Up to 10,000 yen per night from the previous 1,000, equal to 60 euros
The municipality of Kyoto, Japan, has confirmed the increase in the tourist tax for hotels and other accommodation facilities up to a maximum of 10,000 yen, just over 60 euros per person per night, ten times more than the current limit of 1,000 yen, to try to stem the excessive growth of tourist presences.
The increase – which will start from March 2026, will be the highest in value among Japanese municipalities that adopt fixed tariff systems, as confirmed by data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Known as “the city of a thousand temples”, Kyoto introduced a tiered accommodation tax system in 2018: from 200 yen (1.20 euros) for stays costing less than 20,000 yen per person per night, to 1,000 yen (6.10 euros) for accommodations worth 50,000 yen or more per night. With the new scale, rates will be divided into five levels, and the highest amount will be 10,000 yen for accommodations costing 100,000 yen (620 euros) or more per night. The new system is estimated to boost city government revenue to 12.6 billion yen or more, up from about 5.2 billion yen in fiscal 2023.
The city – which was the capital of Japan for more than a millennium, until 1868, is grappling with an unprecedented over-capacity of presences, in the wake of the boom in presences from abroad in the Land of the Rising Sun. Mayor Koji Matsui said taxes will be revised upward “to balance tourism and invest in disaster prevention measures for both tourists and local residents.”
