Kyoto tackles overtourism with new $65 per night time lodge tax beginning 2026

Japan’s historical capital is taking drastic steps to rein in overtourism. 

Starting in March 2026, Kyoto will introduce the very best lodging tax in Japan, charging guests extra to remain within the metropolis’s accommodations, inns and guesthouses.

Under the brand new system, vacationers at high-end accommodations may pay as much as ¥10,000 (about $65) per particular person, per night time, in tourism taxes: a tenfold improve from present charges. 

Budget vacationers may even see jumps from about ¥200 to ¥400 (about $1.30 to $2.60), whereas mid-range rooms will leap from ¥500 to ¥1,000 (about $3.30 to $6.50) per particular person.

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Hotel charges throughout Kyoto are anticipated to climb as the town doubles down on funding for infrastructure and crowd management. (iStock)

City officers say the additional funds are anticipated to greater than double Kyoto’s tourism tax income and can go towards managing crowds, preserving cultural websites, and easing pressure on native infrastructure.

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When making use of to hike the payment, Kyoto journey authorities insisted that vacationers ought to bear the price of sustaining the very points of interest that draw them into the town.

Locals in Kyoto neighborhoods have complained of overcrowding and disrespectful vacationer conduct. (Philip Fong/AFP through Getty Images)

While tourism drives Kyoto’s economic system, many residents say the town has develop into almost unlivable in peak seasons. Narrow streets clogged with selfie-snapping guests, and fashionable districts like Gion, identified for its conventional tea homes and geisha, have tried to crack down on vacationers after incidents of trespassing and aggressive pictures. Japanese media stories these efforts have been unsuccessful.

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The new tax goals to fund enforcement and cut back friction between guests and locals, however critics warn it could not go far sufficient. Japan welcomed greater than 35 million overseas vacationers in 2024, and officers hope to achieve 60 million by 2030.

The metropolis hopes increased lodge charges will fund crowd management and defend Kyoto’s cultural heritage from mass tourism. (iStock)

Kyoto isn’t alone in feeling the squeeze. Fox News Digital beforehand reported that Mount Fuji, one other of Japan’s iconic locations, is coping with its personal unwanted effects of booming tourism. 

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Trash, overcrowding and security issues have grown so extreme that officers have begun calling the landmark a “trash mountain.”

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Visitors are being requested to pack out their rubbish and respect new crowd limits, as native authorities scramble to guard the mountain’s pure magnificence.

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Kyoto’s transfer could also be an indication of what’s forward for different tourist-heavy areas. As Japan’s reputation surges, cities are being compelled to decide on between financial alternative and preserving the peace that makes them so fashionable within the first place.