Overtourism and Global Challenges on Environmental Issues: A Case Study of Japanese Tourism

Overtourism is a term that has been used since 2016 which defined as the phenomenon of the increasing number of tourists which has an impact on the discomfort of the local community and or tourists in the area. The negative impacts of overtourism consisting not only in the form of direct impacts on humans, but also include impacts on the environment around these destinations. Japan as one of the countries with the highest levels of tourism, especially in its big cities which have well-known tourism destinations, became inevitable of this issue of overtourism which also has a major impact on its environment. This study aims to identify the impact of overtourism on the environment in several major cities in Japan, namely Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Okinawa. This study uses the case study method by collecting cases regarding overtourism in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Okinawa within the year 2000 to 2020, and identifying the impact that occurs as a result. The results show that overtourism in the four big cities in Japan has a negative impact on the environment such as an increase in tourist waste, threats to the security of historic sites and objects, and damage to facilities and infrastructure. This study is expected to at least has an implication of providing new data regarding the continuity between overtourism and environmental issues with a focus on Japan in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido and Okinawa.