Japan’s cherry blossom viewing parties are at the center of a debate regarding overtourism and cultural etiquette. A recent report highlighted misbehavior by foreign visitors, prompting renewed calls for tourists to respect local customs.

Japan’s famed cherry blossom season has become the latest battleground in a broader debate over overtourism, etiquette and how foreign visitors are portrayed when trouble flares. That debate sharpened this week after the conservative Sankei newspaper ran a report accusing “unruly crowds” of foreigners of misbehaving during hanami – or cherry blossom viewing parties – across Japan, prompting renewed calls for visitors to show greater respect for local customs. In an echo of wider demands to rein....