Tokyo, 1 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan is being inundated with foreign tourists right now, receiving more international visitors than ever before in history. Surging numbers of inbound travellers means the country is being forced to readdress its overtourism problem that died down temporarily during the pandemic, and now that visitors have ratcheted up to never-before-seen levels, unprecedented measures are being taken.
One such area where new measures have been put in place is in Kyoto’s famous Gion district, where geisha and maiko (trainee geisha who are usually 16 to 17 years of age) live and work. The ornate costumes worn by these young women make them something of a tourist attraction for foreign tourists, who photograph them as they walk to work along the paved streets. Some tourists have been known to aggressively pursue these women in order to get a perfect photo, leading them to be known as “maiko paparazzi“, and geisha and maiko feel threatened by their incessant behaviour.
Five years after the photography ban was introduced on “私道” (“shidou”), or “private roads” in the area, the local council announced it would be taking things even further by banning tourist access to some of these roads altogether. The decision wasn’t made lightly, as locals had chosen to kindly overlook the fact that visitors were essentially trespassing on private property for years, but with tourist numbers increasing, it has become harder for businesses, residents, and tourists to coexist harmoniously in such confined spaces, so action had to be taken.
In April, the local council announced it would start restricting access at one of the area’s most famous private roads, Kosode Koji, with the proposed no-entry sign seen at the cued-up point in this report below.