Japan has introduced stricter visitor management policies, including a higher international departure tax and new access restrictions in Kyoto, as authorities respond to growing
tourism pressures nationwide.
New Japan overtourism measures have been introduced as national and local authorities respond to increasing visitor numbers and mounting pressure on popular destinations, with the latest initiatives including tighter access controls in Kyoto’s historic Gion district and a threefold increase in the country’s International Tourist Tax.
Kyoto tightens access to Gion’s private alleys
Authorities in Kyoto, working with local communities in the historic Gion district, have implemented stricter restrictions on access to a number of privately owned traditional alleyways. The measures follow repeated incidents involving the harassment of geishas and violations of residents’ privacy by visitors.
Tourists are now prohibited from entering designated private streets within the district. Anyone violating the restrictions may face immediate fines. To improve visitor awareness, multilingual signs have been installed throughout the area, while volunteer patrols have been expanded to help guide visitors and enforce the new rules.
Departure tax triples from 1 July
At the national level, the Japanese government increased the International Tourist Tax, commonly referred to as the “Sayonara Tax”, effective Wednesday, 1 July 2026. As previously announced by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in early May, the tax has risen from 1,000 yen (US$6.15) to 3,000 yen (US$18.45).
The departure tax is automatically included in the price of airline and ship tickets and applies to all travellers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens. Bookings made before 1 July 2026 remain exempt from the increase.
According to JNTO, revenue generated through the tax is allocated to maintaining public infrastructure, upgrading facilities at airports and tourist attractions, preserving cultural and historical assets, and developing digital tourism resources.
Growing visitor numbers drive policy changes
The new measures reflect continued growth in inbound tourism. Official figures show that Japan welcomed more than 39 million international visitors last year.
Visitors from China accounted for the largest share of arrivals at 21.2%, followed by Taiwan (12.8%), the United States (11.9%) and South Korea (10.4%).
The International Tourist Tax currently generates approximately 50 billion yen (US$307.3 million) in annual revenue. Following the increase, annual revenue is expected to rise to around 120 billion yen (US$737.5 million).
Authorities also expect tourism demand to continue growing over the coming years. Additional visitor flows are anticipated ahead of MGM Osaka’s planned opening in 2030. Previous projections have estimated that the integrated resort could help attract up to 20 million visitors annually to the Osaka metropolitan area once fully operational, further increasing pressure on Japan’s tourism infrastructure and reinforcing the need for long-term visitor management strategies.