Large quantities of trash in hangul-labeled products were found at Kamikochi in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, a popular trekking destination in Japan. [Tokusawa-en SNS]
Large quantities of trash in hangul-labeled products were found at Kamikochi in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, a popular trekking destination in Japan. [Tokusawa-en SNS]

Large amounts of trash in hangul-labeled products found at a popular Japanese tourist destination are stirring controversy, with the site's operators urging visitors to protect the environment as illegal dumping rises alongside growing tourist numbers.

Tokusawa-en, a mountain lodge in Kamikochi, Nagano Prefecture, said Sunday on its official SNS account that illegal dumping had "noticeably increased" during the summer hiking season even as visitor numbers climbed.

Kamikochi, located in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, is one of Japan's premier alpine tourist destinations, drawing domestic and international hikers every summer.

Photos released by the lodge showed a 20-liter volume-rate trash bag used in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The bag contained unsorted plastics, cans and bottles mixed together, along with food waste that appeared to include Korean items such as kimchi, ramyun and meat.

"Most of the trash consisted of products with hangul labels," the lodge said. "Fish, kimchi, ramyun and other food items were all thrown away, and it is truly heartbreaking every time we have to collect it."

"Kamikochi is not a place for any one person — it is precious nature entrusted to us from every corner of the world," the lodge added. "We will spread this message to many countries. Follow the rules."

Kamikochi falls within the Chubu Sangaku National Park and is designated as a place of scenic beauty and a natural monument. Last year, annual visitors exceeded 1.6 million for the first time in 22 years, while the number of foreign overnight guests surpassed 20,000 — double the figure recorded in 2017.

The surge in tourism has, however, brought a wave of problems: illegal dumping, mountaineering accidents caused by reckless hiking, and trespassing off designated trails — symptoms of what is widely called overtourism.

In response, Matsumoto city is pursuing plans to impose a visitor levy at Kamikochi as early as fiscal 2028 to secure funding for environmental management and safety measures.

Matsumoto was designated as a management body under Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties in 2024, giving it the legal basis to collect fees such as admission charges. A visitor survey conducted last year found that more than 90 percent of respondents supported introducing the levy.


bbo@heraldcorp.com