Before the pandemic, going around Japan solo was fine. I mean, foreign tourists were not obnoxious and there were no idiot influencers/content creators like Logan Paul, who featured the body of a suicide victim in Aokigahara.

I go to Japan for work and also to find peace. Back in 2009, it was still possible to go around Kyoto during Golden Week without running into hordes of foreign tourists in major sites like the Golden Pavilion and Silver Pavilion. Most tourists during the Golden Week then were locals. In the subsequent years, I avoided Kyoto and Nara because Instagram-addict people were starting to crowd these places. Of course, I can’t avoid Tokyo since our office is right smack in the center of Otemachi. But generally, I avoid the touristy places.

These days it seems like even trips to rural areas in Hokkaido will still be blighted by unruly tourists.

Because of the influx of tourists, applying for visa is taking longer and the embassy has become stricter. My multiple entry visa expired in 2022 so… And I’m so lazy reapplying for a new one.