Japan's Tourist Taxes in 2026: Kyoto's Hotel-Tax Rise & What to Budget

If you’re visiting Japan in 2026, there are two small “tourist taxes” worth knowing before you book: a per-night accommodation tax charged by a growing list of cities, and the national departure tax built into your airfare — which rose to ¥3,000 per person in 2026. Neither is large, but the headline change is Kyoto’s: from March 2026, Kyoto raises its lodging tax steeply — still ¥200 a night for budget rooms, but as much as ¥10,000 per person, per night at the top luxury tier. For the mid-range rooms most travelers book, it rises from ¥200 to ¥400 per person, per night. Here’s the whole picture so nothing surprises you at check-out.

No one pays to be recommended here, and we say when a free or cheaper option wins. Our promise →

Kyoto’s new lodging tax (from March 2026)

Kyoto’s accommodation tax is charged per person, per night, based on the room’s nightly rate. From March 2026 the tiers change like this:

Choosing where to stay in Kyoto? Our Kyoto guide compares five areas and names 14 hotels and ryokan.

So a couple in a ¥15,000 room pays ¥400 each — ¥800 a night, ¥4,000 across a five-night stay. That’s real but modest against the room rate. At the luxury end the jump is dramatic (up to ten times), which is the city’s deliberate lever against overtourism. School-excursion student groups remain exempt. It’s usually added to your bill at check-out, so factor it in rather than being caught out.

Where else in Japan charges a lodging tax?

Kyoto isn’t alone. As of 2025, around a dozen municipalities levy an accommodation tax, and roughly fifty more are considering one — including tourism-heavy areas like Hokkaido, Nagano, the Mount Fuji region, Ise-Shima, and Okinawa. A few you’re likely to meet:

• Tokyo and Osaka charge a modest per-night tax on rooms above a threshold. Osaka’s already covers licensed private lodging (minpaku); Tokyo’s will from 1 April 2027, when it also becomes 3% of the room rate on stays of ¥13,000 or more per person per night.
• Niseko (Hokkaido’s ski town) has one of the higher flat rates, around ¥2,000 a night.
• Rates and thresholds vary by city, so the safest habit is to check your specific accommodation’s tax line when booking. When you’re comparing where to stay, our guide to hotel booking sites shows which platforms display the all-in price most clearly.

The national departure tax

Separately, Japan charges an International Tourist Tax — the “sayonara tax” — when you leave the country. Long set at ¥1,000, it was raised to ¥3,000 per person in 2026. You almost never pay it directly: it’s collected inside your airline or ferry ticket price, so there’s nothing to do at the airport. Because the figure has just changed, it’s worth a quick check on the official National Tax Agency guidance for your travel dates.

How to keep it small

None of this should change your trip — the sums are minor next to flights and rooms — but a few habits keep it tidy:

• Budget a little extra for Kyoto if you’re staying somewhere nice: at ¥400–¥1,000+ per person per night, a family of four adds up over several nights.
• Read the tax line when you book. Some sites show it in the total, others add it at the property. Our how-much-does-a-Japan-trip-cost guide folds these into a realistic budget.
• Don’t confuse it with the tax-free shopping change. That’s a different thing entirely — and it’s also changing in 2026; see our guide to Japan’s tax-free shopping changes from 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Japan Travel — “Kyoto lodging taxes to increase from March 2026”
• Kyoto City — municipal accommodation tax notice
• National Tax Agency of Japan — International Tourist Tax (departure tax)

Tax rates and thresholds change and vary by municipality. This is general preparation information, not tax advice — confirm the current charge with your accommodation and official city sources when you book.

← Back to Gently Yonder