Yoshie Doi

　During the Genroku period of the Edo period, the admission fee to Kinkakuji Temple was 2 momme of silver for 10 people, according to the “Journey to the West Journal” (by Shiba Kokan). It had already become a famous sightseeing spot, and Kyoto was always at the forefront.

　There is a funny story like this. A tourist from the countryside came to Kyoto and asked “What is this place called?” when he came to Saga Daikakuji Temple. The temple replied “This is the remains of the Imperial Gate.  : The pronaunsation is same as five-mon ” The tourist mistook it for “Five-Mon Barrier.” This funny story suggests that there were temples that charged an entrance fee from around this time.。

　Kyoto’s development as a tourist city began with the explosive increase in the number of visitors during the Edo period due to the Okage Mairi pilgrimage. Around 1705, the second year of the Hoei era, when 3 million people traveled there in one year, pilgrimages to the head temples and shrines in Kyoto also began to increase.

　Literacy rates were high during the Edo period, and common people enjoyed satisfying their desire for knowledge about the unknown. From this time on, many guidebooks to Kyoto’s famous places were published, and famous places and local products were born and became widely known.

　Tourism in Kyoto in the 21st century may be, in a sense, tourism in a city where you can experience the history and culture that is in harmony with nature. From the origins of tourism in the Edo period, which satisfied the desire for knowledge that became a tourist city, to the industrial city of Kyoto, which is also a venture city of advanced science and technology today, to the tourist city of Kyoto, which is full of culture and history, to the manufacturing city that makes use of the unique topography and climate of the basin, we at Kyosuzume would like to propose tourism from a new perspective, where you can experience the good things about Kyoto, and introduce the profound history and culture of Kyoto that has been passed down orally.

　A friend in California said, “In 2024, thanks to the weak yen, a lot of Americans went to Japan for tourism. About one-third of the patients at the hospital where my friend works went to Japan. Everyone seemed very satisfied, and said they wanted to go back next year. The problem of overtourism in Kyoto has come up, and it’s a serious issue. Maybe we should collect more tourist tax.”

　When I showed an editor from an American magazine on a private jet around, he said, “There are no stores in Kyoto where the wealthy can buy souvenirs,” and when I showed him some hidden gems, he was so impressed and he said, “Next time I come to Japan, I want to save up and come here first.” Kyoto is deep, and there are still so many things to be discovered.

　There are mixed opinions about the Kyoto City increase in accommodation tax. Kyoto is crowded with tourists even on weekdays. On a weekday morning in mid-January, there was a long line at the Kyoto Station bus stop heading to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. A person holding a placard saying “At the end of the line” announced, “There are no tourist express buses on weekdays,” so I joined the line.

　Even on weekdays, inbound tourists are steadily arriving in Kyoto. The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2024 is expected to reach 36,869,900 (preliminary figures, January to November), with spending (preliminary figures) exceeding 8 trillion yen. If all tourists were to enter Kyoto, that would mean 100,000 tourists staying in Kyoto every day. This corresponds to 7% of Kyoto City’s population of 1.43 million. If the goal is to have 60 million visitors to Japan, this would exceed 10%.

　This is an increase of about 5 million people since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyoto City, which is struggling with measures to combat overtourism, is planning to increase the accommodation tax. Article 1 of the Kyoto City Accommodation Tax Ordinance (Accommodation Tax), which came into force on October 1, 2018, states that the Local Tax Law also enacted an accommodation tax in order to increase the city’s appeal as an international cultural tourist destination and to cover the costs of measures to promote tourism.

　Kyoto City has announced that it will raise the accommodation tax from 200 to 1,000 yen to a maximum of 10,000 yen in 2025. When we asked overseas visitors and Kyoto fans whether 10,000 yen was cheap or expensive, we received some surprising responses. Also, historically, Kyoto has been a pioneering city in tourism and has taken on various initiatives.

　I think it makes sense that tourists should not receive the benefit of the taxes paid by Kyoto citizens for free, but should bear some of the burden. Considering that it is related to Kyoto City’s income and expenditure, such as the use of sewerage and transportation, I think it would be a reasonable and fair way to determine the accommodation tax based on the ratio of Kyoto City’s population to the average number of tourists per day. If 10% of Kyoto City’s population stays as tourists, wouldn’t it be a fair tax burden to impose an accommodation tax equivalent to 10% of the taxes paid by Kyoto citizens? If you could explain the basis for calculating 10,000 yen, it would be clear whether it is cheap or expensive.

　It seems that the idea is to raise the accommodation tax to reduce overtourism, but I also think it is necessary to promote public-private initiatives to spread out tourist destinations. Kyosuzume would like to make various proposals in the future.

(Continued in the next issue)

The end of document
Translated by Masami Otani

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