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

The picturesque mountain town of Ginzan Onsen plans to impose a cap on day-trippers as it struggles to cope with an influx of tourists, the latest Japanese city forced to take action to deal with overtourism that threatens to overwhelm the community .

While the problem of too many visitors is well known in cities like Kyoto, Kamakura and Hiroshima, it is particularly serious in this 400-year-old city in Yamagata Prefecture, which has designated certain areas as vehicle-free. Unfortunately, the still narrow roads made it difficult for ambulances to reach people in need of medical attention due to traffic jams.

On November 14, the Ginzan Onsen Association announced new traffic restrictions starting December 23 and lasting until early March. These restrictions coincide with winter, which is the busiest season for the city, as many foreign visitors come to experience the region’s famous deep snowfall.

Visitors will need to park and take a shuttle into town. From 5 p.m., the number of excursionists will be limited to 100 per hour.

Since 2013, the association has been exploring various solutions to this problem. However, the situation has worsened in recent years as tourist numbers have increased, even leading to clashes between visitors jostling for photos.

Local residents were also unable to rescue people stuck in snowdrifts and faced “unbearably abusive comments” from visitors, a city official said.