Experts Say How to Make Japan Trip More Environmentally Friendly

• This spring, I’m planning to travel from the US to two of Japan’s major cities: Tokyo and Kyoto.
• Before jetting off, I spoke with two sustainability experts about how to make it a greener trip.
• They told me to swap a Starbucks visit for something local, fly direct, and stay in fewer hotels.
• This article is part of “Green Getaway,” a series exploring how people can make more eco-conscious choices on their travels. For more climate-action news, visit Insider’s One Planet hub. 

Japan has been calling my name for years. It’s home to striking mountains and diverse nature juxtaposed with futuristic cities, ancient temples, tempting foods, and welcoming people.

And this year, I was determined to get there. But before I boarded a plane, I had decisions to make: Which cities to visit? Which hotels to book? Which tours to join? Where to eat?

The options felt endless, and on top of narrowing down my must-visit ramen shops and day trips from Tokyo, I wanted to try to make the trip more sustainable. While I love to travel, I also love the planet, and I’ve learned those two things are often at odds.

Aviation, for instance, produced 2.4{0b5b04b8d3ad800b67772b3dcc20e35ebfd293e6e83c1a657928cfb52b561f97} of the world’s carbon-dioxide emissions in 2018, according to a 2021 paper published in the Atmospheric Environment. Meanwhile, popular tourist destinations are struggling with overtourism, which can displace locals and damage natural ecosystems.

So when it came to planning a trip to Japan, I wanted to limit my damage. I drafted a rough itinerary and shared it with two experts.

I spoke with Paloma Zapata, the CEO of Sustainable Travel International, which works with local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to provide sustainable travel opportunities; and Sarah Faith, a content and communications manager at Responsible Travel, a UK travel company that evaluates trips and vacation providers on their sustainability measures.

The pair analyzed my itinerary and shared advice meant to help my trip have more positive impacts. Some tips were simple, like extending hotel stays, while other suggestions were larger undertakings. Here’s a closer look at their advice.

The pros urged me to evaluate the time of year for my planned visit

Japan’s busiest tourism season is early spring. According to an analysis by Kansai University published in Bloomberg, about 63 million people travel to and within Japan at this time for the country’s sakura season, or cherry-blossom season.

During these spring months, cities like Tokyo and Kyoto are teeming with cherry blossoms, and after hearing about the pastel colors that fill the streets of Tokyo and Kyoto, I wanted to see them for myself.

The two sustainability experts pointed out that visiting Japan during its high season wouldn’t be the most responsible choice.

“I don’t want to dissuade you from experiencing the cherry blossoms, but in general you should avoid high season,” Zapata said.

“There’s a real kind of fear of overtourism,” Faith said. “There’s been reports of it in Kyoto especially. People flooding in and big hordes of people starting to erode some of the local culture and the local ambiance that that city is known for.”

They said an off-season trip was better since it’d help spread the economic benefits of tourism across the year and remove some of the burden on certain attractions.

Plus, Zapata added there’s a chance I’d have a better trip during shoulder season. Experiences are less likely to be sold out given the smaller crowds, and it’ll probably be cheaper too, she said.

Still, the two experts said that if I’m determined to visit during cherry-blossom season — and I am — there are still ways I could have less of a negative impact on the region. For example, Faith said I could look into homestays, visit less-populated areas outside Tokyo, and hire local guides, which would help spread the economic benefits of my trip.

Next, we discussed the length of my trip

Both Zapata and Faith said that the more time you spend in one destination, the better, since longer trips in fewer places mean lower carbon emissions.

For example, instead of spending a week flying between four European countries, plan a 10-day trip to one or two.

It’s even more important to consider length when your trip involves a flight because airplane travel produces high carbon emissions. Flying is one of the most carbon-intensive ways to travel, according to an Our World in Data analysis, which used data from the UK government’s 2020 methodology paper for greenhouse-gas reporting. 

Zapata generally recommends spending at least seven days in any destination that requires a flight, though she acknowledges that “not everyone has the luxury to travel that long.”

