Starting 1 April, 20 governments in Japan have announced a new accommodation tax for travellers booking hotels and other lodging.
This announcement has doubled the number of local governments adopting the lodging tax system. Newly joined prefectures include Gifu, Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Kanagawa and Mie. Costs also vary depending on prefecture and accommodation type.
At Gifu in Gifu prefecture and Toba in Mie prefecture, guests will be charged 200 yen per person, per night. In Yugawara town in Kanagawa prefecture, the tax ranges between 300-500 yen.
Across Hiroshima prefecture, those who pick accommodations costing 6,000 yen and more per night will be charged 200 yen. Stays beneath this costing tier will be exempt from the new tax rule.
Lodging at select prefectures may additionally incur local city tax.
In Hokkaido, the prefecture-wide change will tax guests 100 yen, 200 yen or 500 yen, depending on accommodation cost.
Additionally, municipal-level tax will be added for 15 Hokkaido municipalities who have each introduced individual tax systems. These include Sapporo city, Niseko town, Hakodate city among other popular holiday stops.
In Sapporo for instance, travellers first pay the prefectural accommodation tax. An extra 300 yen for stays costing under 20,000 yen per person, per night, and up to an extra 1,000 yen for stays above 50,000 yen per person, per night will next apply.
Children, students and accompanying teachers on school trips - excluding universities - are exempt.
The Hokkaido accommodation tax website indicated that the taxes will fund tourism maintenance and improvements, as well as strengthen measures in the face of disasters and other emergencies.