Japan is not the same destination it was a decade ago. 🇯🇵
I first visited in 2017 during the April Cherry Blossom season. It was busy. But returning this November - ostensibly a slightly softer autumn peak - the crowds are genuinely unbearable. It feels like the entire world is here.
Let’s talk theme parks (we just navigated them with two teenagers). The Disney entry queue was 70-90 minutes long at 7:30 AM, for a park that doesn't even open until 9:00.
Rides are practically impossible without purchasing Premier Access passes, which vanish instantly unless you are refreshing the app like a day trader.
Worse, the mandatory app has ruined the pacing. The good old days of carrying a physical map and soaking in one themed zone at a time are dead.
Now, you are a slave to app return times. You end up running diagonally across the park from one zone to another, ping-ponging back and forth. You get exhausted twice as fast. It’s a logistical scramble, not a vacation.
It isn't just Disney or Universal. Stepping out of our hotel in Ginza, the sheer volume of tourists was staggering. If you want to see the Tsukiji Outer Market, walk Takeshita Street in Harajuku, or visit Senso-ji, you are shoulder-to-shoulder by 8:00 AM. Navigating the Tokyo subway with a family requires strategic maneuvering just to stay together.
As a luxury travel advisor, my strategy is officially changing. True luxury is space, pace, and authenticity.
Moving forward, my Japan itineraries will heavily prioritize strictly off-peak travel windows and offbeat regions. We are pivoting to places like Hokkaido (already a part of most of our itineraries), Tohoku, and the Seto Inland Sea. The magic of Japan is still there, you just have to look further outside the golden route to find it.