As Japan rides a wave of record-breaking tourist arrivals, foreign visitors are voicing growing frustrations over lengthy immigration queues, overcrowded attractions and a surprising lack of public rubbish bins – issues analysts say could hinder the nation’s goal of welcoming 60 million tourists a year by 2030.
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A Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) survey found that while more than half of respondents had smooth travel experiences, many noted infrastructure and service issues at airports and tourist spots.
The findings come as preliminary data suggest Japan is on track to exceed 40 million overseas arrivals in 2025, up from a historic high of 36.9 million last year.
Travel sector experts say Japan’s airport bottlenecks reflect deeper structural inefficiencies, with overlapping bureaucracies and outdated procedures slowing the influx of visitors.
Japan is a long way behind Singapore and Dubai, where people can preregister and effectively walk straight through automated immigration procedures
“Part of the problem is that the authorities still seem to be unprepared, despite the government’s targets and rising numbers of arrivals,” said Ashley Harvey, a travel marketing analyst who has worked in Japan’s travel sector for more than 15 years.
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