Currently, I’m planning on spending eight days in Japan split between two cities. One way my trip could have a more positive impact would be by adding days to my itinerary, Zapata said. More days in a destination means more money in locals’ hands, Faith said, as opposed to spending money traveling between places.

Luckily, moving between destinations will be more sustainable in Japan, since the country has a robust public transportation and train system. This means I’ll emit fewer emissions once I’m there.

My flight will make up the majority of the trip’s carbon footprint

A flight from my home in Denver to Tokyo will easily be the most unsustainable part of my trip.

So Faith urged me to book a flight with the fewest layovers. Planes use more fuel when they take off and taxi, so a flight route that lands less often will produce less carbon emissions, Faith said. Additionally, Zapata urged me to find a flight with the most direct path to Tokyo.

“The longer you’re flying, the more fuel is being burned,” Zapata said.

Both experts said Google Flights‘ carbon-dioxide-emissions information was a smart place to start. And after a quick search, I spotted a handful of airlines and routes I could take to get to Tokyo.

I could fly from Denver to Los Angeles, where I’d then take a 12-hour flight to Tokyo. According to Google estimates, this 16 ½-hour journey would produce about 780 kilograms a person of CO2.

A flight with a layover in Houston would create even more emissions because it’s a less-direct route. It’d produce an estimated 1,091 kilograms a person of CO2 during the 18-hour trip, according to Google.

The flight with the fewest emissions would be a direct flight from Denver to Tokyo. That would produce both the least CO2 output estimated per passenger (516 kilograms) and the shortest trip (12 hours), according to Google.

Luckily for me, the direct flight from Denver to Tokyo costs the same as the indirect flights. Although I’d be willing to a pay extra for a flight that gets me to my destination quicker and also saves emissions.

Other tips to lower my flight’s carbon footprint

To create fewer carbon emissions when traveling by plane, Zapata suggested I sit in economy class. Since business class, first class, and premium economy take up more space on a plane, those seats have larger carbon footprints when compared with economy. According to a report from the International Council on Clean Transportation, a business-class traveler creates 2.6 to 4.3 times more carbon dioxide per kilometer than a passenger in economy, depending on aircraft class.

For my Japan trip, I’ll sit in economy class.

Faith also recommended flying on newer planes, which tend to be more fuel-efficient. According to the International Air Transport Association, newer airplanes typically have more efficient engines, better aerodynamics, and reduced weight, which in turn, reduces the plane’s carbon emissions.

Finally, Faith said that when I go to purchase my airplane ticket, the airline might also offer me the opportunity to purchase sustainable aviation fuel. American Airlines, JetBlue, and Delta Air Lines are among airlines that get some of their fuel from sustainable sources such as waste, plants, and other organic matter, The New York Times reported.

Buying sustainable aviation fuel would reduce the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere in the first place, so it’s money well spent, Faith said.

My itinerary initially involved 7 hotels, but I was urged to consolidate them

One of my favorite ways to explore a city is by sleeping in new places. I’ve spent nights in tiny homes, campers, sailboats, themed hotels, luxury hotels, hostels, cabins, and tents.

I initially wanted a similar variety in Japan. The country’s traditional ryokans enticed me with their tatami-mat flooring and communal dining areas. And since the country also invented the capsule hotel, I wanted to make sure I experienced those as well.

When I first drafted my itinerary, I planned to sleep in seven places, which meant I was moving to a new hotel almost every day of my trip.

“That stuck out to me,” Zapata said, adding that changing hotels so frequently might not be the most sustainable approach.

She said that by switching accommodations, I’d be creating unnecessary waste. More sets of sheets and towels will need to be washed, which creates extra water use, and I might use more complimentary toiletries, which are often wrapped in single-use plastic that ends up in a landfill.

Plus, moving hotels every day would probably mean more transportation, Zapata said. Since I don’t want to drag a suitcase around Tokyo all day, I’d probably need to either drop my luggage off at a new hotel every morning or leave it at the original hotel and return to collect it in the evening, which would prompt extra taxi and subway rides.

After evaluating my accommodations, I cut a couple of my hotel stays. Now, I’m planning to spend five nights in one place, and with my tweaked itinerary I’ll still be able to have ryokan and capsule experiences.

