Japanese hot spring limits tourism to protect nostalgic past
Once a busy silver mine, and later acclaimed for its Western-style wooden inns, Ginzan Onsen in northeastern Japan's Yamagata Prefecture is now struggling with being too popular. The influx of selfie-seeking tourists has led to serious overcrowding.
The community wants to protect its cultural heritage and architecture from the Taisho period (1912-1926), when nostalgia for Japanese tradition grew amid rapid societal change and Westernization.
Fans liken the quaint, snow-covered townscape to the hidden "swordsmith village" in the popular manga "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," which debuted in 2016.
It's also known as a filming location for the 1980s NHK television drama series "Oshin," and it may have inspired scenes in the 2001 hit animated fantasy film "Spirited Away."
Ginzan Onsen, which literally means "silver mine hot spring," grew due to the mining and production of silver, primarily in the Edo Period (1603-1868).
After mining declined in the Meiji era (1868-1912), the town transitioned to hot spring tourism by building several resorts and ryokan along the river in the early 20th century.
According to the city of Obanazawa, some 334,000 tourists visited the 13 ryokan and restaurants in Ginzan Onsen in fiscal 2023 -- about 25 times its population of approximately 13,000. Foreign tourists accounted for some 20,000 of these visitors, and the number is expected to increase.
Challenges such as congestion, in particular, have caused headaches for locals.
On the one road leading into the resort, cars are often caught in traffic jams, sometimes blocking the passage of emergency vehicles. Visitors flood the narrow alleyways, and crowds gather at photo spots. Locals complain of having to clean up after foreign tourists who leave a mess.
For the first time ever, the city and the hot springs association collaborated to implement admission restrictions for day-trippers from December 2024 to February of this year.
Visitors were required to leave their vehicles at the tourist information center, about 1 kilometer from the resort, and ride a paid shuttle bus the rest of the way. Tickets to the onsen district had to be purchased in advance, and the number of visitors at the resort was limited to about 100 per hour from early evening to night.
On one day in February, tourists were soaking in footbaths and munching on Ginzan's famous curry buns. As the sun set, gaslights lit up the boulevard, creating a magical atmosphere.
"I have come here many times to see the snowy scenery," said a 53-year-old man visiting from Taiwan.
Many welcome the limits on tourism. Mitsutoshi Terauchi, 75, from the central Japan city of Hamamatsu, said he was glad he and his wife could take their time sightseeing without massive crowds.
With a record number of foreign tourists visiting Japan last year and overtourism countermeasures under consideration at popular tourist spots nationwide, Ginzan's conservationists are watching closely to see whether the new measures will preserve the serenity of the cherished hot spring resort.
They have improved congestion, officials say. Based on a survey of visitors for about two weeks through January, road congestion dropped compared to previous years.
Only 43 percent of day-trippers felt that the hot spring resort was crowded. Moreover, 95 percent of respondents supported the admission restrictions, saying they were "acceptable" or "unavoidable."
However, there was an unexpected loophole. Just before early evening, when paid admissions to the hot spring area began, many tourists gathered in advance to slip in before being charged, in effect causing the area to become even more crowded.
"We have found some new issues to deal with," said Eiji Wakimoto, 46, head of the hot spring association. "We will continue to make corrections and aim for an improved format."
Officials are considering implementing the visitor limits throughout the year.
"The main purpose is to control congestion and prevent accidents and trouble," said Kentaro Koseki, 41, who runs a long-established ryokan. He also believes it is important to preserve the town's atmosphere. "I want people to spend a quiet time in Ginzan Onsen, where you can even hear the snow falling," he said.
(By Kai Shimada )
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