The area around the Christmas Tree, background left, in Biei, Hokkaido, is crowded with people taking pictures on Dec. 6, 2025. (Kyodo)
ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) — 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.
At around lunchtime on Dec. 6, tourists arriving by bus at a nearby parking lot paid little attention to the snow-covered stumps of the felled trees. They were headed instead to the Seven Stars Tree, a famous tree featured on the packaging of a cigarette brand, to snap photos and left the area after about 10 minutes.
In another part of town on the same day, a popular tourist spot featuring the Christmas Tree was just as crowded as before, with the sound of whistles piercing the air as security guards tried to control traffic.
Many tourists walk from the closest station to get there, often trampling farmland along the way and causing damage, according to the Biei Tourism Association.
To address the problem, the association launched last month a pilot operation of shuttle buses between the tree and JR Biei Station. It has also increased the number of security guards this winter.
Still, “it will be difficult to resolve this fundamentally without putting restrictions on the number of buses and cars,” said Takeo Izumi, the association’s deputy secretary general.
The number of tourists to Biei, including from overseas, was approximately 2.68 million in fiscal 2024, according to the association, with the increase in foreign visitors having been notable in recent years.
At a gathering held last month at a local community center, 10 participants discussed how to deal with overtourism in the town, with some voicing frustration toward foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, Shigekazu Ishimura, who runs a cafe in Biei, said he has benefited from the increase in visitors from China. “This landscape was created by farmers, so I wonder if we can find a way in which they too can profit from it as well,” he proposed.
“(The problem) is not only about foreigners,” Takahiro Saito, an Asahikawa-based photographer who organizes the monthly gathering, said after the event, adding that he hopes to see more people involved in addressing overtourism.
AloJapan.com