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Kyoto to charge tourists hotel tax levy of up to S$86 per guest per night, from Mar. 2026
It is aimed at improving issues of overtourism.
October 06, 2025, 07:23 PM
Visitors to Japan's popular prefecture Kyoto will soon see an up to 900 per cent increase in their accommodation taxes from Mar. 1, 2026.
The tax will go up to 10,000 yen (S$86) per guest per night, The Asahi Shimbun reported, up from 1,000 yen (S$8.60) currently.
This will be the highest tax levy in Japan.
Levies such as those for accommodations are typically used to improve the city's infrastructure and implement measures to ease congestion.
Levy rates depend on cost
An official said the highest levy of 10,000 yen will apply to accommodations costing 100,000 yen (S$860) onwards per night.
The tax rate for stays below 6,000 yen (S$52) will remain at 200 yen (S$1.72), while that for stays between 6,000 yen and 20,000 yen (S$172) will be doubled to 400 yen (S$3.44).
For stays between 20,000 yen and 50,000 yen (S$430), the levy rates will be doubled to 1,000 yen (S$8.60), from the current 500 yen (S$4.30).
For stays between 50,000 yen (S$430) and 100,000 yen (S$860), the levy rate will be quadrupled from 1,000 yen (S$8.60) to 4,000 yen (S$34).
School trip students and chaperones will remain exempt from accommodation taxes.
Overtourism
Kyoto is among Japan's top tourist destinations and city officials are reportedly desperate to manage issues of overtourism, including overcrowded municipal buses, streets and historical sites.
The change was passed by the country's Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications on Oct. 3, after first being approved by Kyoto's government in March this year.
The local government previously said, "Tourists also must bear the cost of countermeasures against overtourism."
Kyoto is among several municipalities in Japan to introduce an accommodation tax, others including Tokyo and Osaka.
This will be the first increase in Kyoto since the levy was introduced in October 2018.
The tax hike is projected to double Kyoto's lodging tax earnings within the next fiscal year.
Top image via Matt Cramblett/Unsplash
