Visitors to Katsura Imperial Villa to Be Charged from Nov.

August 1, 2018

Kyoto- The Japanese Imperial Household Agency will boost the capacity of daily visitors to Katsura Imperial Villa, a popular tourist spot in the western Japan city of Kyoto, and begin to charge for admission from Nov. 1.

It will be the first-ever imposition of fees on visitors to facilities related to the Imperial household. The move, announced by the agency's Kyoto office on Tuesday, is designed to cover maintenance and personnel expenses in line with the capacity increase.

In November, the daily capacity will be expanded from 210 to 480, while the minimum age limit for admission will be lowered from 18 years to junior high school students.

Visitors aged 18 or above will have to pay 1,000 yen, but junior high and senior high school students, as well as disabled people, will be free of charge.

Meanwhile, English-language guide will become available for foreign visitors.

At present, the agency partially opens to the public for free the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, as well as Kyoto Imperial Palace, Sento Imperial Palace, Katsura Imperial Villa and Shugakuin Imperial Villa, all in Kyoto.

Of them, Katsura Imperial Villa, featuring a beautiful Japanese garden, is particularly popular among tourists both from Japan and abroad, with the number of visitor applications exceeding the capacity throughout the year, according to the office. Jiji Press