In response to the growing challenges of overtourism in Japan, Inside Travel Group and InsideJapan are launching a new ‘under-tourism’ initiative. By steering its customers towards under-visited regions, the specialist hopes the strategy will help balance visitor distribution, ease pressure on hotspots, and propel more sustainable travel.
Five focus regions have been selected for 2025, which are Yamaguchi, Nagasaki, Toyama, Nagoya and Aomori. They are spread across the north, central and south of mainland Honshu, as well as the southern island of Kyushu.
Inside Travel Group global sustainability manager Rob Moran said the regions were chosen because they were located outside of Japan’s top five prefectures (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Fukuoka); attracted fewer than 10% of visitors (according to government statistics); were operating well below their perceived carrying capacity, offered ample room night availability; were easily accessible with strong public transport infrastructure; were approved and supported by local tourism boards; and provided an authentic cultural experience.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of InsideJapan offering small group tours and self-guided cultural adventures. Inside Travel Group co-founder Simon King says the landscape of travel to Japan has drastically changed over the past two and a half decades.
“Japan, once a niche destination with just four million visitors when InsideJapan started in the year 2000, has seen a 600% increase in tourism, welcoming 36 million visitors in 2024. By 2030, that number is projected to rise to 60 million,” King said.
“While this growth has benefited the Japanese economy significantly, it has also brought inevitable challenges. Over the past two years, overtourism issues have been increasingly captured in the media.
“We know that 80% of travellers visit only 10% of destinations – and we want to change that. There are more people than ever visiting the same small number of places.”
In Kyoto, overtourism has led to the banning of tourists from certain parts of the Gion geisha district. Similar issues are occurring in places like Kawaguchiko, where tourists flock to take iconic photos of Mt. Fuji, disturbing local communities in the process.
A history of dispersing travellers
InsideJapan hopes its new strategic ‘under-tourism’ initiative will address these challenges and ease the burden of overtourism. In 2024, the Japan specialist sent travellers to 219 different destinations across all 47 prefectures on self-guided cultural adventures and on small group tours.
“We’ve helped thousands of people discover Japan over the years, championing a type of travel that goes beneath the surface and immerses visitors in local life and culture,” King said. “With ever-growing visitor numbers, we believe part of the solution to overtourism lies in dispersing travel to lesser-known parts of the country.”
“We have the unique ability to guide our visitors to these regions. This initiative will not only alleviate the pressure the country’s most visited sites but will also foster economic growth in under-explored areas. Of course, it is crucial that this dispersal is managed thoughtfully to prevent shifting the problem elsewhere – and that’s where our sustainability team comes in.”
Together with local regions and Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), InsideJapan will enhance its product in each of the regions throughout 2025, encouraging travellers to combine one or more of these locations into their cultural adventure trip in Japan.
As part of this initiative, InsideJapan has also reduced the prices of off-peak and shoulder-season Small Group Tours by up to 15% to help disperse visitors both seasonally and geographically.
“This is all part of our wider strategy which includes using our destination insight to suggest alternative districts and offer travel tips together with cultural advice to ensure a better experience all round, in places that are beginning to suffer from overtourism” said Moran.
“This is not only about addressing overtourism; it’s about showcasing the uniqueness of Japan’s culture through beautiful places and local communities, creating amazing holidays for our clients” King added.
“We ask agents and customers to trust us as Japan travel specialists – we’ll take you places you’ve never heard of and reveal a side of Japan that will become the highlight of your trip. We’re confident it will leave you wanting more – just like it did for all of us at InsideJapan.”
A dedicated microsite, highlighting the places and a raft of experiences, will be launched soon.
