THE small town of Biei in Hokkaido made headlines in January last year when it cut down a row of photogenic white birch trees amid calls to mitigate overtourism. But busloads of sightseers have continued to descend upon it, with locals likening the situation to a “cat-and-mouse game”.
Tourism-related issues had escalated in recent years around the landmark trees in the northern Japanese town of about 9,000 people, known for its patchwork-like hills of farmland. Visitors often trespassed into surrounding farm fields to take photos and the area was jammed at times with as many as a dozen tour buses. Local stakeholders eventually felled the trees with the town’s approval and the flow of visitors around the area initially dropped to some extent, town officials said. On 6 December , tourists flocked to Biei’s iconic Seven Stars Tree and Christmas Tree, ignoring felled stumps nearby.
Crowds caused farmland damage as visitors walked from stations, prompting the Biei Tourism Association to launch shuttle buses and increase security guards. Tourist numbers reached 2.68 million in financial 2024, with foreign visitors rising sharply.
Kyodo
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