A Study on the Perception of Overtourism in Japan -A Discourse Analysis through Media Reports, Hirokazu Kobayashi, World Conference on Smart Tourism Smart Tourism in the Age of AI Era: Connecting Global Communities, Proceedings of the 3rd WCST 2025, 80, 85, Dec. 2025, The Association for Smart Tourism, Noriyasu Kunori, In Japan, “overtourism” first appeared in the mass media in January 2018, in The Asahi Shimbun, a national 3.3 million-copy newspaper. While only three articles mentioned the term in 2018, the number rose to 70 in 2023 and 133 in 2024. Despite this growing attention, the government claimed in 2019 that “the phenomenon of overtourism is not widespread in Japan.” Nonetheless, it has incorporated overtourism into its inbound tourism policy, a core national strategy—indicating a syncline between policy discourse and media framing. This study explores how Japanese discourse on overtourism compares with international narratives, and how public awareness has evolved through media and policy influence. Employing discourse analysis, the findings suggest that although overtourism’s actual social and environmental impacts in Japan remain limited, its framing does not fit global perspectives, shaping public perception and legitimising policy responses. Finally, the study examines how discourse surrounding overtourism may contribute to sustainable tourism.(機械翻訳による抄訳)
Connectionisation in Tourism: Innovating Destination Management through Open Data by Private Sector – The Fukui Model –, Hirokazu Kobayashi, THE INC 2024 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, 44, 45, Jun. 2024, Association of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Networks in Academia
Hirokazu Kobayashi, 4, 41, 44, 20 Mar. 2024
Destination-based tourism business as an actor who drives local initiatives, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, The fifth Conference Proceedings, The Japan Society of Tourism Business Research, 5, 31, 34, 11 Jun. 2023, The Japan Society of Tourism Business Research
Local issue-solving Orientation in Destination Management Organisations
as Commercial Organisations: A Case Study of Two Destination Management Organisations in Japan, KOBAYASHI, Hirokazu, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Japan, 3, 19, 35, 20 Mar. 2023
A framework of comprehensive understanding of the destination-based tourism business, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers, 26 Sep. 2022
Invention of Destination Management Companies in Japan and Destination Management - Case: DMC Okinawa and MICE market in Okinawa, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, International Tourism Review, 29, 85, 91, 31 Mar. 2022, Japan Foundation for International Tourism
Arrangement of Concept of Tourism Enterprises Based on Destination with Its Invention and Evolution, Hirokazu Kobayashi, The Tourism Studies, 33, 2, 47, 59, 31 Mar. 2022, Japan Institute of Tourism Research, Tourism enterprises based on destination, or TEDs, have played an important part in the value chain of tourism, previous studies on TED, however, are a few and did not clarify how they could contribute to regional revitalization through tourism.
In this study, the invention and evolution of the locally-based tourism business is followed from a diachronic perspective to understand the business in a relative manner. As a result, the TEDs have developed from the stage of making arrangements
on behalf of tour operators at the source market to the stage of distributing directly products to consumers with the background of expertise in MICE or information technology.
Re-conceptualization of Tourism led by Destination and Tourism Enterprises based on Destination. A case study of Oki Tabikosha, Shimane-ken, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Japan Tourism Management Review, 2, 2, 11, 31 Mar. 2022, Tourism Business and Research Association of Japan
Tourism Social Entrepreneurship and Its Reinforcement of Social capital through Start-up Process Case study on OZ Links Co., Ltd at Toyama city, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Japan, 1, 1, 52, 67, Mar. 2021
Characteristics of A Package Tour Leading Product Innovation for Tour Operators, Kobayashi Hirokazu, The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies, 10, 61, 72, 10 Mar. 2010
24, 1, 14, 2009
Tourism System for Realizing Sustainability through System Approach, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Proceedings of JITR Annual Conference, 2008, 487, 488, Nov. 2008
グローバル・ツーリズム試論--二国間ツーリズム・システムからみた持続可能な観光, Proceedings of JITR annual conference, 23, 429, 432, Nov. 2008
The theory of sustainable tourism: global warming and tourism industry, Proceedings of JITR annual conference, 22, 201, 204, Dec. 2007
How is Dynamism of Local Management with Assets Creating New Culture, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, 8, 11, 2007, ‘Local revitalization by tourism’ has been increasingly done in a few decades because tourism can reevaluate various resources which a local community has had but sometimes it cannot be clearly aware of. A case study shows dynamism of how local management uses its assets to create new local culture and develop ‘Visitor industry’.
Sustainable Society, Sustainable Tourism, Proceedings of JITR Annual Conference, 2006, 297, 298, Dec. 2006
The Theory of Sustainable Tourism, KUNORI Noriyasu; KOBAYASHI Hirokazu, Proceedings of JITR Annual Conference, 21, 81, 84, Dec. 2006
A Practical Management Model of Sustainable Tourism, KUNORI Noriyasu; KOBAYASHI Hirokazu; KOSAKA Ryo, 137, 140, Dec. 2005
M.I.C.E. , A New Field of Tourism Research, Hirokazu Kobayashi, 233, 236, Dec. 2005
Sustainable Tourism - the conceptual frame work -, Noriyasu Kunori; Asami Shikida; Hirokazu Kobayashi, 253, 254, Dec. 2005
CSR Management in the Tourism Industry for Sustainable Society, KUNORI Noriyasu; KOBAYASHI Hirokazu, 261, 264, Dec. 2004
「温泉地域価値」と観光地域づくり--山形県米沢市小野川温泉の事例, Journal of studies on spa region, 2, 9, 16, 2004
Sustainability and Valuation in Tourism, KUNORI Noriyasu; KOBAYASHI Hirokazu, 2, 1, 29, 41, Jun. 2002
2002
4, 4, 185, 196, 2000
3, 31, 44, 1999