Japan Is Not a Theme Park, and My Students Are Not Part of the Scenery

Note: I just made this account to say this, because I want to protect my students.

Dear tourists visiting Japan*,

(*I have to believe that, for the majority of you, this open letter does not apply. This does not happen frequently, but it has been happening more frequently to me and to my students. More and more often. So this letter is not for all of you, it is for those of you who need a little reminder before you come to Japan.)

Please remember not to treat this country like it exists for your entertainment.

Today, a random tourist again walked onto my public school campus and started talking to my students.

I want everyone to pause for a moment and really think about that. In what world is it acceptable to walk onto school grounds and approach children you do not know? In what country would you think that was normal? Would you do that at home? Would you wander into a school in your own country, start chatting with students, and assume everyone should be fine with it because you were “just being friendly” or “just curious”?

Because here is the thing: this is not Disneyland. This is not a movie set. This is not an interactive cultural exhibit where every person you see is part of the experience you paid for.

This is our daily life. These are our schools. Our neighborhoods. Our trains. Our sidewalks. Our temples. Our convenience stores. Our children. Our workplaces. Our commutes. Our quiet mornings. Our stressful afternoons. Our ordinary, complicated, beautiful, exhausting real lives.

We are willing to share those things with you, but you have to remember that there are boundaries.

And more and more, it feels like some tourists arrive in Japan and forget that the people here are actual people.

I say this as a foreign person living in Japan. I understand the excitement. I understand the wonder. I understand that Japan can feel beautiful, fascinating, confusing, and magical when you first arrive. I also understand what it means to be a guest here.

I work hard every day to live respectfully in a country that is not the one I was born in. I think carefully about rules, manners, language, expectations, and the fact that my actions may reflect not only on me, but on other foreign residents as well. Many of us who live here are constantly aware that when tourism gets out of control, when people behave badly, when foreigners are loud or entitled or careless, the consequences do not disappear when those tourists fly home.

We are still here. We are the ones who live with the stricter rules, the suspicious looks, the signs in English telling people what not to do, the places that become less welcoming, the growing frustration toward “foreigners” as one big category. We are the ones trying to build lives, raise children, teach students, work jobs, join communities, and be respectful neighbors.

So when tourists behave as if Japan is just a playground, it does not only annoy people for one afternoon. It makes life harder for everyone.

And I am tired. I am tired of tourists blocking roads midday for photos. I am tired of people touching things they should not touch, especially when there are signs not to touch those things. I am tired of people ignoring signs because the rules apparently "do not apply to them". I am tired of people filming or taking pictures of strangers without thinking. I am tired of people's houses being treated like Instagram backdrops. I am tired of private neighborhoods being treated like attractions.

And now, apparently, I also have continually to be tired of random people walking onto school campuses and approaching children.

That is not cute. That is not cultural exchange. That is not “friendly.” That is wildly inappropriate. Children are not tourist attractions. Students in uniforms are not props for your hot takes of Japan videos. A school is not a place for you to wander into because you are curious.

If you are visiting Japan, please enjoy it. Please eat the food, visit the museums, go to the temples, ride the trains, buy the souvenirs, take beautiful pictures, and have a wonderful time. But please remember that you are visiting a real place where real people live.

You are not the main character in Japan. You are a guest. And being a guest means paying attention. It means respecting boundaries even when no one personally stops you. It means understanding that “I didn’t know” is not always an excuse. It means realizing that your vacation is happening inside someone else’s normal day.

Please stop walking into spaces that are not for you. Please stop treating ordinary people like part of your travel package. Please stop assuming that curiosity gives you permission. Please stop making life harder for the people who actually live here.

Japan is not a theme park.

And my students are not part of the scenery.