Out-of-towners and overseas visitors to Himeji Castle in Japan will be charged more than double what residents here pay to visit the World Heritage site from March 2026.
According to Japanese media reports, due to the increase in operating costs such as maintenance of the castle and human resources, Himeji Castle is expected to spend 28 billion yen (about HK$1.43 billion) over the next 10 years, a figure that is almost twice as much as the expenses over the past 10 years, and the Hyogo Prefecture government will have to raise ticket prices in order to cope with this huge amount of expenses in the future.
It is reported that the authorities plan to slap non-residents with a 2,500 yen ($16.40) entrance fee. The 1,000 yen fee for city residents will remain unchanged. Visitors under the age of 18 will be admitted free of charge, regardless of whether they are residents or non-residents.
The My Number Card system will be used to determine whether a person is a resident or not.
In addition to raising the admission fee for foreigners, Himeji City will also offer an annual pass for unlimited admission for one year at a price of 5,000 yen (about HK$256). The Himeji City government will send the bill to the city council on February 17 (local time).
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