- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,051
- 18,903
The small agricultural town of Biei, with a population of around 9,300, faces facing challenges of overtourism. To manage the influx of 2 million annual visitors, the city plans to introduce Hokkaido 's first new tax. Biei, known for its picturesque landscapes of rolling hills, fields, and towering trees, primarily relies on agriculture, mainly wheat and potato cultivation. However, its popularity has skyrocketed since 2012, when Apple featured a photo of Shirogane Blue Pond as a desktop wallpaper.
This man-made reservoir, with its striking blue colour caused by aluminium deposits and surrounded by dead larch trees, has become a significant tourist attraction. While it has brought economic benefits, it has also strained the town's infrastructure and resources.
This man-made reservoir, with its striking blue colour caused by aluminium deposits and surrounded by dead larch trees, has become a significant tourist attraction. While it has brought economic benefits, it has also strained the town's infrastructure and resources.
On one weekday in September, the town-run paid parking lot near the pond was crowded with large sightseeing buses and cars. Most of the tourists were from overseas, including South Korea and Taiwan. So many vehicles arrived that a traffic jam formed at the mechanical toll gate to the parking area. He said that town employees were quickly deployed to collect the fees to untangle the snarl manually. The town has relocated electricity poles at scenic sites to prevent them from being in tourists' pictures. Signs were installed to show the locations for ideal photo shoots. Biei also provides an online service showing real-time congestion levels.