http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/7652338/Japanese-tourists-asked-to-pay-5-Lake-District-surcharge.html said:
Mr Broughton stressed the £5 charge was voluntary, and that the Japanese had not been "targeted" to pay.
The idea was the brainchild of Nurture Lakeland, formerly the Lake District Tourism Conservation Partnership, a charity with some 230 business members, which according to its website works "to promote environmentally sustainable tourism practices".
Mr Broughton said the initiative came about during a meeting of the Lake District's Japan Forum, where local businesses discuss tourism with Japanese tour operators.
The operators were interested in supporting environmental projects because many of their Japanese clients took a keen interest in green issues, he explained.