Kyoto Crowds Push Japanese Schools Toward New Class Trip Destinations

Visitor numbers rise as school groups pull back

Kyoto welcomed 56.06 million visitors in 2024, its second highest annual total after 2015, according to a municipal survey. Yet the number of students visiting on school trips moved in the opposite direction: about 750,000 came in 2024, down 7.4 percent from 810,000 in 2023.

For schools, the problem is increasingly practical. Packed buses, traffic delays and long queues can turn a carefully planned day among temples and historic streets into a struggle to reach the next meeting point. Teachers and parents are asking whether the traditional Kyoto itinerary still leaves enough time for learning.

City officials identify a recovery in overseas school travel after the pandemic as one reason for the decline. They also acknowledge that some groups are avoiding Kyoto because navigating the crowds within a strict timetable has become difficult.

School trips teach more than history. Students plan routes, manage their time, cooperate with classmates and learn to respect local culture. When journeys between attractions consume the day, those educational goals become harder to achieve.

As of September 22, 2025, the move away from Kyoto remains small but is growing. Schools are considering Shikoku, Kanazawa and Hakodate, where cooking activities, local guides and simpler transport arrangements offer different ways to learn. Costs, heat and the long advance planning required for educational travel are also influencing those decisions.

A missed itinerary and a 13 kilometer walk

One Tokyo junior high school reconsidered Kyoto after its trip last September. On the third day, students were supposed to explore historic sites in small groups, using buses and trains before gathering at a final meeting point.

Traffic disrupted the plan. Near Kinkakuji, one group encountered such a dense crowd at a bus stop that the students abandoned the bus. Concerned about arriving at the meeting point on time, they skipped Kitano Tenmangu and other destinations and walked roughly 13 kilometers to Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Other groups called teachers throughout the day to say they were dropping sites from their schedules. An accompanying teacher was exhausted by evening. The difficulty was not finding places worth studying, but reaching them with enough time and energy left to learn.

Back in Tokyo, school leaders consulted a travel agency and decided to replace Kyoto and nearby Nara with Shikoku for the next trip. They presented the change to parents in April and received no objections.

The proposed activities included preparing katsuo no tataki in Kochi, making udon in Kagawa and studying history from the late Edo period, near the end of samurai rule. Culture would remain central to the trip, with more time spent participating in activities.

Parents weigh heat, health and new experiences

A mother of a student in the second year welcomed the change after hearing repeated accounts of crowding in Kyoto. Her concern was how long her daughter might have to wait in hot weather for transport or admission to an attraction.

The mother described the health worries behind her support for Shikoku:

A Kyoto trip now makes me worry about her health if she has to wait a long time to get on a bus or enter a site in hot temperatures. I heard Shikoku has many experience based programs, and I think she can spend quality time there.

She also saw value in a destination unfamiliar to both generations. Explaining why the proposed activities appealed to her, she said:

Neither I nor my daughter have visited Shikoku. I heard there are many experience based programs, and I think she can spend quality time there.

Students were less attached to a particular destination. One said being with friends mattered more than where they went. Another was excited about Shikoku because he had never visited. Their reactions fit the growing preference for trips built around direct participation instead of long journeys between famous landmarks.

Why the pressure extends beyond foreign tourism

Domestic visitors remain an important part of Kyoto tourism. Estimates before the pandemic put total annual visits near 88 million, including Japanese travelers and school groups. The municipal survey recorded 56.06 million visitors in 2024.

Kyoto concentrates much of its visitor traffic in a historic core with narrow streets and heavy reliance on buses. Popular districts attract large numbers at the same time, while social media draws more travelers toward especially photogenic locations.

Congestion and visitor behavior are concerns elsewhere in Japan, too. A survey of foreign visitors found that roughly one in three experienced problems linked to crowding during trips in 2024. Complaints included litter, people entering restricted areas and long queues.

Many respondents said they would accept higher charges if the money improved conditions and protected cultural sites. That willingness is helping shape discussions about accommodation taxes and transport services dedicated to visitors.

The weak yen adds another pressure. It makes Japan more affordable for international travelers while making overseas trips more expensive for Japanese schools. Higher fuel prices and the cost of purchases abroad have also kept school travel overseas below levels before the pandemic.

Some schools are returning to overseas destinations, as Kyoto officials note. Others are staying within Japan but moving away from the busiest traditional route. Together, those choices are widening the range of places considered suitable for educational travel.

