Since I live in an area of Kamakura City called “Old Kamakura,” Golden Week means a period of time when I don’t go out in the city. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, it is almost impossible to go out to eat lunch on a normal weekend (there are lines everywhere), and it is also difficult to travel by car during the day. The season is at its best, and during these holidays people either work in their gardens or take refuge in nearby nature, such as the trails in the back mountains or Zaimokuza Beach, which is beloved by locals .
As you know, this kind of over-tourism is happening all over the world, and last week Venice, Italy, started the world’s first system to charge tourists 5 euros (about ¥840) as an entrance fee for the day. The maximum fine is 50,000 yen, and the mayor has stated that he wants to use the money to “improve the quality of life in Venice, make it safer and cleaner,” and “make residents and tourists happy.” also demonstrations by local residents against Venice being put up for sale.
In a way, this is different from last week, when the photo spot Mt. A certain Fuji in Fujikawaguchiko Town, Yamanashi Prefecture is world famous on Instagram and was packed with tourists behind a 20m wide black screen (this has also been reported in English speaking countries). The reason for this is that because it is located in front of a convenience store, the damage caused to nearby residents cannot be ignored, such as street eating and drinking, littering, encroachment on neighboring homes, and parking problems. As a resident of Kamakura, I can imagine the devastation and sympathize with the local residents, but I still can’t help but wonder if there could have been a different way of doing things. Therefore, in the GW newsletter, I would like to think about how to de-futurize this “overtourism”.
Two main measures are currently being considered in Kamakura City. Park and ride, for example, has been implemented in many cities in the UK since the 1960s. Basically, car parks are set up on the outskirts of the city, and people get off their private cars there and transfer to buses or free buses. other services that take them into the city. By accepting this, the intention is to keep cars out of the city.
Also known as the “Seven Exits of Kamakura”, this place is located under rare geographical and historical conditions in that only seven points are needed to control access to old Kamakura, which surrounded on all sides by the sea and mountains. A shrine would not be closed, my expectations were lowered It has just been lowered significantly.
In the first place, the design of the park and ride incentive is important. Kamakura City appears to be aiming to promote the use of public transport by installing parking lots near Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden) stations in conjunction with another measure, the “Kamakura Free Environmental Bill” Until age if we look at Kyoto, which has implemented measures related to stations, it is questionable how effective it will be for people who choose private cars rather than trains or buses in the first place. There is already another problem that cannot be done). Instead, why not offer a free shuttle bus or charge a fee for cars driving into the city?
As a local resident, I already have mixed feelings about shuttle buses. Of course, it would be better to have dozens of people in cars riding on one bus, which would reduce congestion and reduce carbon dioxide emissions per capita (even more so if it were an EV bus). However, in the first place, many residents of Kamakura, where the roads are narrow and winding, would not welcome the arrival of several large buses in a row (I get scared every time I pass one of them). Another problem is that there are only a limited number of places where large buses can park in the city, and the problem is that the money from group tours only goes to the few restaurants and temples and shrines that have lots of parking spaces. such. If the future is to see EV buses running on the streets, then at least Kamakura needs to be re-futurized.
#editorinchief #members #future #overtourism #Newsletter #VOL.234
