Kyoto Wants Tourists To Return, Just Not So Many

Above, crowds flock to shops below Kiyomizu-dera before the pandemic. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before the pandemic, Kyoto's residents and businesses had mixed feelings about the hordes of tourists visiting the city.

They loved the spending money that the tourists brought, but didn't much like the huge crowds.

Those feelings are resurfacing again now that foreign tourists are being allowed back into Japan, even though limited to organized group tours.

According to BusinessLIVE:

Kyoto — Poring over the ledger at her more than 230-year-old liquor shop in Kyoto, Yasuko Fujii has mixed feelings about the return of foreign tourists who would crowd the streets of Japan's ancient capital before the pandemic — and buy lots of whisky and wine.

Her ambivalence reflects a broader uncertainty in Japan about welcoming tourist hordes amid fears they could trigger a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, even though a weak yen would be a big draw for tourists and a boon for local businesses.

“From a business standpoint, we want foreign tourists to come,” the 79-year-old Fujii said. “But from an emotional standpoint, we want customers from Japan.”

Millions of tourists from China, South Korea and Southeast Asia used to throng the Nishiki market where Fujii's shop is located before curbs set in two years ago. Locals often felt overwhelmed and many stopped coming, she said.

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