14 Days in Japan – September-October 2026 (page 3 of 3)

Hi there,

Aren’t there too many tourists? Because right now, everyone wants to go to Japan—there’s a huge craze among French travelers for this country. I was at the FNAC in my city last week, and the Japan guidebooks (of all kinds) are everywhere.

Hello,

Aren’t there too many tourists? Because right now, everyone wants to go to Japan—there’s a huge craze among French travelers for this country. I was at the FNAC in my city last week, and the Japan guidebooks (of all kinds) are everywhere.

Hi Céline,

While waiting for Georges to share his thoughts, I’ll go ahead and share mine. Tourists in Japan are mostly concentrated in the same spots (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Fuji, Hiroshima, Miyajima, the Japanese Alps). The rest of Japan is very lightly visited—or not at all. Even in the most famous places, you can just step a little off the beaten path to find fewer crowds. The season and timing of your visits can also make a big difference. Obviously, there are fewer tourists in January than during cherry blossom season, and at 6 AM or 11 PM, there are fewer people than at 10 AM or 3 PM. In short, it’s entirely possible to visit Japan without feeling overwhelmed by tourists—just keep in mind that some places, due to their existing population and global appeal (like Tokyo or Kyoto), will naturally be busier than a shrine tucked away in the mountains.

Don’t let that scare you—plan your trip based on what you want and what suits you.

Read the travel journals on various sites, and you’ll see that many of them don’t mention feeling crowded by tourists.

Thanks so much Nathalie for this detailed explanation.

Hello,

Aren’t there too many tourists? Because right now, everyone wants to go to Japan—there’s a huge craze among French travelers for this country. I was at the FNAC in my town last week, and the Japan guidebooks (of all kinds) are everywhere.

Hi Céline,

While waiting for Georges to share his thoughts, I’ll go ahead and share mine. Tourists in Japan are mostly concentrated in the same spots (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Fuji, Hiroshima, Miyajima, the Japanese Alps). The rest of Japan is very sparsely visited—or not at all. Even in the most famous places, you can just step a little off the beaten path to find fewer crowds. The season and timing of your visits can also make a difference. Obviously, there are fewer tourists in January than during cherry blossom season, and at 6 AM or 11 PM, there are fewer people than at 10 AM or 3 PM. In short, it’s entirely possible to visit Japan without feeling overwhelmed by tourists—just keep in mind that some places, due to their existing population and global appeal (like Tokyo or Kyoto), will naturally be busier than a remote shrine in the mountains.

Don’t let that scare you—plan your trip based on your interests and preferences to create an itinerary that suits you.

Check out the travel journals on various sites, and you’ll see that many of them don’t mention feeling crushed by tourism.

Thanks, Nathalie, for answering Céline’s question. You didn’t need to be so careful about beating me to it! 🙂 But I appreciate the courtesy… Japanese influences, perhaps???

Perfect answer, by the way—I wouldn’t have much to add, especially since you know Japan far better than I do. I’m still a total beginner when it comes to this country.

Maybe it’s simply because Japan is a big country: Wikipedia lists it with a land area of 364,000 km², just ahead of Germany’s 349,000. No one can say they’ve ‘done’ Japan in just a few weeks!

I imagine that even in Tokyo during peak tourist season, you just need to wander a few streets away to escape the crowds!

Actually, it’s probably quite similar to France, one of the top three most visited countries in the world (behind the U.S., ahead of Spain). If a traveler avoids Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, the Loire Valley castles, etc., and skips the big French summer migrations in July-August, heading instead to central France, they won’t suffer from overtourism!

Thanks for your reply—it complements Nathalie’s nicely.