What Shikoku, Kanazawa and Hakodate offer

Shikoku appeals to schools seeking activities students can take part in directly. In Kochi, preparing katsuo no tataki can sit alongside lessons about local history and the end of samurai rule. In Kagawa, students knead and cut udon before eating what they have made.

Such programs match teaching goals that encourage students to investigate a subject and learn through experience. The activity itself becomes part of the lesson, rather than something fitted between journeys.

Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture is another option attracting schools from the Tokyo region. The Hokuriku Shinkansen connects Tokyo and Kanazawa in about the same time as a train journey to Kyoto, making the travel schedule familiar for planners.

Kenrokuen garden provides a setting for learning, and local high school students have guided visiting groups. Hakodate in Hokkaido offers a different logistical advantage: a compact layout, historic districts that can be explored on foot and a tram network that helps groups move around.

Schools usually choose destinations 18 to 24 months ahead. A decision made during a period of severe crowding can therefore shape travel several years later, even if conditions subsequently change.

Shuichi Takeuchi, who heads a national association for school trips, described both Kyoto's educational importance and the difficulty students now face:

Kyoto has an overwhelming presence for school trips because of its history and culture. Students right now cannot participate in activities in the way they used to, so more schools may choose different regions.

Takeuchi also pointed to the early commitment schools must make. Once transport, accommodation and activities are arranged, a destination change is not a quick response to a quieter or busier tourist season.

Rising budgets narrow the choices

The average cost of a domestic school trip for public schools increased from 61,206 yen in the 2018 academic year to 67,844 yen in 2024. That is an increase of 6,638 yen, or about 10.8 percent, calculated from those figures.

Transport and accommodation typically account for about 70 percent of a trip budget. Schools have limited room to absorb higher hotel and bus prices without changing the itinerary, shortening the stay or asking families to pay more.

Municipal education boards have responded by setting spending caps or reducing the number of nights away. Those rules can remove some destinations from consideration, especially where peak demand pushes prices higher.

The weaker yen has also led some districts with established overseas programs to pause them. Domestic alternatives include peace learning in Nagasaki and disaster preparedness studies in Tohoku, both built around a clear educational theme.

Accommodation taxes are another item for planners to check. Several prefectures and cities plan to introduce or expand them from 2025. Some locations exempt school groups, but policies vary, leaving schools to confirm the rules for each destination and consider whether the revenue will improve transport and crowd management.

Kyoto tries dedicated buses and clearer boundaries

Kyoto introduced its Sightseeing Limited Express Bus in the middle of 2024, carrying tourists directly to major attractions such as Kiyomizudera. The service is intended to leave more space on regular city buses for residents.

Ridership exceeded 100,000 by autumn. The early use suggests that visitors will choose dedicated services when routes are easy to find and reliable, a useful consideration for schools trying to keep a group on schedule.

A Hands Free Bus offers another approach, allowing passengers to leave luggage on board while the vehicle follows a loop of hotels and attractions. Uptake among foreign visitors has been slower, with many continuing to use trains or taxis while carrying their bags.

In Gion, community groups and the city have posted signs directing visitors away from private alleys. They have also discouraged intrusive photography of maiko and geiko. Those measures address the privacy of people who live and work in districts that visitors come to experience.

Kyoto is also promoting activities outside peak seasons for student groups, including free opportunities to learn about traditional arts when demand is lower. Officials have discussed fare arrangements that give preference to residents on certain routes.

Each measure addresses a different part of the pressure: luggage taking up space, sightseeing passengers crowding regular services, visitors entering private areas or too many groups arriving during the same busy weeks.

A larger accommodation tax is coming in 2026

Kyoto has approved a substantial increase in its accommodation tax for 2026. New tiers will raise charges across most room price brackets, with the highest rate reaching 10,000 yen per person per night for luxury accommodation.

The city plans to use the additional revenue for transport capacity, infrastructure and services intended to balance tourism with daily life. For school planners, better movement around the city would address one of the central problems behind abandoned stops and disrupted schedules.

The developments span several planning cycles:

• In the middle of 2024, Kyoto launched the Sightseeing Limited Express Bus.
• In September, the Tokyo junior high school encountered severe delays during its Kyoto visit.
• By autumn 2024, the sightseeing bus had carried more than 100,000 passengers.
• In April 2025, the school presented its proposed switch to Shikoku to parents without objection.
• From 2025, several prefectures and cities planned new or expanded accommodation taxes.
• In 2026, Kyoto's approved accommodation tax increase is due to take effect.

