The Japanese city of Kyoto has banned tourists from entering some private alleys in its red light district.
The city plans to install signs in both English and Japanese around the area known as “Gion,” warning tourists to stay away and imposing fines on those who don’t comply, according to the Associated Press. Ta. The fine will be 10,000 yen ($67.97).
Public roads in Gion will remain open.
Isoichi Ota, a local district official, told the news agency, “We plan to install a sign in April to tell tourists not to enter the private road.”
The decision to close these blocks to visitors comes as the city grapples with overcrowding and misbehaving tourists, the Associated Press noted.
This is not the first time Kyoto has sought to protect geisha, women who wear traditional kimonos and makeup and perform in front of guests during meals. According to a CNN report, in 2015 the city distributed pamphlets warning of “nuisance behavior” such as taking pictures of geishas. And in 2019, Gion once again put up signs warning of no photography and possible fines.
“People taking photos of the Gion streetscape on the main street and tourists taking photos.” [apprentice geisha] People who come from far away probably don’t know the rule against taking photos,” Ota told CNN. “But what foreign tourists are waiting for is… [apprentice geisha] Even if they know the rules, they ignore them when they appear in the alleys of Gion’s photography-prohibited areas. Even if we warn tourists, it is difficult to get the word across at this point. ”
Kyoto is not the only city in Japan that is cracking down on tourists. In order to ensure safety and proper etiquette, the local government of Mt. Fuji also passed a resolution to limit the number of daily climbers and collect climbing fees, as well as to station new guides on the mountain.
However, while Japan has regulations in place to prevent overtourism in some areas, the country as a whole is focusing on attracting tourists. To this end, Japan will launch a digital nomad program to allow foreigners to visit Japan and work to expand its tourism industry. The visa will be offered to tourists from dozens of countries and territories, including the United States.
