Editing Tourism in Japan (section)

=== From the middle ages to early modern period ===
In medieval Japan, travel became increasingly common with cultural and [[Kuge|aristocratic]] figures from Kyoto, and they initiated the genre of travel literature in Japan. Notable examples of travel literature from this period include the ''[[Tosa Nikki]]'' (935), part of the ''[[Sarashina Nikki]]'' (12th century), and the volume 4 of the ''Tohazugatari'' (1313).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Inada |first=Toshinori |date=June 1994 |title=中世紀行文学の旅の諸相とその意味 |url=https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/en/books/R000000004-I3588931 |journal=中世文学の旅<シンポジウム> |issue=39 |pages=14–24}}</ref> By the late medieval period, supported by a network of inns offering fixed-rate lodging and meals, travel was widespread. [[Onsen|Hot springs]] such as [[Kusatsu, Gunma|Kusatsu]], [[Arima Onsen|Arima]], and [[Geto Onsen|Gero]] gained fame, attracting notable figures such as warriors and monks. Tourist souvenirs including ladles and toothpicks were popular among visitors. [[Sengen shrine|Pilgrimages to Mount Fuji]] also flourished.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amano |first=Tadayuki |title=摂津・河内・和泉の戦国史 : 管領家の分裂と天下人の誕生 |date=June 2024 |publisher=法律文化社 |isbn=978-4-589-04326-9 |pages=150 |language=ja}}</ref>
[[File:Hiroshige26 nissaka.jpg|left|thumb|Travelling was popularised through travel literature and ukiyo-e]]
During the [[Edo period]], despite restrictions on travelling through checkpoints, guidebooks facilitated the popularisation of travel. Commoners with permits could undertake leisure trips, often disguised as pilgrimages. Inns, teahouses, and local products thrived, and travel information spread via diaries and ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' prints. Pilgrimages such as the [[Ise Shrine|Ise Grand Shrine]]’s ''Okage Mairi'' became major social phenomena, marking the beginnings of a modern tourism industry. However, foreign travel was extremely rare due to Japan's isolation policy. [[Matsuo Bashō]]'s 1689 trip to the then "far north" of Japan, which inspired his famous haibun work ''[[Oku no Hosomichi]]'', occurred not long after [[Hayashi Razan]] categorized the [[Three Views of Japan]] in 1643. During this time, Japan was a [[Sakoku|closed country]] to [[Gaijin|foreigners]], so no foreign tourism existed in Japan.