Tourist destination forced to hire security guards after woman died taking picture

A major tourist destination in Japan has resorted to hiring security guards due to the extreme measures visitors go to in order to get the perfect picture.

Otaru is a small harbour city in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. It’s known for a street called Funamizaka slope (also Funami-za) which visitors flock to for pictures of the sea and the port in the distance. The steep location was used in the 1995 Japanese film Love Letter and the 2015 Chinese film Cities in Love.

Authorities are attempting to deter crowds from risking their lives while trying to get pictures at this scenic spot after a Chinese woman died after being struck by a train. The woman’s husband reportedly told police she had been trying to take a picture of the slope and had not noticed the approaching train.

Locals have also complained about a growing number of visitors trespassing on private property and blocking roads in their pursuit. “The road is lined with houses and has heavy traffic. Tourists standing on the street or walking side by side often make it impossible for vehicles to pass. The impact on residents has been significant and this fiscal year has been particularly severe,” a city official told the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.

The city’s popularity has surged in recent years, almost 98,000 foreign tourists spent at least one night in the small city in the six months from April 2024, the highest figure since records began in 1997. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Japan remains a popular destination for foreign tourists, as 36.7 million people visited last year.

However overtourism has led to a number of problems in other parts of the country. Authorities have been forced to introduce fees and have capped visitor numbers on Mount Fuji. A screen was erected in the town Fujikawaguchiko due large numbers of tourists congregating in an area outside a Lawson convenience store to photograph Mount Fuji, which can be seen behind it.

If you are planning on visiting Japan in the near future, perhaps you'd want to try the viral mayonnaise drink that divided food bloggers.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.