Kyoto’s Bigger Hotel Bill
Kyoto's hotel tax now reaches ¥10,000 per guest per night, and leaving Japan costs ¥3,000 a head. Here is what both add to a trip.
If Kyoto is on your list for cherry blossoms or autumn leaves, plan for two government charges that are much higher than they were a year ago.
Kyoto’s accommodation tax. Since 1 March 2026, Kyoto has charged every guest, every night, a tax based on the room rate per person, according to the city’s official tourism site:
| Fee per person per night | Tax before 1 Mar 2026 | Tax from 1 Mar 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Under ¥6,000 | ¥200 | ¥200 |
| ¥6,000–19,999 | ¥200 | ¥400 |
| ¥20,000–49,999 | ¥500 | ¥1,000 |
| ¥50,000–99,999 | ¥1,000 | ¥4,000 |
| ¥100,000 and over | ¥1,000 | ¥10,000 |
Before March, the most anyone paid was ¥1,000. The new top tier is the highest hotel tax yet set in Japan, according to the South China Morning Post, which reported that city officials argued tourists should share the cost of dealing with overtourism. Skift’s Daily Lodging Report says the change is expected to raise more than US$46.6 million a year.
Japan’s departure tax. The tax on everyone leaving Japan went from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 on 1 July 2026. Airlines usually add it to the ticket price. Children under two are exempt.
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What it adds up to. Take a couple sharing a ¥120,000 room. That’s ¥60,000 each, which puts them in the ¥4,000 tier. Five nights comes to ¥40,000 in Kyoto tax. Add ¥6,000 in departure tax for the two of them and the total is ¥46,000 before any sightseeing. If the same couple books a ¥60,000 room instead, the tax is ¥1,000 each per night, or ¥10,000 over five nights. A suite at ¥200,000 per person puts each guest in the ¥10,000 tier.
The tier depends on the price per person, not per room. The city’s notice doesn’t say whether meals or consumption tax count towards that price. Ask your hotel how it works out the tier, and whether the tax is in your prepaid rate or charged at checkout.
Takeaway: At upscale Kyoto hotels, budget ¥4,000 to ¥10,000 per person per night in local tax, plus ¥3,000 each to leave Japan. Advisors should quote the Kyoto tax as a separate per-person, per-night line on every itinerary.
Sources
- https://kyoto.travel/en/news/tax-change/ (Kyoto City official travel guide)
- https://deeparrival.com/news/japan-departure-tax-increase-july-2026/
- https://en.sedaily.com/culture/2026/05/16/japan-to-triple-departure-tax-to-3000-yen-from-july
- https://dlr.skift.com/2026/03/10/kyoto-introduces-five-tier-accommodation-tax/ (Skift Daily Lodging Report, 10 Mar 2026)
- https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3328014/japans-highest-ever-hotel-tax-awaits-tourists-kyoto-march-2026 (South China Morning Post, 6 Oct 2025)
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