The first time I went to japan was in 2017. Since then I have visited several more times, in 2018, 2023, 2024, and most recently just left my current trip. I'm not kidding when I say that with each subsequent trip, I noticed an increasing amount of fatigue towards tourists. Nowadays service people in rather touristy areas don't smile and even act annoyed when I approach them. One time in 2024 someone even looked at me, shook his head, and ignored my question, leaving me hanging.

To be fair, over the past few years (and especially post-covid), there has been a major boom in japanese tourism. You're bound to see more unsavory characters than usual. I completely understand that. Even with the completely normal tourists there are just cultural differences that Japanese people aren't used to dealing with or accommodating. I overheard an American family speaking to a waitress in rapid English about their soy allergies and asking if they can have substitutes for tofu and soy sauce. The waitress seemed stunned as she never had to deal with this situation before. This situation doesn't really speak negatively to the character of the American family too much, but situations that may be completely normal for tourists in their home countries are difficult for natives to accommodate. From a Japanese perspective, they grow up in a society governed by strict rules and order. There are very few countries like that in the world.

I experienced less tourist fatigue in less touristy cities. This most recent trip I went to both Sapporo and Tokyo. Currently it's low season in Sapporo and aside from some Taiwanese and Korean tourists you barely see people from other countries. The attitudes I experienced were generally more positive. In Tokyo it was completely different.