Kamakura’s Tourism Growth Brings Economic Benefits, But Also Strains Local Infrastructure

Published on September 26, 2025

Kamakura, a metropolis successful Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, is becoming progressively encumbered by nan measurement of visitors it has been receiving successful caller years. Features of customary importance, including nan Great Daibutsu and nan railway crossing autochthonal to nan anime Slam Dunk, person made Kamakura a metropolis of awesome taste value. The city’s revived liking successful inbound tourism, coupled pinch nan 100,830 world visitors successful 2024, has contributed to nan city’s blossoming estimation arsenic a hotspot successful caller years, evidenced by nan 42% maturation successful tourism from nan erstwhile year.

Even pinch nan affirmative maturation tourism brings, nan city’s estimation is tarnished by vandalism, overcrowding, and different forms of nationalist misconduct, for illustration urinating and littering. The authorities now look nan daunting situation of having to equilibrium nan effects of tourism and nan deterioration of nan city’s wide cleanliness, safety, and livability.

The Impact of Record-Breaking Visitor Arrivals

The maturation of world tourism is 1 of nan astir important economical drivers of nan caller Japan. In 2024, world arrivals reached 36.87 million, marking an summation of 47.1% compared to nan erstwhile year. One of nan astir pronounced increases was registered, of each places, successful Kamakura, which is simply a magnet for anime fans and users of nan celebrated app TikTok. These visitors, for example, statement up for photos and video contented astatine nan iconic railway crossing wherever nan anime ‘Slam Dunk’ features a celebrated railway crossing. As a result, ample crowds shape and spill retired onto nan streets, posing postulation and information hazards.

The world tourism maturation successful Kamakura is simply a microcosm for nan state arsenic a whole, wherever nan maturation projections for world tourism stay unabated. In nan period of August 2025, Japan registered 3.43 cardinal visitors, nan highest number for immoderate month, and nan highest ever recorded since earlier nan pandemic, which is starting to create added unit successful already oversubscribed tourer spots.

Emerging Concerns: Reckless Damage and Civil Conduct  

Along pinch nan economical advantages, Kamakura is uniquely positioned to summation immoderate estimation beyond its borders owed to immoderate of nan problems concerning visitant behavior, each comparative to nan estimation of nan town. Due to malicious damage, nan section position restrooms person been shuttered, meaning nan recipients of this work tin nary longer indulge successful basal physiologic activities. Such an indignity is, nary doubt, a root of dissatisfaction to nan remainder of nan visitors and Kamakura inhabitants and epitomises really problems pinch ft postulation are notoriously difficult to negociate while keeping orderly nationalist facilities.  

Along pinch these complaints, immoderate of nan city’s temples and humanities places person been targeted pinch nan irresponsible throwing of litter, and successful immoderate utmost cases, nationalist urination. Such unfortunate behaviour is simply a root of concern, pinch immoderate metropolis officials arguing that, pinch nan onset of much visitors successful nan city, specified behaviour is connected nan rise. Although a ample conception of nan visitors behaviour themselves usually and astatine a pace, immoderate of nan group scheme their enactment successful nan region pinch an purpose of causing utmost discontent, thereby raising a emblem of concern.

Economic Impact of Tourism successful Kamakura

Regardless of nan obstacles, tourism is still predicted to beryllium an basal portion of Kamakura. The city’s tourer accusation centre had an summation successful world visitors, serving 71,133 visitors successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023. This grew to 100,830 successful fiscal twelvemonth 2024. Such 42% summation successful 1 twelvemonth shows Kamakura’s expanding estimation arsenic a captious tourer centre successful Kanagawa Prefecture. This whitethorn beryllium because nan metropolis is 1 of nan astir loved successful nan Tokyo metropolitan area, combining outstanding humanities relics and stunning.

Tourism is an important portion of nan economy, pinch spending from visitors to section hotels, restaurants, and shops focused connected Kamakura’s celebrated location equipment and n, accepted crafts, and relaxation pinch easy walking. The unsocial societal and scenic blend of nan city, Kamakura, has precocious go nan centre of increasing challenges for nan section management, who look to beryllium focused connected targeting nan nationalist tourer facilities.

Kamakura and The Management of Future Tourism

In consequence and wrong nan scope of their competencies, officials successful nan metropolis of Kamakura are looking into nan anticipation of much progressive governance of tourism activities wrong nan city. This whitethorn return nan shape of accrued monitoring of nan much heavy frequented tourer attractions, augmented nationalist toilet facilities, and nan placement of much signs reminding nan nationalist of nan request to behave properly. In addition, nan metropolis whitethorn wish to further see nan usage of quantitative restrictions connected tourer numbers, aliases nan exclusive usage of reservations during nan highest of nan highest season, to alleviate congestion astatine definite choke points.

The metropolis is besides looking into amended ways to explicate nan section civilization and nationalist behaviour to tourists, peculiarly nan practices of nationalist order, cleanliness, and nan usage of nationalist facilities. Working pinch tourism promotion companies and section and location entrepreneurs is basal to create a win-win business pinch controlled tourism for visitors and section residents.

Anime Tourist Attractions’ Influence connected nan Development of Kamakura

Among nan galore forces driving nan improvement of tourism successful Kamakura, 1 of nan astir unsocial is anime-based tourism, and 1 of nan much celebrated examples is nan anime Slam Dunk. A portion of nan anime that is astir celebrated is nan railway crossing. A batch of group who spot nan anime sojourn nan crossing, which increases nan ft postulation and tourism successful nan area. Anime tourism is now a notable arena successful Japan, wherever group effort to find tangible connections to their beloved anime characters and series. This is simply a arena that is apt to turn pinch nan fame of much anime-based sites.

On nan different hand, nan maturation successful nan city’s anime tourism imaginable besides brings to nan fore different issues regarding nan infrastructure and guidance attraction devoted to nan needs of specified visitors. The metropolis of Kamakura is simply a matrimony of accepted civilization pinch modern popular civilization and serves arsenic a cleanable lawsuit study successful really cities312 are trying to utilise their taste assets for attracting visitors from a world audience. But, arsenic seen successful Kamakura, galore challenges request to beryllium managed pinch nan liking from tourists.

Conclusion: Equilibrium Challenges Related to nan Future of Tourism successful Kamakura  

Kamakura developments person not gone unnoticed. For nan first time, Kamakura recorded a roar successful tourism. Since August 2021, metropolis authorities officials person dealt pinch a caller quandary: really to equilibrium economical maturation pinch nan well-being of section group and nan preservation of taste assets. Such section challenges get much analyzable considering nan maturation of nan nation’s tourism industry. It brings caller challenges of sustainability and much stakeholders.