Assessing the state of overtourism firsthand reveals some surprising results. 

Kyoto is fast becoming known for overtourism, with news reports often pointing out the negative impact it has on the historic city. The issue of overcrowding is said to be so bad that people from other parts of Japan are no longer visiting, but are the reports warranted?

This was something that had long been on the mind of our reporter Ikuna Kameazawa, so when she found herself in Kyoto on 8 August, the first day of the annual Obon holiday according to Japan Rail, she decided to take a look around the city to see just how bad the overcrowding was.

For starters, it didn’t feel overly crowded at the station — by her judgement it was as you’d expect for a popular site, in that it was busy but not unbearably so.

Ikuna had been slightly concerned about not being able to move for crowds of people so she was relieved to find there was room to breathe at the station. Still, she wasn’t at a busy tourist site yet, so after arriving at the station at 8 a.m. she stood in line at the stop for the 206 City Bus, silently praying it wouldn’t end up being tightly packed like she’d seen in news reports.

The 206 City Bus, which stops at famous spots like Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizudera temples, as well as Gion, and Kyoto University, runs frequently so boarding turned out to be actually quite smooth.

Granted, there weren’t enough seats for everyone who boarded, but it wasn’t so packed that people were shoulder-to-shoulder either. Plus, half the passengers appeared to be young locals, with Ikuna guessing they were probably Kyoto University students. As she was mulling over these thoughts, she realised the bus was now approaching her stop, near the world-famous Kiyomizudera temple.

▼ Ikuna pushed the button for her stop.

At this point, it was just past 9 a.m., and when she stepped off the bus she felt it was so quiet it hardly felt like one of Japan’s top tourist spots.

Still, there are multiple routes to the temple so as she passed the souvenir stores, which had, for the most part, had opened to some degree for the day, she decided to reserve judgement about the lack of people she was encountering.

She certainly wasn’t complaining about the situation, as she felt an immense sense of relief at not having to navigate her way through throngs of tourists. She actually found herself enjoying the journey, looking around at the unfamiliar sights with a sense of wonder as she made her way along the approach to the temple.

▼ After walking for a while, she spotted the three-storey pagoda of Kiyomizudera in the distance.

The temple gates open from 6 a.m. so visitors arriving around that time will likely find the streets even quieter. A lot of visitors actually do opt for an early-morning visit, especially in summer, and after walking with beads of sweat dripping off her, Ikuna can attest to the fact that early mornings really are a good time to get some sightseeing done.

▼ When she arrived at her destination, the heat was soon forgotten as she gazed up at the entrance to Kiyomizudera.

Stopping to pay for her entry at the ticket booth, Ikuna was surprised to find that it too was empty, with hardly anyone there. With her ticket costing just 500 yen (US$3.36), she couldn’t quite believe how cheap it was, and she couldn’t help thinking that tourists from overseas would likely pay 3,000 or 4,000 yen to enter a site this special.

After entering, she made her way to the famous balcony area, where she finally found more visitors. It wasn’t the floor-crushing crowd she’d anticipated, though, so she was able to easily move over to the edge of the balcony, where she was able to look out over the trees and admire the view.

▼ It’s hard to believe that the famous wooden balcony and main hall of Kiyomizudera were built without the use of a single nail.

Making her way to the area with omikuji (fortune slips), she didn’t even have to wait a second to draw her fortune as there was nobody in line. She pulled the number four, which, when she pulled out the corresponding fortune slip, turned out to be good fortune, which she was very happy with.

She continued to walk around for a bit beyond the main temple, and was surprised when a total of four different tourists from overseas spoke to her in English, each at different times.

▼ She wondered if maybe her not-so-run-of-the-mill pink hair made the visitors think she was a foreign tourist as well?

It’s clear to say that the majority of visitors were from overseas, and they seemed to be just as awestruck of the beautiful surroundings as Ikuna. After taking it all in, she returned back down the approach, where she found there were more people than earlier.

However, after passing the shops, the crowd thinned out completely and Ikuna found herself on her own again.

So, after visiting Kiyomizudera, how did Ikuna feel about the overtourism problem in Kyoto? Well, from her personal standpoint, not once that day did she feel like she was in a crowd, and certainly not an overly punishing one.

▼ As she waited near the bus stop when heading back, the place looked like an ordinary residential neighbourhood.

While some critics might question whether visiting during Obon, a holiday period when a lot of locals return to their hometowns, had an effect on the crowds, Ikuna says it shouldn’t really affect things as it’s a holiday that foreign tourists don’t celebrate. After all, she was here to asses the overtourism situation, which largely deals with overseas tourists, and from her point of view, it wasn’t as bad as reports suggest.

However, she does realise that visiting one site during the morning may not be indicative of the wider situation at other tourist areas, but as far as Kiyomizudera is concerned, you shouldn’t feel put off by visiting for fear of crowds.

▼ The Uji matcha soft serve is worth fighting for, though, if you have to.

After visiting the temple, Ikuna had a wider appreciation for the benefits of seeing something firsthand. Sure, there might be days when tourist sites in Kyoto seem overly crowded, but from her experience, there are also days when you can find yourself walking about without anyone around you.

So if you’ve been fearful of visiting Kyoto, don’t be — it’s not always as crowded as people fear! In saying that, though, she does have a word of warning for those visiting during peak periods like sakura and autumn-leaf-viewing seasons, because then you’ll have to get up really early to beat the crowds.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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