Changes that have brought about by the growth of tourism in the country

Economic changes

Japan's tourist arrivals has been on a rise over the years ever since they opened their door to foreigners around a decade ago. This is evident from the fact that tourism in Japan attracted 8.3 million foreign visitors in 2008. Such high tourist arrivals will definitely increase the tourism receipts and in turn, boost the economy. With Japan develping at such a rapid rate, it is slowly gaining economic status in Southeast Asia. With the economical gains, Japan was able to improve its infrastructures and facilites, which resulted in more tourists and investors flocking to Japan.


However though, rural areas in Japan have been suffering from depopulation for a number of years, as youngsters leave for the of the cities and large agricultural corporations squeeze out small local farmers and their livelihoods.


Social changes

The standard of living and living condtions have raised and improved due to the positive effects of tourism. Locals in Japan need not live in poverty and have a high literacy rate.

Unfortunately, the gap between the rich and poor widens despite the improved economy, as the rich becomes richer while the poor becomes poorer as they cannot afford their daily expenses due to higher living costs than before.


Cultural impacts

With tourism, many parts of Japan culture have been preserved and conserved so that they can be showcased to the public. At the same time, it acts as a platform to reach out to others their past and present; their story. Tourism also brings about peace as it gives tourist and the locals the chance to interact with one another, building mutual undertsanding and reducing prejudice. It helps different countries to be more tolerant and acceptable towards cultural differences.

However, tourism might adversely cause the effect of cultural erosion due to commodification and commercialisation. If the authenticity of the culture of Japan is gone, then tourists will not be able to recieve the true essence of the culture. Also, since there is this cultural exchange between countries, locals in Japan may lean towards the westernized culture instead of their own culture, as seen from the disneyization above.