Japan Drops a Tourism Bombshell as Kyoto Reveals Chinese Visitors Were Wrongly Blamed for Overtourism

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July 21, 2026 6:13 AM

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Kyoto has long been recognised as one of Japan’s most treasured cultural destinations, drawing millions of domestic and international travellers every year. However, as concerns surrounding overcrowding, strained public transport, and rising accommodation costs continue to intensify, Chinese tourists, Kyoto overtourism, Japan tourism, China-Japan relations, and Kyoto tourism have increasingly become intertwined in public debate. A newly released report has now challenged widely held assumptions, suggesting that mainland Chinese visitors have been unfairly blamed for many of the city’s tourism-related problems despite a significant decline in their actual numbers.

According to findings published by the Kyoto City Tourism Association’s destination management organisation, many residents have associated congestion across Kyoto with mainland Chinese tour groups. Yet tourism statistics have presented a very different picture. Visitor arrivals and overnight stays from mainland China have dropped sharply amid worsening diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo, indicating that the perception surrounding Chinese tourism has increasingly diverged from reality.

Kyoto Report Challenges Public Perceptions of Overtourism

Fresh analysis released by the Kyoto City Tourism Association has suggested that public opinion regarding the causes of overtourism has not been supported by tourism data. Crowded buses, packed streets surrounding heritage attractions, and increasing hotel prices have often been attributed to mainland Chinese tourists by local residents. However, the organisation has concluded that this belief has been largely inconsistent with actual visitor statistics recorded over the past two years.

Instead of experiencing an influx of Chinese visitors, Kyoto has witnessed a considerable reduction in arrivals from mainland China. This decline has been linked primarily to Beijing encouraging its citizens to choose alternative holiday destinations as geopolitical tensions between China and Japan have continued to deepen.

As a result, although overcrowding has remained a visible issue in Kyoto, it has not been driven primarily by mainland Chinese tourism, as has frequently been assumed.

Declining Chinese Tourism Has Been Overshadowed by Public Assumptions

Tourism experts have argued that public perceptions have increasingly been shaped by political developments and widespread media coverage rather than by actual visitor data. Reports focusing on diplomatic disputes between China and Japan have appeared almost daily, reinforcing existing public attitudes and contributing to growing frustration among some local residents.

Recent media attention has included reports concerning Chinese vessels conducting maritime research inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the detention in China of two Japanese nationals suspected of smuggling restricted rare earth products, and the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a Chinese submarine into the South Pacific.

Although these events have been unrelated to tourism, analysts have suggested that continued exposure to such stories has influenced how Chinese visitors have been perceived within Japanese society, particularly in major tourism centres such as Kyoto.

Social Media and Misidentification Have Fuelled Misconceptions

Takuya Horie, Director of Planning and Marketing for the Kyoto City Tourism Association, has identified several factors contributing to misconceptions surrounding Chinese tourism in Kyoto.

According to Horie, inaccurate information has frequently been circulated by individuals holding negative views towards China while overlooking official tourism statistics. Judgements have also been formed by people who have not recently visited Kyoto, with impressions instead being influenced by selective social media videos or situations observed elsewhere in Japan.

Another important factor has been the visibility of organised Chinese tour groups. Large groups moving together through famous attractions naturally attract greater public attention than individual travellers. Consequently, residents encountering these groups have often assumed that Chinese tourism has reached far higher levels than the data has actually shown.

Language has also contributed to confusion. Observers have noted that many Japanese residents have heard Mandarin being spoken and immediately concluded that the speakers were visitors from mainland China. In reality, many could have been travellers from Taiwan or ethnic Chinese living in other parts of the world.

Tourism Figures Reveal a Different Story

Official statistics have painted a much different picture than public opinion.

The Kyoto City Tourism Association reported that mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 3.5 million overnight stays in Kyoto during 2025, excluding day visitors. This represented an increase of 8.8 per cent compared with the previous year.

However, conditions changed dramatically during the current year.

According to Horie, overnight stays by mainland Chinese visitors have declined by approximately 60 per cent compared with the corresponding period in 2025. Based on current trends, Chinese visitors are expected to account for less than 10 per cent of Kyoto’s total international arrivals this year.

