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Visitors to Japan are leaving behind their suitcases behind at hotels and airports, causing significant cost, hassle and even security concerns, Audrey Kohout, Co-CEO of Luggage Forward, told the Mirror

Japan has a rather unusual tourist problem.

Holidaymakers in the Asian country are leaving behind their suitcases. It’s not an isolated phenomenon. Hundreds of bags are being dumped, cluttering up airports and hotels.

At the root of the problem are souvenirs. The recent weakness of the yen in comparison to the dollar and pound means tourists can load up on cute gifts in Japanese gift shops in a way they have never done before.

Weighed down with a hotel room full of Pikachu dolls, unusual flavours of KitKats and yukata, tourists are buying large bags to take everything home with them. They then dump the bag they brought rather than paying to take two home.

A survey by the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau found that more than 80 percent of the hotels surveyed complain about abandoned suitcases. This can prove tricky for hotels, which end up storing the bags while they attempt to make contact with the departed guest.

The Best Western Hotel Fino Osaka Shinsaibashi reports about three or four suitcases left in rooms on some days. Disposal cost the hotel more than £1,400 last year.

While the issue is one of inconvenience and financial cost in hotels, it is a security matter in airports. Narita International Airport near Tokyo reported more than 1,000 abandoned suitcases last year alone, some of them prompting police responses to ensure that they aren’t a security threat.

Audrey Kohout, Co-CEO of Luggage Forward, told the Mirror: “A few things in Japan have led to this trend there as opposed to other surging places. Japan is a wonderful place for souvenir shopping. People are purchasing a huge amount and are upgrading to a bigger suitcase, as they didn’t plan ahead.

“You combine that with checking a bag on an airline, and it leaves people a bit squeezed and not wanting multiple bags. The dollar is strong there. You merge that with Japan having a lot of high-quality, affordable options and fun knick-knacks. It lends it to be a strong souvenir destination.

“Also, it is not an easy place to throw something away. It is built for residents. I remember walking around with a coffee cup for miles. You’re supposed to bring things home and dispose of them at home. Abandoning it can be easier than throwing it away.

“There is also often a language barrier. Japan is a pretty easy place to get around, but not a lot of people speak English. Just getting support on something that’s not wildly obvious is not the easiest thing to do there.”

Japan has quickly become one of the most popular destinations in the world for a holiday, and it’s having a bumper year. The weak state of the yen is encouraging visitors to book holidays in record numbers.

From the UK alone, just shy of 70,000 Brits travelled there in April, a 43% increase compared to the same month in 2024. Overall, Japan set a new visitor record with 21.5 million tourists in the first half of 2025, a 21% increase from last year.

Newborns are being forced to share an incubator at Gaza City’s al-Helou International Hospital as rising cases of acute malnutrition overwhelm the wards. Doctors say hospitals are running out of space amid Israel’s man-made famine.

The picturesque seaside town is facing growing tension over the impact of second home ownership and overtourism, with locals expressing their frustration.

Hunstanton, a delightful coastal town on the Norfolk cost, is grappling with mounting tensions surrounding second home ownership and excessive tourism.

Renowned for its unique striped cliffs and picturesque coastline, Hunstanton has remained a beloved spot for holidaymakers for generations.

Yet residents are growing increasingly angry about the escalating numbers of second homes, which they claim are inflating house prices and making it nearly impossible for locals to secure reasonably-priced accommodation.

Throughout recent years, Hunstanton has witnessed a flood of second-home purchasers drawn to the resort’s idyllic location and peaceful ambience.

Figures revealed that almost 20% of homes in the vicinity are now second homes or holiday lets, reports the Express.

This boom in second-home purchases has triggered alarm amongst residents, who believe their neighbourhood is being stripped of its soul by vacant properties and that essential services are buckling under pressure from the seasonal tourist invasion.

