Japanese Authorities Plan To Increase Ticket Prices To Enter Himeji Castle For Non-local Tourists

JAKARTA - City authorities in Japan are considering raising entrance fees for Himeji Castle for visitors who do not live in local areas, recalling plans to only charge higher ticket prices for foreign tourists.

The Himeji Regional Government, Hyogo Prefecture, is also considering a premium ticket plan targeting foreign tourists who will include baggage storage services to discounts at restaurants, in addition to admissions to the UNESCO World Heritage site, reported by Kyodo News Oct. 1.

In June, Mayor Himeji Hideyasu Kiyomoto made headlines when he told an international carnival he was considering raising entry fees for foreigners, raising adult tickets from the current 1,000 yen, to help pay maintenance costs.

Kiyomoto told reporters at the time he wanted to avoid an increase in entry costs for local Himeji residents, preserving the site as a "rest place" for them.

The statement drew strong reactions from city council members, who argue targeting foreigners at higher prices could damage the image of the castle, officials said.

Himeji will introduce a new entry fee system as early as spring 2026 after discussing it with the city council and the Cultural Affairs Agency. They plan to maintain the same entrance fee for Himeji residents, officials said.

"Kastil Himeji has more buildings designated as national assets or important cultural properties than other castles in Japan, and entry costs are an important source of funding to preserve and inherit the castle," said one official.

It is known that about 1.48 million people visited the castle in the fiscal year 2023, 452,300 of whom were foreigners, surpassing 400,000 for the first time since data was available in the 1992 fiscal year, according to the city government.