World’s ‘friendliest country’ suddenly ‘not so friendly’ and wants to charge tourists more
In recent months, tourist hotspots around Japan have introduced new measures to reduce the impact of overtourism.
A Japanese mayor has taken the decision to introduce a new measure in reaction to the large number of tourists visiting a local castle.
Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto has suggested that the entry fee for the local Himeji Castle in Himeji City in the Hyogo Prefecture should introduce one entry fee for tourists and one for locals.
According to Sora News, he has proposed that the country entry fee for tourists should rise from £4.99 (1,000 yen) to £23.65 (4,742.33 yen) and fall to just £3.94 (790.05 yen) for locals.
The reasons behind this are that the new fees would make the castle - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - more accessible to local people and the extra money raised could go into the local community.
Mayor Kiyomoto made his suggestion at an international conference held in the city as Japan begins to introduce measures to combat overtourism.
The proposed introduction of tiered entry fees to the local castle is one of several measures being introduced around Japan. There are new restrictions and fees for climbing Mount Fuji and in Kyoto tourists are banned from walking in specific places.
What’s more, in places screens have been put up to stop tourists from taking photos of certain monuments from specific angles to prevent collisions and overcrowding.
Now Kyoto has introduced a new measure to ease the relationship between tourists and locals by introducing a tourists-only bus service so local buses aren’t flooded with them. The bus is due to stop at popular tourist areas such as the Kiyomizu-dera, the Ginkaku-ji temples and the Gion area.
Meanwhile, in Japan’s capital Tokyo, new restrictions have been introduced on drinking in the city’s Shibuya district.
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From October it will be forbidden to consume alcohol in public places or on the streets between 6pm and 5am. Mayor Ken Hasebe, who is introducing the new rule, said they were not banning drinking but would prefer to see people consume alcohol inside.
He said: "By establishing the rule, we would like to convey the district’s intentions, including during patrols — we would prefer people to enjoy their drinks inside restaurants.”
A statement released by authorities following the announcement warned about the negative impacts of too many tourists, it highlighted how the “damage caused by overtourism” had become “serious” resulting in littering and “altercations” with local people.