Jane Matthews, a lifelong Hunstanton resident, expressed her frustration: “I’ve seen my hometown change dramatically over the past decade. With so many houses sitting empty for most of the year, it feels like we’re losing the heart of our community. And when the tourists do come, the town is overwhelmed and the streets are crowded.”

The problem of excessive tourism has worsened the difficulties confronting the resort.

Throughout busy periods, Hunstanton’s population balloons, resulting in jammed roads, packed beaches, and heightened strain on community services. The boom in short-term rentals, driven by platforms like Airbnb, has intensified the pressure, with some locals arguing that the town’s distinctive character is being stripped away.

Yet, during quieter months, the explosion of second home ownership and holiday lets has resulted in a dwindling population in Hunstanton, creating what another resident, Mark Fuchter describes as “mini-desert areas” around town where most of the houses are unoccupied for much of the year.

This drop in permanent residents has had a visible effect on the local economy and community spirit. “There is less of a sense of community in these circumstances,” Fuchter noted. “More worryingly, this affects footfall in our shops and use of local services.”

The predicament has sparked comparisons to other British towns grappling with similar issues.

Whilst Hunstanton may not be as deserted as some locations branded as “ghost towns,” like Lyme Regis, Fuchter describe the town as a “kiss-me-quick” town.

He explained: “I like the fact that the town provides holidays for those who may not be able to afford to jet off on foreign holidays. I suspect it is probably busier even in the off-season compared with places that are more highly desirable and upmarket.”

Fuchter recognises that the town’s year-round attraction to budget-conscious tourists may be the reason it remains somewhat livelier during the off-season. However, he also expressed concern about the rising poverty levels in the area, which are often masked by the presence of expensive homes and tourist attractions.

“I volunteer at the local foodbank and have run a Helping Hands warm space community hub. I was shocked by the level of poverty and hardship in this are which I always thought was part of wealthy North Norfolk. Of course, it is both.

“Personally I’m worried that there is nothing effective to stem the growth of second homes and holiday lets. Many vested interests do okay out of it.”

Mike Ruston, another local, offered a contrasting viewpoint, recognising the financial advantages tourism brings whilst also urging for equilibrium. “My personal opinion is that this area is a holiday destination,” Ruston said.

“Out of the holiday season, the villages can be quite quiet, but in the holiday season, they’re absolutely heaving, and that is a very important part of the local economy. You’ve got to be a bit careful what you wish for.”

Ruston highlighted the contradictions within local opinions regarding second home ownership and holiday rentals.

“We don’t raise an eyebrow about renting somewhere abroad, but there are plenty of people who, rather hypocritically, might go abroad on a self-catering holiday but don’t want them here. It’s all a matter of balance,” he said.

He also drew parallels with other UK tourist hotspots like Cornwall and Devon, where locals often voice concerns about affordability and the impact on their communities, yet oppose new housing developments.

A town councillor from Hunstanton said last year that the council hasn’t broached the subject and doesn’t have a policy in place.

However, they have been in talks with Norfolk County Council who have commissioned research into the matter, but no report has been produced as of yet.

Health facilities juggling rising cases of infant hunger, malaria, in an area that also shelters thousands of refugees.

Rising cases of extreme infant hunger and malaria are overwhelming humanitarian facilities in southwestern Ethiopia as aid cuts force other nutrition and disease prevention programmes to shutter, Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym, MSF) has warned.

MSF said on Wednesday it had seen a 55-percent increase compared with last year in child admissions to its feeding centre in the Kule refugee camp in Ethiopia’s Gambella region, with many of the infants coming from camps nearby.

Funding cuts have meant the closure of nutrition services in four of the region’s seven refugee camps, MSF said, “leaving around 80,000 children under the age of five at risk of life-threatening malnutrition”.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation with about 130 million people, is grappling with armed clashes in two of its largest regions.

Southwestern Gambella borders South Sudan, itself facing a dramatic uptick in violence and funding cuts to international programmes that form the country’s healthcare backbone.

