Visitor information often serves as the basis for the management plan of parks. However, there exist few scientific and fundamental surveys for parks and open spaces in Japan. We analyzed the correlation between the number of visitors and the various factors in a suburban open space in a northern Japanese city, Takino Park. To explain the fluctuations in the number of visitors in Takino Park, multiple regression analyses with the stepwise method were conducted. The analyses employed social factors and meteorological factors, such as the day of the week, school vacations, temperature and the weather. The results show that the most influential factor is the day of the week, i.e., Sundays and holidays. The weather is also influential as the number of visitors decreases on rainy and snowy days. Comparing different seasons of the year, we found that influential factors varied from one season to the other. A key distinguishing finding of our results is that the weather conditions at the departure site and the weather forecast are also determining factors. These findings will help park managers understand the current situations and examine future management strategies to maintain and enhance visitor satisfaction, and improve information services.

自然公園の適正な利用密度を考える際利用者の混雑感の特性をとらえることは重要である。本研究では, 自然の中で低密度な利用が望まれる国立公園での登山利用者の利用密度に対する反応 (混雑感) の特性を明らかにするため, 大雪山国立公園内の登山道を事例にし, その利用状況と利用者の混雑感との関連を分析した。その結果, 混雑感は, 利用区間の滞留人数や他パーティとの交差数などの実測値よりも, 利用者が知覚した出会った人数とより強い関連をもつことが判明した。また, 混雑感は, 実際の利用状況や知覚した人数だけでなく, 利用者の事前経験などの属性の影響を受けることがわかった。

In event management, preventing excessive overcrowding is not only essential for providing comfort but also crucial for ensuring safety. However, understanding the crowd dynamics of participants in outdoor events can be challenging. One of the primary reasons is the limited availability of sensing systems suitable for outdoor use. Challenges include the need for power outlets and adapting to dynamic environmental conditions and unclear event boundaries. Consequently, there is still uncertainty about which measurements can be conducted to scientifically manage crowding based on sound principles. Therefore, there is a need for systems that are capable of discerning spatial and temporal heterogeneity in density and accurately estimating the number of people in regions of interest in both sparse and congested areas. In this study, we propose a novel approach for measuring and understanding crowd states at outdoor events. We designed a highly portable measurement system utilizing Bluetooth technology to monitor crowd density in real time, ensuring uninterrupted data collection even in remote event locations. This system stands out for its ability to operate effectively under diverse weather and lighting conditions without power outlets, making it highly adaptable to various outdoor settings. In our experiments, conducted at four distinct outdoor event locations, we used a 360° camera and LiDARs to validate the system. For instance, we deployed the system at 40-m intervals in a shopping district during a high-density parade. This deployment enabled us to capture the movement of the crowd and estimate the total number of people within the district. A key finding was the system’s capability to detect temporal and spatial congestion in both sparse and crowded areas. The system’s potential to estimate crowd sizes and manage diverse outdoor events marks an advancement over traditional methods like cameras and LiDARs.

Understanding how visitors respond to crowding is crucial for ensuring the success, safety, and overall enjoyment of large-scale exhibitions. However, despite its significance, limited research has explored this issue. To address this gap, we conducted a questionnaire survey in 2022 and 2023 for visitors to exhibitions held at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center. Our research aims to explore the level of consistency between perceived and actual crowding, levels of discomfort in crowded situations, tolerance levels for crowding, and behaviors to avoid crowded situations. The results revealed significant changes in visitor perceptions across the two-year period. Notably, the acceptable crowd density in 2023 increased by 13% compared to 2022. This change in level of tolerance for crowding might have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and other contextual factors that altered visitors’ perceptions toward crowding. Interestingly, despite these perceptual changes, behaviors to avoid crowded situations remained consistent across both years. The most common response was that no special action was taken to avoid crowded situations. These findings underscore that perceptions and behaviors related to crowding in the context of large-scale exhibitions are not uniform. Our findings offer several implications and insights for crowd management, which event organizers can use to devise strategies aimed at enhancing visitors’ experiences and effectively managing crowding in large-scale exhibitions.

In some natural parks, introducing a shuttle bus system as an alternative to private cars can help reduce congestion and protect nature. This study examines the pilot program to effectively induce visitors to switch to the shuttle bus, while examining the visitors’ understanding of the expansion of the restricted vehicle section in Shiretoko National Park—a World Natural Heritage site known for its rich natural resources, especially as a high-density habitat for brown bears. There are concerns about conflicts between visitors and brown bears that appear along roads. Visitor restrictions, such as limited access to transportation, limit the use of a place and alter the behavior and experience. Therefore, careful consideration is needed before introducing visitor restrictions. The results of our questionnaire survey of visitors indicated that most favored the expansion of the shuttle bus section. The choice experiment revealed that the guides on the bus and an optional experience encouraged visitors to switch to the shuttle buses. Nonetheless, awareness of the pilot program was low, and some visitors preferred their cars, indicating the need for further promotion of awareness and understanding of these new measures.