SEAToday.com, Kyoto-The Kyoto government will close off some private alleys in its famous Geisha district, Gion, as an effort to tackle overtourism after the pandemic following complaints of tourists' bad behaviors. 

The announcement came from the district official, Isokazu Ota, on Friday (3/8). “We are going to put up signs in April that tell tourists to stay out of our private streets,” said Ota.

The sign will be both in Japanese and English, warning people off the private road with a JPY 10,000 (USD 68) fine for violation. The ban will only cover several blocks of Gion, and the district’s public streets will remain open for tourists, so the area and the rest of Kyoto will still be teeming with visitors, both from Japan and around the world.

Ota said that tourists crowd the narrow streets in Gion and sometimes “act like paparazzi” when geishas show up from the alley. Some tourists ignored the request to keep their distance and refrained from touching their kimonos. Back in December, a council of Gion residents urged the city’s government to tackle the issue. (DANTI/DKD)