I was also encouraged to pick hotels with proven sustainable initiatives

Beyond staying in hotels longer, both Zapata and Faith mentioned that I should pick accommodations with sustainable practices.

I initially thought I might be staying at a sustainable hotel since it was classified as a “travel sustainable property” on Booking.com.

But Zapata and Faith said relying on those general titles wasn’t enough. Instead, I need to do my own research. Zapata recommends evaluating hotels on five main categories: water, energy, culture, nature, and waste management.

According to Booking.com, my five-night hotel stay doesn’t have single-use plastic, has water-efficient appliances, and includes some measures to save energy.

To me, this seemed like the bare minimum a “sustainable” hotel should do. Faith said I should also look into how the hotel reduces its waste, whether it has nature-friendly initiatives, where the hotel’s food comes from, and whether it hires locals and pay them livable wages.

She added that a hotel focused on sustainability would most likely have a page on its website highlighting its efforts and initiatives.

As I looked into my five-night hotel, I learned it’s operated by a larger company and found a page dedicated to sustainability, which answered some of my questions. For instance, I learned the hotel was creating natural spaces in the city by having a garden on the property that used recycled water. I also learned the hotel uses renewable electricity.

But the website didn’t answer all my questions. I still didn’t know whether the hotel employs people from its local community and whether food is sourced from nearby farms or is imported from around the world.

With unanswered questions, Faith suggested I reach out to the hotel directly.

“A hotel who is generally responsible and doing stuff will want to answer your questions and will be happy that you’ve asked,” she said.

I did just that, and while I wait for answers, I plan to research other hotels that might have stronger sustainable initiatives.

Both Faith and Zapata recommended booking local experiences

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1,000 years. It’s filled with historic temples and shrines and also happens to be home to a Starbucks inside a 100-year-old machiya home, which are wooden townhouses that the merchant class lived in during the Edo era, according to Atlas Obscura.

Intrigued by the coffee shop’s location, I added it to my itinerary. But both Faith and Zapata suggested swapping that for something local.

“The sense of history in Kyoto is incredible, so don’t look at the history of Starbucks — go explore the history of Japan,” Faith said.

Instead of Starbucks, I could seek out a Japanese tea ceremony or visit a locally owned coffee shop. Zapata said this would put money directly into the hands of community members instead of a major corporation like Starbucks.

This local-focused approach is one Zapata and Faith recommended I have for my entire trip.

For instance, I can ensure I’m booking tours and activities that are owned and operated by Japanese locals. That would prevent what Faith called “leakage,” which is when the money you put into a trip goes toward international companies.

“Consider how much of that money actually stays in the destination you’re going to, and how much of that goes back out to an international company,” she said.

That’s also why she recommends booking tours and activities directly, instead of with third-party companies, which take a cut of the profit. During my trip, I plan to tour a wasabi farm, but instead of booking the tour through Airbnb, I’ll book it directly with the farmer on his personal website so he can receive 100{0b5b04b8d3ad800b67772b3dcc20e35ebfd293e6e83c1a657928cfb52b561f97} of the money.

Finally, Faith said many of these locally owned experiences could create a better trip. Local tour guides might show you off-the-beaten-path destinations, which create a more distinct experience for the traveler and spread both the physical and the economic load of the tourists visiting a city.

“When you travel in a way that is really rooted in local communities and in supporting local people, you get better a better holiday as a result of being more responsible,” Faith said.

The experts agreed there were things everyone could do to travel more sustainably

While it may not be possible for everyone to fully incorporate all of their tips, Zapata and Faith said there were ways to make a trip greener no matter the time or budget.

Booking local tours and prioritizing stays in hotels with sustainability initiatives, for instance, won’t necessarily be more expensive.

As I revise my Japan trip, I’ll be looking for sustainable accommodations, will fly directly to the country, and will seek to embark on off-the-beaten-path adventures.

In case you missed it, watch a replay of Insider’s One Planet virtual event with activist and artist Elijah McKenzie-Jackson.