朝七時半、京都市バス206系統の停留所には、すでにスーツケースを抱えた観光客の長い列ができている。出勤前に乗り込もうとした地元の会社員は、扉が開くなり押し寄せる人波に阻まれ、結局見送らざるを得ない。三本待ってようやく乗れたという話も、いまや珍しくないどころか、日常の風景と化している。
At seven-thirty in the morning, a long line of tourists clutching suitcases has already formed at the Kyoto City Bus Route 206 stop. A local office worker trying to board on her way to work is blocked the moment the doors open by the wave of people surging in, and ends up having no choice but to let the bus go. Stories of finally squeezing onto the third bus are no longer rare; they have become a fixture of daily life.
「以前は十五分で職場に着けたんですけどね」と、ある四十代の女性は苦笑する。停留所のベンチに腰掛けながら、彼女は次のバスが来るまでの十分間を、ただ立ち尽くすほかなかった。経済効果という言葉だけでは到底片づけられない現実が、彼女の通勤路にはあった。
"I used to get to the office in fifteen minutes," a woman in her forties says with a wry smile. Perched on the bench at the stop, she has nothing to do but stand there for the ten minutes until the next bus arrives. The reality unfolding along her commute cannot be brushed aside with the phrase "economic benefits."
2024年以降、円安と航空便の回復を背景に、訪日外国人観光客の数は過去最高を更新し続けている。観光庁の統計によれば、年間の延べ人数はコロナ前を大きく上回り、消費額に至っては五兆円規模に達したという。数字だけを見れば、観光立国政策は功を奏したと言えなくもない。
Since 2024, against the backdrop of a weak yen and recovering flight capacity, the number of inbound tourists to Japan has kept setting record highs. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, annual visitor totals have far exceeded pre-pandemic levels, and consumption has reportedly reached the five-trillion-yen mark. Looking at the numbers alone, one could argue that the tourism-oriented nation policy has paid off.
しかし、その繁栄の裏側で、いわゆる観光公害が全国各地で噴出している。祇園の私道に立ち入って舞妓を追い回す観光客、富士山の絶景スポットに殺到しては路上に座り込んで撮影を始める集団、住宅街の玄関先にゴミを置き去りにする宿泊客。住民の忍耐にもほどがあるという声が、各地から上がっているのである。
But behind that prosperity, what is being called "tourism pollution" is erupting across the country. Tourists trespassing onto the private alleys of Gion to chase down maiko, crowds swarming Mount Fuji's scenic spots and sitting down in the road to take photos, lodgers dumping garbage at the entrances of residential homes. Voices crying that there are limits to residents' patience are rising from every corner.
祇園では2024年春、ついに観光客の私道への立ち入りを禁止する措置が取られた。「舞妓パパラッチ」と揶揄される行為に業を煮やした地元町内会が、市と協議のうえ独自の規制に踏み切ったのだ。看板を立てるのみならず、違反者には罰金を科すという徹底ぶりで、ようやく一定の効果を挙げている。
In Gion, spring 2024 finally brought a ban on tourists entering the private alleys. Fed up with what was mocked as "maiko paparazzi," the local neighborhood association, after consulting with the city, took the unusual step of enacting its own restrictions. Going beyond merely posting signs, they imposed fines on violators, and the thorough approach has at last produced some results.
富士山においても、山梨県側の登山口で入山料の徴収が始まった。さらに、河口湖町のローソン前では、富士山を背景に写真を撮ろうとする観光客が車道にあふれ出す事態が頻発したため、町は黒い目隠しスクリーンを設置するに至った。観光地を守るためとはいえ、絶景に幕を引かざるを得ない措置は、何とも皮肉な光景である。
On Mount Fuji as well, a climbing fee began to be collected at the Yamanashi-side trailhead. Furthermore, in front of the Lawson convenience store in Kawaguchiko Town, scenes of tourists trying to photograph Mount Fuji in the background and spilling into the roadway grew so frequent that the town went so far as to install a large black screen blocking the view. Drawing a curtain over a breathtaking landscape to protect a tourist destination is a thoroughly ironic spectacle.
問題は都市部にとどまらない。世界遺産の白川郷では、季節を問わず観光バスが村内に押し寄せ、住民の軽トラックが農道で立ち往生する始末だ。冬の雪景色を一目見ようと駆けつける来訪者の中には、私有地の田畑に踏み込む者すらいる。住民にしてみれば、生活の場が無断で見世物にされているような感覚であろう。
The problem is not confined to urban areas. In the World Heritage village of Shirakawa-go, tour buses pour into the village regardless of season, and local light trucks end up stranded on farm roads. Among the visitors who rush in just to glimpse the snowscape in winter, there are even those who tread into private fields. From the residents' point of view, it must feel as if their living space is being put on display without their consent.
