Tourism Japanese tourists steer clear of Kyoto amid surge in foreign visitors

Kyoto continues to attract large numbers of international visitors during the peak cherry blossom season, but more and more Japanese travellers are opting for alternative destinations such as neighbouring Shiga and Nara prefectures. Many cite concerns over overcrowding and rising costs.

A Tokyo woman visiting the well-known Arashiyama district observed that most of the people she encountered were from overseas. She remarked that she visits Kyoto annually but now rarely sees other Japanese tourists. A resident also noted a noticeable decline in domestic visitors each year. While Kyoto's cherry blossom season, which typically lasts from late March to mid-April, remains a busy period for tourism, this year's crowds appear to consist overwhelmingly of foreign travellers.

Watazen Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn founded in 1830, said it is almost fully booked for the spring. Nearly 90% of the reservations are for international guests, while the number of domestic guests fell more than 10% on the year for the January-February period. [...] The Hotel Nikko Princess Kyoto saw a roughly 10% year-on-year decline in domestic guests this February. "We have seen a visible decrease in Japanese guests since the fall foliage season of 2024," a marketing representative said. Another Kyoto ryokan said it is struggling to draw domestic guests despite offering a roughly 10% discount on a reservation platform geared toward them.

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Once, the sight of junior high and high school students in uniform walking around the city with maps in their hands was a springtime staple in Kyoto, but this is changing.

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I had a coworker once from India, who was temporarily in the US for training, and he was very annoyed that everywhere you go there were other Indian people. I'm starting to understand how he must have felt. When you go overseas, you don't expect to be surrounded by your countrymen.

I was always stunned by so many Americans in white shirts & ties who seemed to be everywhere spreading the word of the Mormon religion.