These figures have directly contradicted the widespread belief that mainland Chinese tourism has been the principal cause of overtourism throughout Kyoto.

National Tourism Trends Mirror Kyoto’s Experience

The pattern observed in Kyoto has also been reflected across Japan.

Figures released by the Japan National Tourism Organisation have shown that inbound tourism during the first six months of the year declined by 2 per cent to 21.1 million arrivals, representing Japan’s first first-half decline in international tourism in five years.

Among all source markets, mainland China recorded one of the sharpest declines.

Chinese arrivals dropped by more than 56 per cent to 2.06 million visitors during the first half of the year. Spending by Chinese tourists also declined by 48.8 per cent compared with the same period last year, significantly reducing one of Japan’s traditionally strongest tourism markets.

Other International Markets Have Filled Much of the Gap

Despite weaker arrivals from China, Japan’s tourism industry has remained relatively resilient.

The depreciation of the Japanese yen has continued attracting visitors from several neighbouring and long-haul markets. Arrivals from South Korea increased by 18.6 per cent, while visitor numbers from Taiwan rose by nearly 21 per cent. Travellers arriving from the United States also recorded growth of 7.1 per cent.

These expanding markets have compensated for much of the reduction in Chinese tourism, helping maintain strong overall international visitor numbers despite geopolitical challenges.

Nevertheless, the continued absence of large numbers of Chinese tourists has created uncertainty regarding Japan’s long-term tourism ambitions.

Japan’s 2030 Tourism Target Faces Additional Pressure

The Japanese government has established an ambitious objective of welcoming 60 million international visitors annually by 2030, following the record 42.68 million foreign arrivals achieved during 2025.

Tourism specialists have warned that sustained weakness in the Chinese market could complicate efforts to reach that target.

China has historically represented one of Japan’s largest and highest-spending inbound tourism markets. Continued political tensions therefore remain capable of influencing not only visitor numbers but also tourism revenue across the country.

Experts Reject Blaming Any Single Nationality

Temesgen Assefa, Chief Consultant at JTB Tourism Research and Consulting, has emphasised that assigning responsibility for overtourism to any single nationality would be inaccurate.

Kyoto has been described as serving an exceptionally diverse international visitor base. While organised tour groups may appear more visible because they travel collectively, overall congestion has resulted from the combined impact of millions of visitors arriving from multiple countries.

Growing anti-foreign tourist sentiment has also been observed in Japan during recent years, with political disagreements between Japan and China believed to have intensified tensions between local communities and international visitors.

According to Assefa, perceptions created by visibility should not be confused with actual tourism statistics.

Practical Solutions Have Been Proposed to Ease Congestion

Rather than focusing on nationality, experts have suggested practical measures capable of reducing pressure across Kyoto’s busiest tourism districts.

Among the recommendations has been the expansion of bus services operating along routes serving the city’s most visited attractions. Consideration has also been given to introducing a two-tier fare structure under which local residents and tourists would pay different transport prices.

Additional efforts have been recommended to encourage visitors to explore lesser-known neighbourhoods across Kyoto rather than concentrating exclusively around iconic landmarks.

Travellers have also been encouraged to schedule trips outside the peak cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons, helping distribute tourism demand more evenly throughout the year while reducing pressure on transport networks and heritage sites.

Political Tensions Continue to Shape Public Attitudes

Analysts have argued that broader diplomatic disagreements continue to influence public opinion.

Relations between Japan and China have remained strained, with limited signs of improvement. Additional tensions emerged after comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Statements concerning the Taiwan Strait further intensified diplomatic disagreements between the two governments.

Although these developments have occurred at the political level, analysts believe extensive media coverage has contributed to stereotypes and increased hostility directed towards Chinese visitors within parts of Japanese society.

Experts have stressed that isolated incidents involving individual tourists should not be generalised across an entire nationality. While disruptive behaviour may leave lasting impressions, official tourism data has demonstrated that assumptions regarding Chinese visitors have not reflected current travel patterns.

Kyoto’s overtourism challenges have therefore been shown to stem from a far more complex combination of infrastructure limitations, overall visitor growth from multiple international markets, seasonal travel peaks, and broader tourism management issues rather than the actions or presence of any single national group.