Kyoto plans minimum Y200 per night lodging tax

But because of its popularity, the city has struggled with insufficient lodgings, crowded public transportation and traffic jams.

What nonesense, this is a cash grab. In English we call the "biting the hand that feeds you". Kyoto benefits from all the revenue that tourists bring so why deter them.

Next we'll be paying 100 yen to use public toilets

This cash grab is nothing new for Kyoto. The renewal fee (koshinryo 更新料) that landlords demand tenants pay every one or two years here in Kyoto is a classic example of "biting the hand that feeds you." It's all about the money, plain and simple.

I don't think koshinryo is unique to Kyoto. Many landlords in Tokyo ask for it every two years.

I wonder how much of that tax money will go to the oyaji's year end bonus funds?

I imagine this will be introduce in a similar way to the sales tax. Prices will be inflated more than the 200yen and blamed on the tax, just as prices increased 8%, rather than an additional 3% from 5%.

Wonder how much it'll cost to collect that 200 yen (minimum) ?

And here we go! This is the main reasons the government was against any "minpaku" and AirB&B in particular -- they weren't getting their cut as they always do with the "Hotel license" you need. It was never about "protecting" the travelers and neighborhoods. Now they'll start promoting minpaku a lot more, if they are getting tax revenue from it.

It would make more sense to simply charge an entrance fee where they don't, and to raise the fee at places they already do. Many tourists visit Kyoto without staying there. Leave the hoteliers out of the equation.

What a great way to make up the difference from a dwindling population paying city taxes. Money grubbing donkey's butts!

photography prohibited

I feel your pain at having a gazillion tourists around all the time, but prohibiting photography is pretty lame. As long as it's outside, it's fair game. Same goes with "celebrities".

Kyoto is already too expensive.

Agreed, many public toilets in Europe are not free either.

Dates back to roman times, one official complained that it is unclean money he was defeated hence the saying 'Money don't stink'.

eventually you will price yourself so high nobody will come here from overseas

Huh? One-month renewal fee for a lease is not a tax nor benefits the ward.

I'd rather pay ¥200- even 500 directly TO HOTEL WHO SINCERELY DELIVERED " TRUE OMOTENASHI " NOT FOR DIRTY DREEDY REVENUE EXCERCISES by public servants

Not all Landlords charge it, mine doesn't. No rule or law that controls it.

People are seriously moaning about a paltry 200yen?! What cheapskates! until the rest of the country decides to follow suit, then Abe raises the tax to 10% then the retirement age is increased to 70, and peoples pensions become even lower than they are now, health insurance becomes more expensive. You start gouging the tourist then visiting Japan will just become more expensive and people will go someplace else. Plenty of other Asian nations with rich cultures , awesome food and considerably cheaper than Japan.

Many tourists visit Kyoto without staying there. Leave the hoteliers out of the equation. yep day trips to Kyoto and hotel stays in neighboring prefecture/city. Kyoto is too overcrowded , overpriced, plenty of other destinations to see.

Municipalities face lower tax revenues due to an aging population and more people moving to Tokyo and Osaka to find employment.

200 円　to 1000円 is really not that much in the overall picture, but using the expected income to "promote" Kyoto even more is a waste of money in my opinion. They already get 55 million per year, visitors that is, and that tells me that they don't need to promote it at all, it's doing well all on whatever is working now！

Use the income to make improvements in infrastructure and keeping Kyoto what it is!

The place if full of tourists the infrastructure outdated ,accomodation inadequate, mmm not an expert but if they want more visitors it would seem this revenue would be best spent on infrastructure and I would suggest a decent Civil planner. Throw into the mix transparency of spending this extra revenue and might just succeed.

What a scam, politicians reaching into the cookie jar at the expense of the tourism operators.

Osaka Gov Ichiro Matsui told a news conference that with the lodging tax, Kyoto is essentially saying it wants those who do not want to pay to go elsewhere. "We are not doing it," he said.

He's right, but according to the article Osaka is doing it - just limiting it to more expensive lodgings.

