KYOTO: The western Japan city of Kyoto on Saturday launched an express bus service connecting Kyoto Station with major tourist destinations in the city.

The bus service was introduced as part of the city’s efforts to tackle overtourism, or the negative impact of an influx of tourists on the daily lives of local residents and on the environment.

Kyoto’s existing buses have been overcrowded with tourists. Through the tourist-oriented bus service, the city hopes to disperse bus users.

In the new service, buses will stop at major tourist spots such as the Kiyomizu-dera and Ginkaku-ji temples, as well as the Gion area.

The service is only available on Saturdays and Sundays, national holidays, the country’s “bon” summer holiday period and the year-end and New Year holiday period.

Fares for the new service are 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children, compared with the standard fare of 230 yen for other bus services operated by the city.

The Sightseeing Limited Express Bus service is also included in the existing one-day subway and bus pass, which costs 1,100 yen for adults and 550 yen for children.

A woman from Singapore in her 30s who visited Kyoto with her family said that the fares for the new bus service were a bit expensive, but acceptable.

After using the new service to visit the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, she said that it was good that the bus was not so crowded.

Another visitor in her 30s from the western Japan city of Tokushima said that she was able to arrive early thanks to the new bus service, adding that the trip was “comfortable” and that she hopes to use it again.

JIJI Press