Foreigners May Have To Pay Entry Taxes In Some Japan Locales

Above, visitors may soon have to pay a ¥100 tax to visit Miyajima. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Several years ago, Japan made a concerted effort to increase tourism into the country.

Well, they have and that opened up a "can of worms". So now different local governments are considering additional taxes on tourists to address problems that increased tourism is causing.

Nikkei Asian Review reported:

HIROSHIMA, Japan -- Local governments at some of Japan most popular tourist hotspots are considering extra taxes on visitors to protect the environment and help deal with overtourism. 

Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture is home to Miyajima, known as one of the three most scenic places in Japan. The city aims to introduce a new tax in spring 2021, while areas in Okinawa are implementing levies of their own. 

Japan has experienced a tourism boom over the past several years, straining the infrastructure of some places popular with overseas visitors. Overcrowded streets, heavier traffic and a shortage of restrooms, along with noise and waste pollution and environmental degradation, risk causing trouble between locals and visitors. The number of overseas visitors is likely to increase with the approach of the 2020 Olympics. 

Hatsukaichi is considering an entry tax of 100 yen ($) for every person coming to Miyajima. It had mulled the same plan in 2008 and 2015, but shelved the idea both times.

¥100 is roughly 92 cents.

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