Overtourism Helps Revive Retro Ghost Town Near Mt. Fuji
It was a shopping center on its last legs. Learn how a “retro” Showa-era location near Mt. Fuji has gone viral — and come back to life.
By Jay Andrew Allen
There’s been a lot of talk about the negative effects of overtourism lately on Japan. So it’s nice to see a story about how tourism can uplift a town. That seems to be happening in the town center of Fujiyoshida. Once a ghost town, an influx of visitors has brought it back to life.
Overtourism plagues Japan — and Mt. Fuji
More tourists — over three million a month — are flocking to Japan than ever. That’s creating issues in tourist hot spots like Tokyo and Kyoto as visitors crowd buses and trespass in private areas.
The issue isn’t the number of tourists per se but their concentration. Most tourists flock to the big three cities — Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Given that all three have international airports and have so much to explore, it’s no wonder travelers target them.
It’s also harder to get by in Japan without Japanese language skills the further you get out from a major city…
