Going to Japan will get more expensive: tourist tax in Kyoto will increase to ¥10,000. What to Know

Tourism in Japan has literally exploded in recent years, especially in some cities such as Tokyo or Kyoto. The Land of the Rising Sun, in order to disincentivize too many travelers, has decided to raise tourist taxes.

Going into specifics, As the Japan Times reports, in recent days the Kyoto City Council. approved an ordinance which states that tourist tax will be able to reach ¥10,000 (at the exchange rate about 61.50 euros) per night for each guest; the ordinance, after it is approved by the minister of internal affairs, Will take effect on March 1, 2026.

The amount of tourist tax depends on the room rate, and consequently on the type of hotel. Let’s give a few examples: 

If a room costs less than ¥6,000 per night, tax will be equal to 200 yen (at the exchange rate €1.23); 
If, on the other hand, the room rate ranges between ¥6,000 and ¥20,000, the tax will be 400 yen per night For each guest; 
Still, if the room price is between ¥20,000 and ¥50,000, the tax amount will be 1.000¥ per person per night; 
For rooms costing between ¥50,000 and ¥100,000, however, the fee will be 4.000¥ Per night per guest; 
Finally, for rooms whose price is ¥100,000 or more per night, each guest will have to shell out 10.000¥ (about €61) for each night.

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Note that the tax increase will affect all stays, regardless of whether you choose to pay cash o with the points: sure, those who choose to redeem 1 or more award nights will only have to put their hand in their wallet for the lodging tax (plus, of course, other government taxes); however, depending on the type of hotel one chooses, it will be a real drain. 

With the current calculation of the tourist tax, as much as 5.2 billion yen went into Japan’s coffers in fiscal year 2023: Thanks to the increase in the hotel tax, on the other hand, it is estimated that the revenue will exceed 10 billion yen (at the exchange rate over 61 billion euros).