bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

A Japanese hot spring town popular for its photogenic snowy scenes began limiting entry to day trippers on Monday in a trial to tackle overtourism during winter.
Ginzan Onsen, a remote town in northern Yamagata region, draws around 330,000 visitors each year.
Many share photos online of its old-fashioned buildings blanketed in snow and illuminated by lamplight that create a nostalgic atmosphere.
However, authorities in Ginzan Onsen, as in more famous destinations such as Kyoto and Mount Fuji, have become fed up with a rise in road problems, quarrels and other nuisances.


From Monday, only people staying at local hotels will be allowed to enter the town after 8pm, while those wishing to visit between 5pm and 8pm will need a reservation.
Japan has seen a record influx of foreign tourists this year as the weak yen swells a post-pandemic travel boom.
“Traffic jams have sometimes been caused by cars getting stuck in the snow, because travellers were driving with normal tyres” instead of with snow tyres, said Takayuki Saito, head of commerce and tourism for the municipality of Obanazawa, where the town is located.
“We’ve also heard of cases of emergency vehicles not being able to reach” Ginzan Onsen due to congestion, Saito said.
Driving there “can be dangerous with poor visibility in snowstorms” in winter, he said.
Until the end of February, day trippers will be asked to park at a tourism centre 2km (1.2 miles) away and pay for a shuttle bus.


The official website for Ginzan Onsen said the trial had been launched after years of debate, adding that authorities were hoping to maintain a good relationship with visitors.
When heavy traffic recently stopped an ambulance, “an emergency service team made it to the scene by running, but it was truly a life-and-death situation,” the site said.
“Some visitors are verbally abusive” when officials come to help cars stuck in snow, according to the site, which it described as “unbearable”.
More than 33 million foreign visitors have entered Japan so far this year, breaking 2019’s full-year record of nearly 32 million.
Locals in Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto have complained of tourists harassing the city’s famed geisha and decided to ban visitors from entering private alleys.
Authorities have also introduced an entry fee and daily cap on numbers on Mount Fuji’s most popular trail, while barriers were installed outside a convenience store nearby to stop crowds of snap-happy visitors getting injured on the road.


Japan’s picturesque Ginzan Onsen starts limiting day trippers to tackle overtourism

Nuclear waste storage plans offer a lifeline to Japan’s dying towns, but at what cost?

Japan brewery aims to make world’s first space sake, sell it for US$640,000

Japan’s Fukushima raises a stink over improper waste disposal, imposes name and shame rule

Japan

Ginzan Onsen, a remote town in northern Yamagata region, Japan, draws around 330,000 visitors each year. Photo: Shutterstock

Unmissable Japan, from Fukuoka’s yatai feasts to luxury ryokans and a samurai’s trek

Unlike the rest of Japan, Fukuoka has kept its yatai street stalls, and they now propel a popular foodie scene. Photo: Shutterstock

Mount Fuji from the southwest, framed by trees in autumn colours – one of the highlights of self-drive road trip around the extinct volcano. Photo: Julian Ryall

Japanese cities raise onsen ‘bathing tax’ to boost revenue, offset rising costs

People enjoy the onsen in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Onsen are a popular form of recreation among locals and foreign visitors in Japan. Photo: LightRocket via Getty Images

How a Japanese hot springs resort in Nikko is going from ruin to revival

A bath at a hot springs resort in Kinugawa Onsen, Nikko, Japan. Photo: Instagram/zuyu_and_taco

The Kinugawa River is lined with hotels both revived and abandoned. Photo: Wikipedia/掬茶

Many hotels in Kunagawa Onsen were left abandoned after the bursting of the bubble economy in the early 1990s. Photo: Instagram/_abandonedplaces

A steam bath at Kinugawa Onsen Hotel. Photo: Instagram/kinugawaonsenhotel

Abandoned hotels in Kinugawa Onsen. Photo: Instagram/momohara58

The suspension bridge near Kinugawaonsen Station. Photo: Instagram/seenbytownii

Japan’s Ginzan Onsen limits day trippers to tackle overtourism and safety concerns

A cold snowy winter evening in Ginzan Onsen. Photo: Shutterstock

Ginzan Onsen during winter at night. Photo: Shutterstock

A cold, snowy winter evening in Ginzan Onsen. Photo: Shutterstock

Himeji Castle has overlooked the town of the same name for seven centuries. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Asia

East Asia

New rules aim to ease crowding, traffic congestion, improve safety, and preserve the charm of a town known for its snowy scenes


New rules aim to ease crowding, traffic congestion, improve safety, and preserve the charm of a town known for its snowy scenes.


Tourism

Asia travel

Responsible travel