200 yen is probably too much in my opinion, because hardly anybody travel alone and not everybody going to Kyoto do it for tourism (a family of 3-4 people stopping for 2-3 nights would spend quite a bit only of this surcharge that is pretty irritating, considering already the high prices of Japanese travelling). But I would see a 100 yen a fair trade. In Italy in every major city we charge turists and anybody stopping for the night with even more for the low quality, lack of services and dirt everybody I'm sure knows...

A little off topic but yeah koshinryo is a joke. Why should we have to pay money to do YOU a favor. By staying in a place the landlord doesn't havent advertise to find a new tenant, loss out on rent for a possible empty apt (the one next to is stayed empty for 8 months!!!), Pay for cleaning fee. By renewing a lease we save landlords LOADS of money, yet we have to pay to archaic renewal fee?! It's honestly straight Yakuza style extortion but every just accepts it as if it makes sense. "Oh thank you so much for us saving you trouble of finding a new tenant. Thank you so much for keeping your income steady. Here is some extra money"

Ricky KaminskiToday  09:27 am JST

I think the general consensus in Kyoto is that people are not too happy with the massive influx of selfie stick wielding tourists. especially those on the budget holidays. Kyoto is about sophistication, class and refinement. This 200 yen surcharge maybe a reaction to that, a way to try and compensate for the downsides of the tourist rush. Either way, the economy needs it and other cities should be doing more to attract this golden egg to them. Japan is sitting on a goldmine, but doesn't seem to want to mine it.

I Wonder when will Kyoto-its throw a tantrum...

Just posted in the same day:

https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/love-or-hate-hosting-tourists-in-a-global-age

This past summer witnessed demonstrations against tourists in the popular tourist destinations of Barcelona and Mallorca, Spain with banners decaling that “tourism kills neighborhoods”.

Why not just tax everything ?

Landing - in order to give us praise that you got here safely

Walking - in order to repave our walkways

Public Toilets - in order to provide cleanliness to the Public conveniences

Room Stay- in order to say thank-you for a roof over your head

Takeoff - as a praise for letting you go

Looks like they've already done most of the above, I wonder what else they will add.

I think the general consensus in Kyoto is that people are not too happy with the massive influx of selfie stick wielding tourists. especially those on the budget holidays. Kyoto is about sophistication, class and refinement. This 200 yen surcharge maybe a reaction to that, a way to try and compensate for the downsides of the tourist rush.  Either way, the economy needs it and other cities should be doing more to attract this golden egg to them. Japan is sitting on a goldmine, but doesn't seem to want to mine it.

Use the income to make improvements in infrastructure and keeping Kyoto what it is!

Yes! I have lived in Kyoto for 6 years now and witnessed the dramatic increase in tourists. This is sorely needed. City buses from major train stations to the major tourist sites so full the locals can't use them. Seasonal events cancelled, and photography prohibited as sites are unequipped to deal with requisite crowd control and safety concerns. The charm of Kyoto is the little narrow streets and numerous historic temples and shrines but most are small and were not, of course, constructed to receive hundreds of visitors daily. Especially noticeable during the cherry blossom and fall color seasons.

I cringe when I hear the government is trying to bring in more visitors and am sad the solutions so far just seem to be close this, prohibit that. I don't object to raising prices actually.

For two still works out less than 1 pint/night, if you are on holiday and can't afford that much ...

People are seriously moaning about a paltry 200yen?! What cheapskates!

Meh. It's only going to apply on rooms over 10,000 yen.

Lodging taxes are collected in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture

I lived next to Osaka for 10 years. No offense to it, but I think Kyoto is bringing in more international tourists than them, so it's fair enough for Kyoto to benefit from it like other cities and onsen towns are already doing.

I fully support grabbing cash from tourists. It's the whole point of having them. For wages, tourism is just about the lowest paying sector in the economy, so don't expect people in the jobs it creates to be paying much if any tax. Many will be net recipients from the government.