Japan is considering charging foreigners up to six times more to visit a famed world heritage site as record numbers of overseas tourists surge.
The country has become a hotspot for Aussies in particular, with Japan one of our top three Asian destinations.
Monthly visitors to Japan exceeded three million for the first time in March, and the figure was hit again in April and May.
The number of Aussies visiting between January to March increased by 46.3 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, with visitors in March alone up a staggering 87.4 per cent compared to March 2019.
In response, the mayor of the western city of Himeji has announced he is considering a two-tiered pricing system, charging tourists six times more to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, Himeji Castle.
“Foreign tourists come here once in their lifetime, but locals enjoy this place regularly,” he said at a press conference late last month.
Mayor Kiyomoto said visitors would pay the equivalent of $45 to visit the castle while local residents would pay only $7.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has reportedly supported the idea, sharing he’d like to implement a similar system at Osaka Castle, according to broadcaster FNN.
The sites wouldn’t be the first to feature a two-tiered pricing system for tourists and locals.
One all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant in they busy Tokyo district of Shibuya, is charging patrons 8,778 yen ($83), while locals are being offered a 1,000-yen ($9.50) discount at 7,678 yen ($73).
Tamatebako restaurant owner Shogo Yonemitsu told the ABC he’s had to employ English-speaking staff who were paid a slightly higher wage, in response to the large tourist numbers.
New charge to climb Mount Fuji
It comes as a mandatory 2,000 yen ($19) climbing fee was introduced at Mount Fuji in May, as part of new crowd control measures to combat over-tourism on the volcano.
Online reservations have also been introduced and numbers have been capped to 4,000 per day at the site, which draws more than 220,000 visitors each July-September climbing period.
“I really like the idea because if you respect the mountain, you have to limit the people,” hiker Chetna Joshi told AFP.
The 47-year-old from India compared the crowds seen at Fuji in recent years to the “traffic jam” of climbers at the peak of Mount Everest.
Town blocks view of Mount Fuji
In May, a town near Mount Fuji erected a large barrier at a popular viewing spot of the volcano in an attempt to deter photo-taking by an ever-growing number of tourists.
Residents of Fujikawaguchiko were fed up with streams of mostly foreign visitors littering, trespassing and breaking traffic rules in their hunt for a photo to share on social media.
Tourists would also reportedly park illegally, ignore a smoking ban and cram the pavement.
“I hope that the net will prevent dangerous activities,” resident Michie Motomochi, 41, who runs a traditional Japanese sweet shop, told AFP.
Similar woes have also befallen the country’s ancient capital of Kyoto, where locals have complained of tourists harassing the city’s famed geisha.
More Aussies head to Japan
According to Flight Centre, travel bookings for March were up 56 per cent on last year, February bookings were up 54 per cent and January bookings were up 65 per cent.
The company’s global managing director Andrew Stark told news.com.au it was a “seasonal boom” as more Aussies head to the country amid a drop in airfares.
“The interest follows considerable reductions in airfares to many international destinations, with tickets from Australia to Japan sold through Flight Centre in February and March up to 21 per cent cheaper this year than last,” he said.
– With AFP
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