Shocking footage shows hordes of tourists lining an iconic street in Kyoto – sparking concerns the iconic Japanese destination is being overrun by visitors.
Hundreds of people, jammed back-to-back, can be seen struggling to make their down the historic Sannenzaka street in the city’s Higashiyama district.
Authorities were even forced to direct the traffic on the narrow 400-metre long cobblestone street with one travel blogger describing Kyoto as the ‘seventh ring of hell now’.
The clip, which has been widely shared on social media, suggests that Kyoto is struggling to keep up with the number of tourists.
A French travel YouTuber shared the clip with the caption: ‘Kyoto, what a hell it has become. How can one enjoy one’s visit in such conditions?’
Johnny Waldman, who runs the Spoon and Tamago travel blog, also posted the video with the caption: ‘Unpopular opinion — Kyoto is the 7th ring of hell right now.’
While Sannenzaka street, which leads up the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple, is no stranger to crowds, it appears particularly packed this season.
One person commented on the clip: ‘I feel lucky to have visited before the tourist explosion.’
Another user shared a photo from 2008 when it was ‘a quiet side street’ but added that the area ‘looks terrible now’.
A third added: That is insane, I am so happy went 8 years ago, absolutely no crowds.
‘Now I head out into the mountains and see temples, just as beautiful with only a handful of Japanese tourists.’
It comes as popular destinations across the world have been struggling to cope with an ever rising numbers of visitors.
Earlier this year Bali demanded a ban on new hotels and nightclubs being built in tourist hotspots on the island.
Rowdy backpackers, heavy traffic and the conversion of paddy fields into luxury villas have infuriated locals living on the ‘island of Gods’.
The plan, which would affect four tourist hotspots, was formally requested by Bali’s provincial government in September.
Bali is Indonesia’s most-popular island with 3.5million tourists visiting between January and June of this year alone.
Foreign arrivals have surged since it re-opened for tourism after the Covid-19 pandemic and there are now 541 hotels on the island, up from 507 in 2019.
However, its rise in popularity has triggered an angry backlash among locals who frequently complain on social media about traffic jams, crime and over-development.
Meanwhile, this summer Spain faced a wave of anti-tourism protests with visitors in Barcelona even sprayed with water guns by protesters.
The mayor of the Catalan capital has also pledged to eliminate short-term tourist lets in the city within five years.
Mayor Jaume Collboni believes the move will make Barcelona more affordable for young people who have been forced out by soaring rents.
And in Majorca locals started a movement to ‘reclaim the beaches’ from tourists with demonstrations taking place over the summer.
One shocking video shows a woman sitting across a path leading down to the popular Caló des Moro cove while a local shouted at would-be tourists to ‘go, go, go!’
Whereas, Italy is reportedly considering bringing in a tourist tax and Greece is planning to crack down on cruise ship traffic.
