Travelling to Kyoto? Avoid overcrowded tourist hotspots with new online map that predicts crowds
- The Kyoto Travel Congestion Forecast online site predicts which tourist attractions in the Japanese city are likely to be the busiest and therefore best avoided
- The number of tourists arriving in Japan is expected to rise sharply after the country lifted all its travel restrictions earlier this month
A perennial favourite for foreign visitors to Japan, Kyoto is so concerned about a return to the “overtourism” that plagued the ancient capital before the pandemic that it has launched an online map that charts the crowds at tourist hotspots.
The Kyoto Travel Congestion Forecast site, available in English and Chinese, analyses mobile phone location data since 2019 and factors in weather conditions to predict the areas that are likely to be the busiest and therefore best avoided.
The areas identified as particularly popular with visitors include the Gion district, home to the city’s famous geisha community; Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as The Golden Pavilion; and the picturesque Togetsukyo Bridge and bamboo forest in the Saga-Arashiyama district, to the northwest of the city centre.
The transport hub of Kyoto Station is also on the map, along with Nishiki Market, in the heart of the city, the Philosopher’s Path, and the Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple complex, which offers spectacular views across the city from the east.
The map is updated every hour and incorporates live camera feeds of the targeted areas.
The city’s tourism authority is keen to spread visitors more evenly across its many attractions and avoid upsetting residents who were once unprepared for large-scale tourism.