Netflix’s ‘Is this Love Translated?’ filming location Kamakura suffers again
Tourists flock to residential crossing following Slam Dunk pilgrimage
Residents’ complaints surge… “Tourism pollution” controversy rekindled
The Japanese city of Kamakura, which has already been suffering from overtourism due to its status as a holy site for the popular anime ‘Slam Dunk,’ is now experiencing further fatigue from local residents because of a new wave of visitors drawn to the location by a Korean drama. This time, a railroad crossing in the middle of a residential area has become a new attraction, leading to increased dissatisfaction among local people.
In the wake of the Netflix drama ‘Is this Love Translated?’ being released, tourists have been flocking to residential areas in Kamakura. The Asahi Shimbun noted, “Kamakura is already fighting overtourism, but with this Korean drama, it has gained another overcrowded tourist spot.”
The drama, which launched on Netflix worldwide in January this year, is titled ‘Is this Love Translated?’ and stars Kim Seon-ho as Ju Ho-jin, a multilingual interpreter, and Go Yoon-jung as Cha Mu-hee, a global top star. The series features popular tourist sites in countries like Japan, Italy, and Canada as primary settings. Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture is depicted as a key backdrop due to scenes shot around Kokura Station and Goryo Shrine. Reports indicate a steady stream of female tourists from countries including Korea, Indonesia, and Myanmar has descended on the location since the drama’s release.
The drama has stirred controversy because one of its filming locations is a railroad crossing right next to a residential area. This once quiet neighborhood has suddenly become overwhelmed with international visitors.
The newspaper reported, “An otherwise quiet location in a residential area has been drawing too many overseas visitors, increasing complaints from residents.”
This situation in Kamakura is not the first of its kind. The railway crossing in front of Kamakurakokomae Station, made famous by its appearance in the opening of ‘Slam Dunk,’ had already become a popular spot attracting tourists from all over the world. This influx of visitors has brought about various overtourism issues, including safety threats due to road occupancy by tourists, hygiene problems like public urination due to closed restrooms, and disruptions to residents’ lives caused by littering, noise, and unauthorized filming.
In response, the Kamakura local government has been implementing overtourism countermeasures since 2017 around the railroad crossing at Kamakurakokomae Station. By 2023, they increased the number of tourist etiquette signage and security personnel near residential areas and sought to ban filming near homes.
Despite these efforts, the situation has only worsened, with resident backlash intensifying and similar issues arising at the ‘Is this Love Translated?’ filming location. Although the local government, considering the precedent set by the ‘Slam Dunk’ site, is expanding multilingual signage and other measures at the new railroad crossing attraction, local sentiment indicates that they are insufficient to manage the overwhelming tourist numbers.
The Financial Times reported last September that “disorderly behavior by some tourists continues to be seen at the railway crossing in front of Kamakurakokomae Station,” and in Japan, social networks have been using the term ‘tourism pollution’ even more pejoratively than ‘overtourism’.
The Kamakura case challenges Japanese local governments to find a balance between the popularity of entertainment content and the quality of life for local residents.