Tourists walk past shops and restaurants up the hill leading to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the city of Kyoto on Jan 13, 2025. - Photo: AFP
KYOTO, (Japan): Authorities in Kyoto announced Tuesday (Jan 14) plans for a big hike in hotel lodging taxes, as Japan's picture-perfect ancient capital seeks to assuage grumbles from locals about too many tourists.
Japan has seen foreign tourist numbers explode post-pandemic, with visitor numbers in 2024 expected to have hit a record of more than 35 million.
