Tourism in Kyoto, Japan
The large number of misbehaving tourists in Kyoto, Japan has led to local residents being annoyed and upset. However, locals also understand that there are many factors that lead to misbehaving tourists. 1
Some larger issues brought by tourists include: 2
- The harassing of others in public transit
- Littering 3
- Public urination
But there are also a lot of rules and cultural norms that tourist regularly violate such as: 2
- No smoking on public streets
- Stand to the side when standing on an escalator
- No eating while walking
- Don’t touch Sakura trees
- Wear your backpack on the front when riding a crowded bus
- No sitting on the steps to the temple or eating food there
One of the ways Kyoto is trying to address the large tourism numbers is by hiking lodging taxes per guest or adding tiered pricing to visit local tourist attractions. The lodging tax is supposed to be used to help expand its bus system and hire more bus drivers. 4
Kyoto is also trying to educate tourists with a public campaign, but this information is hard to find and the host claims that it isn’t posted in enough places. 4