Tokyo's hotel lodging tax will more than double. The tax, currently 200 yen per night, will rise to 450 yen (about 4,300 won) starting next April. The move comes as the Tokyo metropolitan government shifts from a fixed-rate lodging tax to a 3 percent proportional system. The intent is to curb overtourism.
According to Kyodo News, Internal Affairs Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi approved Tokyo's revision plan Sunday.
The current lodging tax ranges from 100 to 200 yen per night (about 955 to 1,911 won). This will be changed to 3 percent of the room rate. For a stay at a hotel costing 15,000 yen per night (about 143,300 won), the tax will jump from 200 yen to 450 yen. The change takes effect next April, with private lodgings newly included. The tax exemption threshold has been raised from 10,000 yen to under 13,000 yen (about 124,200 won).
Tokyo's aim is to secure revenue. Of the 30.6 billion yen (about 290 billion won) in tourism costs for fiscal 2025, the existing lodging tax covered only 6.9 billion yen (about 66 billion won). After the overhaul, the city expects to collect 19 billion yen (about 180 billion won) annually.
The number of local governments adopting a lodging tax has also surged. Seven areas, including Wakkanai in Hokkaido, were approved to establish new levies Sunday. This brings the total to 62 areas across Japan, a 3.6-fold increase from 17 at the end of last year.
Kyoto, a leading tourist destination, raised its lodging tax from a maximum of 1,000 yen to 10,000 yen (about 95,500 won). Last year, Kyoto recorded 62.79 million visitors, surpassing 60 million for the first time. Tourism spending also exceeded 2 trillion yen for the first time, reaching 2.0474 trillion yen (about 19.56 trillion won). Citing efforts to address overtourism, Kyoto is discussing a "differential tourist fare system" that would raise bus fares for tourists to 350 to 400 yen (about 3,344 to 3,822 won), double the rate charged to residents.
