Tourists will be banned from parts of Japan’s famous geisha district in Kyoto due to complaints of “overtourism”.
The area’s council has warned “Kyoto is not a theme park” amid a dramatic rise in tourism at the famous sightseeing spot, with visitors hoping to snap a glimpse of the famous geishas.
Geishas are traditional Japanese entertainers who are trained in various arts including dance and are best known for their trademark kimonos and white faces.
Sky News reports that smartphone-wielding visitors have crowded the narrow, quaint streets of Goin in Japan’s ancient capital city, with little respect for Japan’s social norms and etiquette.
In 2019, local authorities rolled out an on-the-spot fine for tourists troubling geishas.
The professional artists were reportedly being chased down private streets in the district, photographed without their consent, and even subjected to foreign visitors touching their kimono and elaborate wigs.
Local district official Isokazu Ota said: "We are going to put up signs in April that tell tourists to stay out of our private streets.”
The sign is expected to tell visitors that they are not allowed to pass through the area and that anyone who is caught doing so could be fined 10,000 yen - around £53.
The district’s public streets will remain open to tourists.
Complaints about "overtourism" began years ago, but died down when the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt.
But tourists were now reportedly back with a frenzy after the long-awaited lifting of restrictions.
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for more than 1,000 years until 1868.
