Tourism boom tests polite society

Tourists visiting the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, where popular sites feel increasingly unmanageable. Japan has politely handled travellers for years, but as international visitors spill into previously untouristed spots, some residents are frustrated. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

ON two recent occasions, two foreign tourists walked into Shoji Matsumoto’s barbershop, through a front door that grates loudly when opened more than halfway, wanting a haircut.

One was Italian, the other British. Matsumoto, who is 75 and speaks neither of their languages, didn’t know what to tell them. He picked up his scissors and began to cut, hoping that his decades of experience would carry him through the stilted encounters.