience stores, stunning scenery and a rich history and culture. It is easy to get around and no-one is going to mug you.
Some residents, particularly those in Kyoto where the tourist crush is most obvious, are also unhappy about overcrowded public transport, noise and littering.
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