Once overcrowded, Kyoto now sucks in foreign tourists to Japan

Once tired of the hordes of foreign tourists who throng its narrow streets and ignore etiquette, many residents of Japan’s former capital, Kyoto, long to return – missing out on the income they brought in before the country shut down in largely its doors to foreign visitors two years ago due to the pandemic.

This includes Shoei Murayama, a former member of the municipal assembly and author of the 2019 book “The Day Kyoto Collapses From Overtourism”, in which he warned that the travel industry would drive out local businesses and residents. He compared the city to Venice, which has banned cruise ships and is preparing to introduce a tourist tax. Now, Murayama thinks Kyoto needs a large influx of visitors to thrive.

“Finally they can come back,” he said in an interview at his office in late June. “People in Kyoto have realized in the past two years that it’s the tourists who keep them going. People’s view of tourism has changed a bit.”

Japan banned foreign tourists for about two years to slow the spread of the virus and has been among the slowest in the developed world to reopen. Although Japanese citizens made up more than 80% of the 50 million visitors to Kyoto in 2019, the lack of foreign tourists has still dealt a heavy blow to Kyoto, which has a population of 1.45 million, similar to that of Barcelona.

From June, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government began allowing a limited number of people to return, but subject to strict rules such as taking part in a package tour with a guide. His government has kept a cap on daily international arrivals at 20,000, a far cry from the record 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019, who spent 4.8 trillion yen ($35.5 billion) according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

Kyoto has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Japan’s tourism boom. Known for more than a millennium of history as the capital, until it was moved to Tokyo in the 19th century, Kyoto’s wealth of ancient shrines, temples, gardens and famous cuisine has almost doubled. its number of foreign visitors to reach 8.9 million in 2019, from 4.8 million four years earlier.

This growth eventually began to spark a backlash, especially among residents who viewed outsiders as ill-mannered in a town proud of its traditional etiquette.

In response, the city passed regulations that largely prevented Airbnb from operating in quiet residential areas. He imposed a hotel tax. In the geisha entertainment district of Gion, a council of local residents has banned photography on some private roads. Still, surveys by the city council found that most residents complained about traffic jams and overcrowded buses and subways around major attractions.

All of that changed almost overnight in 2020, at a time when the city was already struggling to overcome a financial crisis.

“The pandemic has turned all of Kyoto’s strengths into weaknesses: culture, tourism and universities,” said Daisaku Kadokawa, the city’s mayor, dressed in a kimono and seated in an immaculate tatami room in the offices. of the city government. “Many citizens welcome the return of foreign visitors as the virus dies out.”

The number of nights foreign travelers spent in the city in May this year was down nearly 99% from the same month in 2019, according to the city’s tourism association. Hotels were operating at half capacity at what is usually one of the busiest times of the year, and were still forced to offer discounted rooms.

On a quiet riverside street in the center of town, Sumio Takimoto sat in one of the empty rooms of the Japanese-style hotel he opened five years ago, the Takasegawa Bettei. With its excluded foreign clientele and the elderly who normally make up the bulk of domestic tourism often overly worried about travel-related health risks, business was at 10-30% of normal levels, he said.

“I was born in Kyoto, so I’ve been here for over 60 years, but during the pandemic there were really hardly any visitors on the streets,” he said. “It was a shocking situation.”

He blames Prime Minister Kishida for not taking bold enough steps to reopen to foreign visitors, despite a promise made in London earlier this year that he would ease entry into Japan like other advanced Group of Seven nations. .

“The yen is cheap, so this is the best chance to support the rapidly cooling Japanese economy. A normal prime minister wouldn’t pass up this chance,” he said.

“It’s not just hotels and the tourism industry. There are a lot of people in the business world who say Japan needs to open up.” He hopes that will happen after the upper house elections on July 10, when Kishida won’t need to be so sensitive to public opinion.

A little to the north, the covered arcade of Nishiki Market, home to the purveyors of high-end food products that are sold to the town’s inns and restaurants, as well as to tourists, is lined with signs urging people not to eating while walking – – a habit that irritates many Japanese people. Periodic loudspeaker announcements underscore the message.

But Kazuhisa Hatsuda, chairman of the market promotion association, said he just wanted tourists to come back, rather than focusing on their manners. Maker of kamaboko, a type of processed seafood, he said his store’s business was still down 60% from the pre-pandemic period.

“You shouldn’t choose your clients,” he said in an interview at the association’s offices. “I want it to be as vibrant as before. It’s been the strength of the Nishiki market for 400 years. First it has to be alive, then we can decide the rules.”

Admittedly, not everyone in Kyoto is excited about the return of large numbers of foreign tourists. The head of the Gion residents’ association that sought to ban photography declined a request for an interview on the subject. The city government has plans in place to try to alleviate future overcrowding by attracting visitors at different times of the day, out of season, and to relatively unknown attractions. He also wants richer visitors.

“We need wealthy people to come and spend a lot of money,” former MP Murayama said. “If you choose between one person spending 5 million yen per night and 500 people each spending 10,000 yen per night, then the former is better. That way the city won’t be so crowded.”

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