Travelling to Japan will become more expensive, as popular cities hike up accommodation taxes for visitors.
Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications have confirmed that the new taxes will impact popular cities, like Kyoto as the city’s authorities struggle with surging tourist numbers. The increase is set to kick in from March 2026.
Travellers could see price increases of as much as ¥10,000 (US$65.33 or A$100) per night following the updated taxes.
The fee will scale in proportion to the room rate according to EuroNews.
Rooms that cost under ¥19,999 (US$130.66) will be required to pay a ¥400 ($2.61) fee.
Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbum, revealed that luxury stays above ¥100,000 ($653.32) will incur a maximum tax of ¥10,000 ($65.33).
Accommodations below ¥6,000 ($39.19) will be responsible for paying a ¥200 ($1.31) fee.
"The Accommodation Tax is used to cover costs involved in enhancing the attractions of Kyoto as an International Culture and Tourism City, and in promoting tourism," Kyoto's government wrote on its official website, which lists the old accommodation tax fees.
Kyoto is best known for its temples and traditional architecture, with key attractions including the Sento Palace, Nishiki Market, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kinkakuji Temple.
This comes as overseas travel to Japan has reached record numbers since COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.
According to data from the JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., each month has been a record high with 3.4 million people visiting Japan in July, compared to only 3.3 million in the same period in 2024 and 2.3 million in 2023.
News.com reported that Australian tourists accounted for 920,196 visits to the country in 2025, and there were 50,200 visits to Japan from Australia in July this year.
From January to July this year, Japan booked 24,955,390 visits across the whole country from all nationalities.
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