FUKUOKA - A popular temple in Fukuoka Prefecture has introduced a 500 yen admission fee for foreign tourists while allowing Japanese residents and foreigners living in Japan to enter free, a measure aimed at reducing disruptive behavior and helping protect the religious site.
Nanzoin Temple in Sasaguri, Fukuoka Prefecture, is known for its giant reclining Buddha statue, which measures 41 meters long and weighs about 300 tons. The temple attracts roughly 1 million visitors a year.
Problems began to grow after foreign tourism recovered following the coronavirus pandemic, with the temple reporting inappropriate behavior by some visitors.
Incidents included people playing loud music and dancing in front of the reclining Buddha, leaving garbage in restrooms, playing in water at sacred areas and even hanging underwear to dry at a purification basin.
In response, Nanzoin introduced a dual-pricing system last year under which only foreign tourists are charged an admission fee. The fee was initially 300 yen before being raised to 500 yen in March this year.
Japanese visitors remain exempt, as do foreign nationals who live in Japan.
The temple says the system also provides an opportunity for staff at the entrance to directly explain prohibited behavior and local rules to visitors. Revenue from the fee is also used for measures including the deployment of security personnel.
Temple officials say disruptive behavior has declined considerably since the system was introduced, suggesting that the measure has had a noticeable effect.
During an approximately three-hour observation of the temple grounds, no conspicuous examples of the kinds of behavior previously reported were seen.
Some foreign tourists also expressed support for the system. One visitor said that tourists were guests in the country and described the fee as fair, adding that visitors should respect the rules of the place they are visiting.
The policy comes as destinations across Japan search for ways to manage growing numbers of overseas visitors while protecting cultural and religious sites.
Charging different prices based on residency or visitor status is already used at some tourist attractions overseas, and supporters of Nanzoin's system say the relatively modest 500 yen fee can help fund staff, multilingual guidance, maintenance and environmental improvements.
Others have suggested that the main issue is not nationality but whether visitors respect local customs and rules, arguing that clearer multilingual instructions and direct guidance from staff can help prevent problems caused by tourists who may simply be unfamiliar with expected behavior.
With overtourism placing greater pressure on popular destinations, Nanzoin's approach is attracting attention as one possible way to balance welcoming visitors with preserving the environment and dignity of culturally significant sites.
Source: 3分でわかる時事ニュース速報
