Once weary of hordes of foreign tourists crowding its narrow streets and ignoring etiquette, many in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto are longing for their return — missing the revenue they brought before the country largely shut its doors to overseas visitors two years ago due to the pandemic.
That includes Shoei Murayama, a former city assemblyman and author of the 2019 book “The Day Kyoto Collapses From Overtourism,” in which he warned the travel industry would push out local businesses and residents. He compared the city to Venice, which has banned cruise ships and is set to introduce a tourism tax. Now, Murayama believes Kyoto needs a hefty flow of visitors to thrive.
“At long last they’re able to come back,” he said in an interview at his offices in late June. “Kyoto people have realized over the past two years that it’s tourists who were keeping them going. People’s view of tourism has changed a little.”
