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Himeji Castle is a popular day trip for many international tourists, and now the Mayor of Himeji is considering charging foreign tourists more than locals to visit it. Here’s what you need to know about the news if Himeji is on your ‘must-see’ list.
First up, this hasn’t happened yet, nor is it guaranteed to occur, but at a recent tourism conference, Himeji’s mayor, Kiyomoto Hideyasu, suggested raising the price to visit the popular attraction from its current price of 1000 yen (about $7) to closer to 4800 yen (the Mayor said around US$30) for foreign tourists.
Locals would pay the current price, or possibly even have their entrance fee lowered.
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It’s not the only country to do this – Thailand has different prices for tourists and locals, and, even in the US, locals can get cheaper entry to some sights – the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, is $30 for tourists, but has a ‘pay what you like’ entrance policy for those who live in the New York State area – but it’s an unusual move for Japan.
It’s particularly interesting considering that 70 per cent of tourists to the castle aren’t international visitors, but from inside Japan, so, the increased fee will only apply to about a third of visitors – if it doesn’t put those people off that is; which brings us to my own thoughts on this issue.
Would This Stop Me From Visiting Himeji Castle?
Absolutely – but not because of the two-tier pricing. I don’t mind spending a little bit more than someone who lives in the country to visit something I’ve travelled a long way to see – but US$30, are they bonkers?
I’m changing trains at Himeji on my next visit to go to a small town nearby, and I’d thought of stopping off and visiting the castle – but there’s no way on earth I’d pay $30 to go in – that’s $45 Australian dollars.
As someone I was talking to on threads about this with this morning said, ‘Japanese castles are beautiful to look out from the outside, but inside, they aren’t really great.’ And I generally agree.
It’s not like walking into Buckingham Palace, where you see ornate fixtures and fittings, beautiful paintings, and the remote chance to bump into the King or Queen Camilla. Most castles I have gone inside in Japan have been stone keeps with steep wooden stairs.
There might be the odd suit of armour knocking around, but the highlight for me is usually the view from the roof (I admit, I am not a history buff).
Plus, you usually have to take your shoes off so I end up with cold feet and spend my whole time convinced that this next set of stairs is my last as I’m traversing them in my socks!
I’ll give you Japanese castles have some interesting features – I love the Shachihoko, the lion/fish sculptures on the roof that legend says will protect the buildings from fire by summoning clouds and spouting water from their mouth, and the fact that the stairs get steeper and harder to climb the closer you to get to the top to slow down invaders (even if that can make them terrifying in socks)
There can also be some beautiful gardens, but often you can see them without having to pay to go into the castle. So, if there’s one thing I’m going to skip paying for in a city, it’ll be the inside of the castle – although I always go and admire the outside and the grounds.
Maybe I’m Wrong Here…
Now, I know every time I speak to my friend Nick, he asks me if I’ve been to Himeji Castle as he thinks it’s absolutely beautiful, and it is widely classed as the best castle in Japan.
I also admit that the interior picture above, which is Himeji, has some charm, so, maybe I will be missing out by not going (and all those other castles have given me the wrong impression).
But while I might spend 1000 yen to find out if I’ve been wrong all this time – I wouldn’t spend almost 5000 yen.
I’d rather spend that money on something I know I’ll enjoy – like a ridiculous cocktail covered in candy floss, a Donald Duck headband – or, if I book early enough in a cheap hotel, practically another night in Japan! I only paid 6800 yen to stay at my hotel in Kawaguchiko recently and my room had this view!
And I’m probably not alone there.
Whether this will come to pass, I don’t know – the Mayor was discussing it theoretically at a tourism conference (erm, let’s not give everyone ideas, thanks) and, unlike closing the small roads in Gion, this is more than a local matter, it could impact the whole of Japan, and so to get it approved, the idea would have to go through the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, but it’s an interesting development and just another example of how Japan is thinking about handling it’s popularity going forward.
So, what do you think? Would you be happy to pay a different price from local visitors, and if you have visited Himeji Castle, how much would you be prepared to pay to visit it?
Let me know in the comments on this post in my Japan planning group.
