Earlier this year, a number of popular attractions around Japan proposed raising prices to counter over-tourism and the weak yen. One of the most prominent destinations to consider charging higher entry fees is Himeji Castle in Hyogo prefecture.
Previously, the Unesco World Heritage Site castle considered implementing a two-tier ticketing system which would see international tourists charged a higher admission fee. However, the local government may be scrapping those plans to instead charge everyone not living in Himeji a higher entrance fee.
As reported by Kyodo News, the Himeji government is now looking to raise the adult ticket price from ¥1,000 to somewhere between ¥2,000 and ¥3,000 for non-residents starting in spring 2026. The new price will be decided this coming March. Meanwhile, young visitors will be paying even less: currently, the entry fee for those who are 18 years old or under is just ¥300, but under the new pricing system they will be able to visit the castle for free.
Himeji Castle is not the only attraction implementing higher fees. This year, Mt Fuji started charging visitors a ¥2,000 fee to climb the Yoshida Trail, which starts off in Yamanashi prefecture. Following the price increase, the three other hiking trails to Mt Fuji – all on the Shizuoka prefecture side – may soon be subject to a similar pricing system.
As stated by the Asahi Shimbun, the Yoshida Trail plus the three routes that run out of Shizuoka prefecture are considering standardising admission across all four trails, so that hikers would pay ¥3,000, ¥4,000 or even ¥5,000. If the plan is approved, the new Mt Fuji hiking admission fees will go into effect starting in the summer of 2025.
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