This may seem controversial, but I actually like that Japan is homogeneous. It’s more pronounced where I am compared to say Tokyo and I don’t think I like the “diversity” of Tokyo. Japan has a distinct culture and you can feel it in the rural areas more so than large cities. Having more international visitors seems to dilute this unique cultural vibe. I’m part of the problem too, I’m not exactly fitting in. That’s not to say that tourism is not welcome - but I don’t think people should aim to live in this country. Japan faces somewhat of a population crisis and will require more people emigrating here, and that’ll likely make it feel even less unique, which kind of saddens me.

If it were up to me I’d dismantle all malls and get rid of all the international chain brands. They can ship to homes but don’t pollute the area with global corpo sameness. I know, of exactly free market but that’s how I feel.