Overseas tourists are flocking to lesser-known destinations and novel services in a district on Japan’s northernmost main island.

But at least one place is still trying to play catch-up in dealing with the increasing crowds.

Otaru, a coastal city with a retro ambience in western Hokkaido, has grown in popularity thanks to cinema.

Its canal, completed in the early 20th century, is among the major draws. Stone warehouses and other historical structures are lined up nearby, and the area provides a good place for strolls and photo opportunities.

Otaru’s Funamizaka slope, the steepest in a city known for its many slopes, has recently attracted a steady stream of overseas tourists.

“I came here to take pictures of the sea and the landscape,” said a 35-year-old woman from Shanghai on Jan. 31, during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Many of the women who paused for photos there were wearing dark coats and blue scarves, just like the character that actress Miho Nakayama portrayed in “Love Letter.”

The 1995 movie features the Funamizaka slope, which commands a scenic vista of the Sea of Japan.

The tourists were apparently paying tribute to Nakayama, who died in December at age 54. She had developed a broad fan base around Asia.

But the hill road has a sidewalk on only one side, making it difficult for pedestrians and tourists to pass each other, especially during heavy snow.

Some tourists have entered the road to snap photos or even trespassed on private property, annoying neighborhood residents and city officials.

The city on Jan. 28 began to station three security guards along the slope to encourage tourists to behave responsibly.

The guards carry a sign in English, Chinese and Korean that reads “entering the road to take photos is a crime of obstructing the passage of vehicles.”

“When we show the sign, most of them comply,” one of the guards said.

City officials said they may double down on the security setup when the necessity arises, given the death of a tourist on Jan. 23.

The tourist, a 61-year-old Chinese woman, was hit by a train near Asari Station, not far from the city center. She and her husband had ventured onto the tracks at the unmanned train station and were taking photos of the sea.

The station was featured in “Cities in Love,” a 2015 Chinese movie.

Since then, the site has been a preferred destination for Chinese and other international visitors hoping to recapture the breathtaking scenery of the snow-covered platform and the sea seen in the movie.

The fatal accident occurred despite Hokkaido Railway Co.’s deployment of a security guard there since 2016 to urge visitors to be wary of oncoming trains.

Signs at two nearby railroad crossings warn visitors not to enter the train tracks in English, Chinese and Korean.

A 70-year-old woman who lives near Asari Station said that after the fatal accident, most trains sound their horns or travel more slowly.

Otaru and nearby Niseko, a globally renowned ski resort, are driving the steady climb in international tourist numbers in Hokkaido’s Shiribeshi district.

In fiscal 2023, the cumulative total of overnight stays in the district was 1.13 million, up 73.4 percent from the previous fiscal year.

For fiscal 2024 ending in March, the district is forecast to break the current record of 1.19 million stays set in fiscal 2018, buoyed by a weaker yen.

Some in the hospitality industry in other municipalities in the district are eager to cash in on the waves of international travelers.

Kazuya Iida, a chef with 25 years of experience, runs a Japanese-style inn in Shakotan, a town noted for its harvest of sea urchin in the district.

On the night of Feb. 2, Iida prepared expensive course meals at the kitchen of a condominium where guests with deep pockets stay in Niseko.

Bringing ingredients and cooking utensils from his inn, Iida prepared sushi, grilled fish and other delicacies for the course that cost 28,800 yen ($194) per adult.

His 16 customers, including children, were from Hong Kong. One of them, a 44-year-old man, said he found the price reasonable due to the yen’s depreciation.

Since the harvest of sea urchin is permitted only in summer, Shakotan is nearly deserted for the rest of the year, according to Iida, who said he had to depend primarily on the money he made during the high season.

But under a service called Sushi Japan, he can use his professional skills in winter by cooking for clients in Niseko.

The service is the brainchild of Japan Pacific Management, a startup in Osaka that connects wealthy tourists with local restaurateurs.

It was Iida’s 25th catering gig this winter, and he is thankful for the opportunity to make money elsewhere in the district.

In total, he has catered more than 100 times in the six years since signing up with Sushi Japan.

“The service to go and cook for customers onsite helped me stabilize our revenues,” he said.

(This article was written by Kentaro Uechi and Yuka Suzuki.)