04/20/2026
Over tourism in certain parts is a current challenge in Japan.
I had a nice chat with a lady who sat next to me on the bus to the Mt. Fuji.
She was born and raised in Asakusa, Tokyo.
She shared how she’s seen the town getting flooded with tourist over the years.
She’s happy that more people are interested in the Japanese culture and visiting this beautiful country but was also voiced concerns about local people are losing their space.
Her favorite local coffee shop is no longer her place to sip tea in peace. Prices are inflated. Grocery shops are being replaced by souvenir shops. It’s getting harder for local people to live.
It was an enlightening realization for me and it made me fully commit to creating this retreat to highlight different parts of Japan.
People we are working with are all local tourist operators, and all of them are very passionate about sharing the culture and story of the reason they lived in.
Tomomi - a local tour operator in Izu is really passionate about bringing more people to Izu. She shares that has so much culture in history not even Japanese people know about it.
When we visit there, we saw have a few people were visiting Izu compared to some places we passed by like Kawaguchiko by Mount Fuji. A quiet location that’s been around 1200 years rich with history and culture, a perfect place for a Zen retreat.
If you are someone who wants to go on the off the beaten path or support conscious tourism, I’d love to invite you on this experience.