宿泊施設の不足も深刻だ。京都市内のホテル稼働率は連日九割を超え、宿泊料金は数年前の二倍以上に跳ね上がった。出張で泊まろうにも泊まれないというビジネスマンの嘆きが、SNSにあふれている。地元住民が冠婚葬祭で親族を呼び寄せようにも、手頃な宿が見つからないという声まで聞かれる始末だ。
The shortage of lodging is equally serious. Hotel occupancy rates in downtown Kyoto run above ninety percent day after day, and room prices have more than doubled compared to a few years ago. Social media is full of laments from business travelers who cannot find a room even when they need one. There are even cases of local residents unable to find an affordable inn when calling relatives in for a wedding or funeral.
民泊の急増もまた、地域社会に新たな摩擦をもたらしている。マンションの一室が無許可で民泊に転用され、深夜に大きなスーツケースを引きずる音や、廊下での大声に悩まされる住民が後を絶たない。管理組合が規約を改めようにも、所有者の合意形成に手間取り、対応は後手に回りがちである。
The surge in private lodgings is also generating fresh friction in local communities. Condominium units are being converted into unlicensed minpaku without consent, and there is no end to residents tormented by the rumble of suitcases dragged through hallways late at night and loud voices in the corridors. Even when management associations try to amend their bylaws, building consensus among owners is slow, and responses tend to lag behind.
こうした事態を受け、各自治体は対策に乗り出している。京都市は宿泊税を最大一万円にまで引き上げる方針を打ち出し、観光客の集中する時間帯にバス専用の料金体系を導入することも検討されている。観光客あっての観光業ではあるものの、住民あっての観光地でもあるという認識が、ようやく行政に浸透してきたと言えよう。
In response, local governments are mobilizing countermeasures. Kyoto has announced plans to raise its accommodation tax to as much as ten thousand yen per night, and is also considering introducing a separate fare structure for buses during peak tourist hours. Tourism exists thanks to tourists, but a destination exists thanks to its residents, and that recognition has at last begun to take root in government.
二重価格制度の議論も急速に進んでいる。すでに姫路城では、海外からの観光客の入場料を地元住民の四倍に設定する案が市長から示された。「差別ではないか」との批判もあるが、文化財の維持費を考えれば、応分の負担を求めるのは無理からぬ話だ。海外の主要観光地では、すでに同様の措置が珍しくない。
Debate over dual pricing is also moving rapidly. At Himeji Castle, the mayor has already proposed setting the admission fee for overseas visitors at four times the rate for local residents. There are critics who call it discrimination, but considering the cost of maintaining cultural heritage, asking visitors to bear a proportional share is hardly unreasonable. Such measures are no longer uncommon at major tourist sites overseas.
観光業に携わる事業者の心情は複雑だ。ある老舗旅館の女将は、「お客様が増えるのはありがたい限りですが、地元の方々に申し訳ない気持ちもあって」と打ち明ける。短期的な収益と長期的な地域との共存、その狭間で苦渋の選択を迫られる経営者は少なくない。利益を追い求めるあまり、地域の魅力そのものを損なってしまっては元も子もないのである。
The feelings of those working in the tourism trade are complicated. The proprietress of one long-established ryokan confides, "Having more guests is wonderful beyond words, but I also feel apologetic toward the local community." Many operators are forced into agonizing choices between short-term revenue and long-term coexistence with their neighborhoods. Chasing profit so hard that the very appeal of the place is destroyed would defeat the whole purpose.
観光客の側にも、変化の兆しは見える。最近では、有名スポットを避けて地方の小さな町を訪れる「分散型観光」を志向する旅行者が、欧米圏を中心に増えてきた。SNSで話題になりにくい場所ほど、かえって本物の日本に出会えるという認識が広まりつつあるのだ。観光地の側も、こうした層をいかに取り込むかが、今後の鍵となるだろう。
Signs of change are also visible on the tourist side. Recently, especially among Western travelers, more are seeking out "distributed tourism," visiting small regional towns rather than famous landmarks. The awareness is spreading that the less a place trends on social media, the more authentic the Japan one is likely to encounter there. How destinations capture this segment will likely be a key going forward.
夕方、再びあの停留所に戻ると、観光客の列はさらに伸びていた。地元の高校生たちは、もはやバスを諦めて自転車で坂道を漕ぎ上がっていく。観光と生活の境界線を、誰がどう引くのか。答えは一朝一夕には出るまいが、模索を続けるほかに道はない。
By evening, when I return to that bus stop, the line of tourists has grown even longer. The local high schoolers, having long since given up on the bus, pedal their bicycles up the hill. Who draws the line between tourism and daily life, and how? An answer is unlikely to emerge overnight, but there is no choice but to keep searching for one.
持続可能な観光のあり方を真剣に問い直さなければ、京都も富士山も白川郷も、やがては「住む人のいない観光地」と化してしまいかねない。訪れる側と迎える側、双方の歩み寄りなくしては、真の意味で豊かな観光体験は生まれ得ないのである。
Unless we seriously rethink what sustainable tourism should look like, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and Shirakawa-go alike may one day become tourist destinations without inhabitants. Without mutual accommodation between visitors and hosts, a truly rich travel experience cannot, in any real sense, come into being.