How Social Media Fuels Over-tourism in Japan Ngo Thi Hien Anh Sophia University January 9, 2025 1 How Social Media Fuels Over-tourism in Japan Over the last decade, the rise of social media has transformed how people around the world make their travel plans and share experiences. For Japan, it has played a crucial role in promoting the country's unique features, attracting both domestic and international tourists. Through platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, Japan's most picturesque locations like the iconic Mount Fuji are popularized. Although this has significantly contributed to economic growth in Japan by representing 7.1% of its national economic output in 2023 (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2024), it may have also led to over-tourism. Viral posts showcasing beautiful locations, hidden gems, and local customs have encouraged platform users to descend on certain places in the country, thus exceeding the capacity of regional infrastructure and disrupting residents' lives. Popular destinations such as Kyoto, which saw a record of 75.18 million tourists in 2023, have reported their status of overcrowding so severe that both local life and travel experience have been compromised (Mainichi Japan, 2024). All of this suggests that social media has contributed to over-tourism in Japan, leaving many negative impacts on both the residents and the tourists themselves. The first problem associated with social media is that it often disproportionately promotes certain destinations, leading to some areas capturing more attention compared to others. According to Alnajim and Fakieh, social media marketing has emerged as a new marketing strategy that utilizes electronic word of mouth (eWOM) to promote goods and services to reach targeted consumers, making it a highly effective tool for influencing consumer behavior (2023). While traditional word of mouth has limited reach and impact, eWOM can spread quickly through media platforms and exist in the form of posts or reviews. Since 2 consumers can interact with eWOM through online comments and replies, they tend to trust it more than traditional advertisements. This type of two-way interaction also allows content creators to learn from users for market research, which they can use to generate more content that appeals to users’ preferences (Eliasson and Velasco, 2018). In the case of tourism, social media has gained the power to influence people’s decision-making during the pre-trip stage by showing them reviews of their desired locations and visual references of those places (Gretzel, 2019). When certain spots capture more attention compared to others on social media, it may become a trend among tourists to visit them. This is often exacerbated by media sites’ algorithms, which usually reward content with higher views and interactions. For example, landmarks like the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto often dominate travel feeds, creating an impression that these are the must-visit spots. This concentrated focus on specific destinations not only encourages large numbers of tourists to flock to just a few areas but also places immense pressure on infrastructure, causing significant strains. Besides the effects of marketing-generated content, user-generated content on social media has also contributed to overtourism in Japan. With social platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it is easy for influencers and travel bloggers to reach their target audience and influence their decision-making. They tend to romanticize their experience by only sharing polished and picturesque moments from the locations. This eventually creates a sense of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among users, motivating them to go to the same spot and experience the same thing (Misra and Sharma, 2021). Posts with rankings of “best”-rated spots, as well as videos with titles like “Places that you cannot miss in Japan” are increasingly common, thus leading to more tourists in already popular locations (Song and Wondirad, 2023). For instance, online posts and pictures of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto are stunning, making it the ideal 3 place to spend one’s holiday. However, only when people visit it do they realize that it is overwhelmingly crowded there and their experience turns out disappointing. This circumstance is also reflected in Lee’s research, where Kyoto is reported to account for the most negative responses among past travelers on Twitter, compared to Kamakura, Nara, Tokyo, and Nikko (2022). Some people might already acknowledge that those places can be overcrowded, but they may still go because of the powerful psychological effect of FOMO. It seems that the fear of missing an opportunity to experience what most people share can override the practical concerns of overcrowding (Mohanan and Shekhar, 2021). This demonstrates how FOMO influences behavior as it prioritizes perceived social inclusion or mental fulfillment over comfort or practicality. Lastly, social media has made photography a powerful motivator for travel, drawing tourists to popular destinations in unprecedented numbers. Specifically, far from old-fashioned advertisements and travel guides, social platforms nowadays allow users to actively share their photos and videos with a much broader range of people. At the same time, high engagement with visually captivating pictures of popular spots can generate a desire among viewers to visit these destinations and take similar photos at the same place, thus creating trends. This has contributed to huge crowds in places like Gion - a historic entertainment district in Kyoto. Since local life was negatively affected, the authorities have banned tourists from entering private streets in search of geishas or maikos heading to work in traditional attire (Nakamoto et al., 2024). The same situation also happened to a Lawson convenience store in Fuji Kawaguchiko, from which visitors can capture a breathtaking view of the famous Mount Fuji. After crowds started disrupting traffic, the local authorities had no choice but to block the view by putting up black netting (Nakamoto et al., 2024). Additionally, the urge to take a perfect photo from an ideal angle for social media posts can also drive individuals to engage in reckless 4 behaviors and adopt unsustainable practices (Pearce and Moscardo, 2015). Concerns include the risk of crowd stampedes at festivals caused by bottlenecks created by selfie-takers, significant damage to heritage monuments due to tourists climbing on them for unique selfies, and, in more extreme cases, fatalities among selfie-takers falling from cliffs or bridges, as well as the locals who lose their life while attempting to save the selfie-taking tourists (Gretzel, 2019). Not only does this leave those in charge with more management challenges, but the problem also poses a threat to both the locals and the visitors. All things considered, the interplay between social media and tourism in Japan has brought about both substantial economic growth and challenging issues. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have undoubtedly played a crucial role in showcasing Japan’s iconic culture and breathtaking scenery to the world, boosting both the country’s image and tourism industry. However, this has also contributed to over-tourism, which is currently happening on an unprecedented scale in popular destinations like the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto and Mount Fuji. These cases highlight the negative impacts of social mediadriven travel trends, including environmental damage and disturbance of local life, leaving the governments with many difficult problems to resolve. Additionally, social media-driven phenomena like FOMO have motivated tourists to keep flocking to popular destinations, hence further exacerbating the current issue around over-tourism. The desire for a perfect shot can even prompt travelers to engage in unsustainable practices and reckless behaviours, putting themselves and the locals at risk. Although social media is not the sole contributor to the current status of over-tourism in Japan, more effort should be spent on evaluating its influence and proposing strategies to reduce its impact. In fact, if these platforms are used wisely, they can become the key to tackling this issue of over-tourism. Through highlighting lesser-known destinations or suggesting alternative times to visit popular places, they may help distribute 5 tourist flow to more locations and throughout the year. This suggests that taking advantage of the power of social media to promote and alleviate pressure on popular destinations is important to ensure that the cultural and natural beauty of Japan can be enjoyed sustainably for generations to come. 6 References Lee, S. (2022). Classifying Tourist Destinations in Japan for Overtourism. 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