A new survey shows that more foreign tourists in Japan are leaving the beaten track to visit less well-known places.
Information spread through social networks is contributing to sudden surges in visitor numbers in unexpected areas.
Tokyo-based IT firm, Navitime Japan, has developed a tourism app for travelers from abroad. The company has ranked municipalities with high year-on-year growth rates in tourists for the March-to-May period, based on GPS location data.
Minamiashigara City in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, topped the list, with a 32-fold increase. That was driven by the number of people visiting a park to view a local variety of early-blooming cherry blossom.
Katsuyama City in Fukui Prefecture ranked second, with a 24-fold rise. Popular local tourist sites include a huge Buddha statue known as Echizen Daibutsu.
Suzuka City in Mie Prefecture came in third, with visitor numbers up about seven times compared to a year earlier.
Navitime says the growing number of repeat tourists to Japan has led to more people wanting to visit lesser -known places. It says social-network postings are amplifying the surge in visitor numbers.
Ryukoku University Professor Abe Daisuke, who specializes in city planning, says the rapid increase in foreign visitors tends to be concentrated in certain localities. He says not all areas are benefiting from the tourism boom, because of factors including labor shortages.
He says it is important for local stakeholders including residents to discuss how to welcome visitors and decide on a tourism strategy.