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Geisha trainees: Tourists are said to have repeatedly harassed “Maikos” and other residents.

Photo: Xavier Arnau / Getty Images

Because many tourists misbehave too often in Kyoto's geisha district of Gion, city officials want to ban them from visiting certain alleys in the future.

"We will ask tourists in April or thereafter to stay away from narrow private streets," said Isokazu Ota from the city council to the AFP news agency.

"We don't want to do this, but we don't know what to do next."

The city council representative said that groups of tourists in Gion often behaved “like paparazzi” when geishas appeared in streets that were only one to two meters wide.

In 2019, signs reading “Photography prohibited on private streets” were put up.

A fine of 10,000 yen, the equivalent of around 60 euros, has also been introduced.

In the future, signs will completely prohibit access to the small streets.

Geishas are not prostitutes

In Gion, the geishas, ​​Japan's traditional entertainers, pursue a centuries-old profession.

Residents have long complained that tourists often behave disrespectfully.

Last December, the Gion District Council finally called on the city of Kyoto to address the problem, emphasizing that the district is "not an amusement park."

A district council member told Japanese media that someone had pulled on the kimono of a “maiko,” a geisha trainee.

A visitor threw a cigarette butt into another geisha's neckline.

There is still a common misconception that geishas are prostitutes.

However, they are qualified entertainers who are trained in traditional Japanese dance, play music and entertain their guests with games and stories.

After the end of the corona restrictions, tourism in Japan is booming again.

Officially there were more than 22 million tourists last year.

Many of them not only travel to Kyoto, but also visit tourist attractions across the country - often there are more people than desired.

In order to limit the number of visitors, a usage fee of the equivalent of twelve euros is being introduced for the most popular hiking trail on Mount Fuji, for example.

alw/AFP/AP