A land of legends, Japan attracts millions of visitors each year. The French are particularly fond of it, as Japanese culture has been flourishing in France for several decades now. However, Japan has its flaws, like all countries, and now the Japanese government is sharing with us THE point that frustrates tourists the most.
Japan, a land of frustrations
While many Japan lovers are returning from their visit to the Somei-Yoshino and Shidare-zakura flowering season, a recent Japanese government survey reveals the frustrations encountered by tourists. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, 21.9% of more than 4,000 tourists surveyed at five major airports across the country acknowledged that the lack of trash cans in public areas was THE most frustrating aspect of their trip to the country.
Carried out between December and January at New Chitose, Narita, and Haneda airports near Tokyo, Kansai, and Fukuoka among travelers preparing to leave Japan, the survey found that the number of such complaints decreased by about eight percentage points compared to the previous year. Many tourists explained that they often had to take their waste back to their accommodations due to the lack of public trash receptacles.
Once common in Japan, public trash receptacles have become rarer in recent years due to security concerns following recent terrorist attacks such as the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 and the Madrid train bombings in 2004. Since littering is strictly prohibited in Japan, and can even be subject to fines or more severe penalties, Japanese people are accustomed to traveling with their own trash bags. They then take their waste home if they plan to eat out.
This behavior many would describe as exemplary, especially given the Japanese's commitment to cleanliness. Japanese spectators often make headlines for their impeccable behavior during the Olympic Games and other major sporting events, cleaning up the stands after the visitors have left. In 2024, Japan welcomed a record 36 million tourists, according to figures released in January. This number surpasses the previous record of 31.88 million in 2019, although tourists leave with some complaints. Among the biggest frustrations are communication barriers (15.2%), caused by the fact that restaurant and other service staff do not necessarily speak English, or overcrowding at tourist sites (13.1%). Japan has never been more attractive to tourists. foreign tourists, hence the record numbers posted by the Japanese government. However, popularity comes at a price, and Japan is forced to implement certain measures to limit the damage.
For example, Kyoto's lodging tax was increased in January, a fixed tax paid to the government by non-residents and collected by hotels and guesthouses, while several Japanese cities reportedly increased the "bathing tax" last November for visitors staying overnight at hot springs. Similarly,Japan raised entrance fees and limited the number of visitors to Mount Fuji, to limit overcrowding.
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