"Tourist prices" in Japan: what dual pricing really looks like, and how to check

この記事には広告（アフィリエイトリンク）を含みます。リンク先で予約すると当サイトが手数料を受け取ることがありますが、お客様の支払額は変わりません。 広告（アフィリエイト）について

"Japan is starting to charge tourists more." You may have read a headline like this. It is partly true, and the details matter: who pays the higher price, what proof is needed, and whether the price you see is a surcharge or simply the normal price with a local discount next to it.

We went through the admission prices we have published and looked for any price that depends on where you live or what passport you hold. This is what we found.

What we counted

• Base: 944 admission-fee entries on published spot pages, each copied from the official page of the place or a local-government tourism page.
• Method: a text search on 2026-09-29 for words such as "resident", "foreign" and "non-resident" in the English text, then a read of every match.
• Result: 20 entries matched. One was a false match (a dance show by a "resident troupe"). Of the other 19, 18 are prices based on where you live (usually a discount for people who live in that city or prefecture) and one is based on nationality.

The search can miss prices written in other words, so treat these numbers as "at least". Restaurants, shops and tours are not included. We have not measured their prices.

Type 1: the local-resident discount (the most common)

Most two-tier prices we found are the normal price plus a lower price for residents, often only for some age groups. A visitor from another part of Japan pays the same as a visitor from abroad.

• Asahiyama Zoo, Asahikawa: adults 1,000 yen; Asahikawa residents 700 yen.
• Io World Kagoshima Aquarium: adults 2,000 yen; Kagoshima city residents 1,500 yen.
• Sapporo Beer Museum (self-guided visit): adults 1,000 yen; Hokkaido residents 700 yen with photo ID.
• Ueno Zoo, Tokyo: junior high students 200 yen, free for Tokyo residents or students.

Some of these places are run by the local government; the Asahiyama Zoo price list, for example, is published on the Asahikawa city website. For you as a visitor, the normal price is the one that applies.

Type 2: a large gap between residents and everyone else

Some places have a much wider gap. One example is Himeji Castle.

• Himeji Castle: general admission (18 and over) 2,500 yen; Himeji residents aged 18-64 pay 1,000 yen.

This is still a residence rule, not a nationality rule. A visitor from Tokyo pays 2,500 yen too. But the gap is large enough that it feels like a tourist price, and that is how it is often reported.

Type 3: a price based on nationality (rare in our data)

We found one place where the rule depends on nationality or residence status.

• Nanzoin, Fukuoka: since May 7, 2025, foreign visitors pay an entry fee of 300 yen per person (200 yen in groups of 10 or more; 18 and under free). Japanese nationals and holders of Japanese residence permits enter free and must show proof.

If you live in Japan on a residence card, carry it. The rule here is about residence status as well as nationality.

What about restaurants and shops?

We have not measured restaurant or shop prices, so we will not say whether visitors pay more. What we can say is how to read a menu and a bill so you know what you are paying for:

• Charges you did not order. Some bars and izakaya add a small starter or a seat charge. We explain this in The table charge you did not order.
• A separate English menu. If the English menu looks different from the Japanese one, it is fair to ask to see both. Point to the item on the Japanese menu if you want to be sure you are ordering the same thing.

How to check a price before you go

1. Open the official price list, not a blog or a ticket reseller. On Verified in Japan, the source link and check date are under each fact table.
2. Find the words for residents: 市民 (city residents), 県民 or 道民 (prefecture residents), 在住 (living in). A price with one of these next to it is usually a resident discount.
3. Find the words for visitors from abroad: 外国人 (foreign nationals) or 訪日 (visitors to Japan). These are rare in our data, but where they appear, read what proof is needed.
4. Check the date. Prices change. Asahiyama Zoo, for example, lists a new adult price of 1,400 yen from April 29, 2027. The price on the day you visit is the one that counts.

Sources

• Admission prices for Asahiyama Zoo, Io World Kagoshima Aquarium, Sapporo Beer Museum, Ueno Zoo, Himeji Castle and Nanzoin: the official or local-government tourism page linked in each fact table (checked 2026-09-25 to 2026-09-27)
• Counts in this article: Verified in Japan fact tables, text search on 2026-09-29 and a read of every match