News - Japan’s Kyoto bans tourists from parts of geisha district amid reports of bad behavior

Visitors to the famous Gion district of Kyoto, Japan will be prohibited from entering a number of streets and alleys, reports The Guardian. Residents of Japan’s ancient capital have struggled to reconcile the financial boost from a return to pre-pandemic visitor numbers with overcrowding and incidents of bad behavior among tourists. Gion is an area where you can often find geiko and maiko—women who entertain guests with song, dance, and conversation—on the streets. However, some sources mistakenly compare the work of geishas with prostitution. Gion, where geiko and maiko traditional entertainers can be spotted on their way to evening teahouse appointments, is regularly targeted by smartphone-wielding visitors, some of whom ignore signs requesting that they keep their distance and refrain from touching the women’s expensive kimonos. There have also been complaints about people trespassing on private property. In December, a council of Gion residents urged the city’s government to take action against unruly tourists, complaining that their neighborhood was “not a theme park.” Local residents complained that some visitors behave like amateur paparazzi when they spot a geisha walking along narrow streets, some of which are just two meters wide. Kyoto officials said the ban on entering Gion’s narrow private streets would go into force next month, although it is unclear how the restriction will be enforced. Signs would be put up reminding visitors of the new measures The area’s main thoroughfare, Hanamikoji street, will remain open to tourists.