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Hokkaido Town to Cut Trees Due to Overtourism
Another attraction succumbs to overtourism, as Biei says it’ll chop down a cluster of trees that have become a popular photo spot.
A cluster of white birch trees in the town of Biei, Hokkaido is going under the saw, possibly by the end of the month. The culprit? Overtourism (and angry farmers).
Hokkaido’s Biei only has 9,628 people, but it’s long drawn travelers from far and wide. It’s one of Japan’s “blue water spots,” with the Biei Shirogane Blue Pond a popular winter tourist attraction. Its colorful rolling hills and onsen also pack in tourists year-round.
Another attraction has been a stand of white birch trees near the town’s Seven Stars Tree. The lonely cropping of white birch has made it a very Instagrammable tourist spot.
Unfortunately, the outpouring of tourists has also led to clogged roads and trampled fields for nearby farmers and landowners. In other words, Biei has seen the same issues that other locations, such as Kamakura with its famous train crossing and Shirakawa-go with its traditional gassho-zukuri houses, have seen.
Besides the effects of overtourism, farmers also complain the trees cast shadows on nearby crops, robbing them of sunlight and decreasing yields.