As of September 22, 2025, the effect of the planned tax increase on school travel was not yet known. Schools must make decisions before they can judge how the additional spending will affect the routes and services their students use.

How a Kyoto itinerary can still work

Kyoto is not equally crowded everywhere or at every hour. Early visits to popular sites, particularly outside cherry blossom and autumn foliage peaks, can leave more room for learning. Traveling during the week and moving in smaller groups can also make schedules easier to manage.

Teachers can coordinate with tourist bus services and favor trains where possible, since regular buses are a main point of congestion. Staying near a cluster of planned visits reduces transfers, while giving groups different routes before a shared meeting time spreads their arrivals.

Temples and museums offering workshops with advance reservations provide another option. A reserved activity can give students a quieter setting for practical learning even when surrounding streets are busy.

An itinerary can combine one or two famous landmarks with less crowded districts. Western Arashiyama has calmer areas away from the bamboo grove, while the museum district around Okazaki offers wider sidewalks and several venues within walking distance.

Taxis used selectively for small groups can save time when buses are delayed. Where budgets permit, private charter transport gives teachers more control over departure times and the order of visits.

These choices bring the planning back to the purpose of the trip: allowing students to spend meaningful time at a site, workshop or museum, with manageable journeys between them.

The educational goal is bigger than sightseeing

The principal of Nishi Ikebukuro Junior High School in Tokyo described school trips as a key part of compulsory education. He placed particular value on students making plans, cooperating and reflecting on their decisions during a journey.

Explaining how those skills fit the purpose of a class trip, the principal said:

It is necessary for students in compulsory education to develop planning and cooperative skills for their actions. I view school trips as the final goal.

Kyoto's history and culture remain a strong attraction for teachers and families. Parents are nevertheless balancing that familiar destination against practical concerns about heat, transport and how much students can actually do during a limited stay.

The support for Shikoku reflects that balance. Cooking, local crafts and unfamiliar surroundings give students shared experiences while allowing schools to build a schedule around activities they can complete.

Students also value being together and discovering somewhere new. For planners, those priorities leave room to preserve the social and educational purpose of a trip even when its destination changes.

Regional economies share in the shift

Kyoto's visitor economy supports transport operators, accommodation businesses, cultural preservation and small shops. When school groups skip the city or avoid its busiest districts, the change affects businesses that serve them.

Transport improvements and efforts to spread visitors across seasons and neighborhoods are intended to protect those livelihoods while reducing pressure on everyday life. More workable journeys could make Kyoto easier for schools to include again.

Regions receiving school groups gain predictable bookings, often during quieter periods between peak seasons. Students may also return later with their families, extending the relationship beyond a single educational visit.

Shikoku, Kanazawa, Hakodate and other destinations have developed programs suited to student learning. Guided garden visits led by local teenagers, museum workshops and homestays connect school travel with people and businesses outside the most heavily visited tourism centers.

Japan's national tourism strategy seeks to promote regional destinations and spread visitor flows. School trips fit that aim: rotating destinations can reduce pressure in Kyoto's busiest corridors while bringing spending to communities with room to welcome groups.

Schools and local authorities still need to coordinate calendars, transport and learning activities. With destinations often chosen 18 to 24 months ahead, today's decisions will influence where students travel for several years.

Key Points

• Kyoto recorded 56.06 million visitors in 2024, its second highest annual total after 2015.
• School trip visits fell 7.4 percent, from about 810,000 students in 2023 to 750,000 in 2024.
• A Tokyo junior high school switched its next trip from Kyoto and Nara to Shikoku after congestion disrupted student itineraries.
• Shikoku, Kanazawa and Hakodate offer practical activities, cultural learning and alternatives for group transport.
• Average domestic school trip costs for public schools rose from 61,206 yen in 2018 to 67,844 yen in 2024.
• Kyoto is using dedicated sightseeing transport, visitor guidance and activities outside peak seasons to manage pressure.
• An approved accommodation tax increase takes effect in 2026, with a maximum charge of 10,000 yen per person per night for luxury rooms.
• Schools usually plan 18 to 24 months ahead, so destination changes can continue to shape travel long after the initial decision.