I understand your concern and agree about Kyoto, but tourists can behave well or poorly and tourism can be managed well or poorly. At Jingu, I saw foreign tourists, but no problems, and locals were welcoming. Elsewhere in Mie, I saw no foreign tourists and locals were also welcoming. I would like to believe that HN readers would be beneficial tourists and might themselves benefit from experiences that cannot as easily be found in the top destinations.

I think this mentality breeds anti-foreign sentiment, which is then further fueled by the actions of a few bad apples. Japan isn’t the only country facing overtourism in certain hotspots. Also, the non-foreign tourists visiting Ise are simply Japanese tourists. It’s about managing tourism and finding a way to accommodate all kinds of visitors.