Overview
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs approved Kyoto’s ordinance, which the city passed in March, with the new rates scheduled to take effect by March 2026.
- Guests in the top bracket will pay ¥10,000 per night for rooms priced over ¥100,000, with lower tiers set at ¥4,000, ¥1,000, ¥400 and ¥200 based on per-person nightly room rates.
- The city projects about ¥12.6 billion in annual revenue from the higher accommodation tax.
- Authorities frame the increase as part of overtourism countermeasures, with Kyoto maintaining rules in Gion that restrict entry to private alleys and curb unsolicited photography of geisha and maiko.
- Japan recorded 36.9 million international visitors last year, while JNTO reports roughly one million Australian arrivals over a recent 12‑month period, highlighting the demand pressures driving the policy.