Japanese organisations are adopting the use of more technology to cope with overtourism amid the country’s rapid inbound travel rebound. In 2023, 25.1 million international travellers arrived in Japan, a dramatic uptick from the 3.8 million in 2022.
With the world’s attention on Hiroshima in 2023 due to the G7 Summit, and an uptick of visitors since April, Hiroshima City plans to introduce an online ticket system for its Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum as early as March. The museum will also extend its opening hours by two hours for visitors who book online, in a bid to ease congestion. Osaka is also using technology to tackle some of the negative effects of the tourism rebound, using a subsidy from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to install ‘smart bins’.
Some 20 solar panel-enabled bins have been installed to combat the increase in rubbish at popular tourist districts in the heart of the city such as Dotonbori, a growing problem as Japanese municipalities tend not to install bins, preferring people to take their rubbish home, even in areas where street food sellers are prolific. The solar panels will sense when rubbish is building up inside the bin and compress the garbage by about 20 per cent. The bin can also send alerts to workers for it to be emptied before it is full, thereby reducing the chance of litter polluting the streets and protecting the urban environment.
On the eve of Victory Day and for 10 days after it Moscow Domodedovo Airport invites veterans of the Great Patriotic War departing or arriving at the air harbor to the VIP lounge
According to the Phobos weather center, from April the southern wind will intensify, and a powerful advection of Black Sea air will begin in the continental regions of the country
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