Japan has stopped asking tourists to behave and started fining them. The Japanese call it kanko kogai, tourism pollution, and the map of controlled zones is set to grow from 47 regions to 100 by 2030.
Read the new rules as a doorway with conditions:
- In Gion, a private alley now carries a fine up to 10,000 yen; grabbing a geiko or maiko runs to 500,000 yen and six months in jail
- Mount Fuji's Yoshida Trail caps climbers at 4,000 a day and charges 4,000 yen at the gate, so book the slot before you fly
- The sayonara departure tax tripled to 3,000 yen on July 1, 2026, tucked into your ticket out
- Ask before you raise the camera, and take a no
Kyoto asked for this in gentler words for years. The sign is what it says now.