The region currently shelters just under 400,000 refugees across seven camps, many of them South Sudanese.

80,000 children under five are at risk of life-threatening malnutrition as services are suspended in four refugee camps in Gambella, Ethiopia, following significant aid cuts.

Without urgent support, this crisis will continue to escalate.https://t.co/hlDXRzqpmb

— MSF International (@MSF) August 6, 2025

Patient visits to the Kule camp have risen by almost 60 percent compared with 2024.

“MSF is overwhelmed by the increased patient load, and we fear this number will likely keep rising in the coming months,” said Armand Dirks, MSF’s project coordinator in Gambella.

Nyauahial Puoch travelled roughly eight kilometres (five miles) from another refugee camp to seek treatment for her malnourished 17-month-old daughter.

“Since last year, there has been a big decline. Some of the items we used to get are no longer provided at all,” the NGO quoted her as saying.

While they are given food once a month, Puoch said, “it always runs out before the month ends”.

Funding cuts have also had an impact on disease prevention, notably malaria programmes, with MSF predicting a steep increase in the May-to-October rainy season.

The NGO said in July it had seen an approximately 125-percent rise in the number of malaria patients – almost 24,000 – compared with the previous month, with half of these patients coming from neighbouring refugee camps.

“This poses a serious threat to already vulnerable refugees who face heightened exposure to malaria-infected mosquitoes due to overcrowded living conditions and limited sanitation,” said Birhanu Sahile, MSF’s deputy medical coordinator.

Llucmajor, a district in the south of the Balearic island, has found itself facing Birmingham-levels of uncollected waste, with residents complaining of terrible smells and rats

Residents in part of Majorca have become overwhelmed by great piles of stinking rubbish.

Llucmajor, a district in the south of the Balearic island, has found itself facing Birmingham-levels of uncollected waste. Great mounds of mouldy food, household rubbish, and general gunk have been building up in the streets.

The roasting hot southern Spanish weather is making things worse, as the sun heats up the black sacks, turning them into putrid whiff bombs. This is a particular problem in a neighbourhood that is home to a large poultry farm, controversial not just because of the intense pong of hot chicken waste, but also due to allegations that the animals live in poor conditions.

“This is not an isolated case. We residents are tired of excuses and the lack of response. We demand immediate solutions,” one resident told the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

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Others have complained that the situation is not new and that Llucmajor has suffered such unpleasantness for far too long.

PSOE spokesperson Jaume Oliver said: “In Arenal, the population doubles starting July 15 due to tourists and second-home residents. The town hall knows that the same thing happens every year, and yet they don’t increase services. We are not ruling out taking legal action against the town hall.”

Another resident blamed a “systematic failure of the waste collection service” for not dealing with the rubbish build-up. “With this heat, the smell is unbearable, and at night there are tons of rats. It’s disgusting and scary,” they told Crónica Balear.

“We have been experiencing collection failures for months, but what has happened in recent days has surpassed all limits.”

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According to local reports, the council’s contracts with waste collection companies expired in May. The town hall has said that there will soon be a tender for the service. “In the meantime, FCC is obliged to provide the service until a new contract is awarded. The company is having problems with trucks and sick workers. In some areas, it is using leased vehicles.”

The situation in Llucmajor is similar to that in Birmingham, where residents are dealing with the consequences of more than 100 days of strikes by the city’s refuse collectors.

The Mirror’s Sanjeeta Bains visited Brum in June, stopping off at Balsall Heath, an inner-city area. There she found “a horrifying trail of stinking rubbish including food waste from local takeaways lying just yards from people’s front doors.”

“Flies swarmed around half-eaten burgers and dirty nappies, and even after getting back in the car, there was no escaping the foul smell. I had to fight the urge to drive home and get straight into the shower. And to make things worse, brazen fly-tippers have been emboldened to take advantage of the council chaos.”