A Guide to Being a Good Tourist in Gion Kyoto

Is there a way to make  omotenashi , the concept of traditional Japanese hospitality that the Japanese audience is proud of, as a means to improve the behavior of tourists?

Earlier this year, to overcome misunderstandings between tourists and Japanese audiences, the KANSAI Tourism Bureau made three videos recorded in three  different settings . 

In the end, from all visits and interactions of citizens and cultures, both the host and tourists share the same goal: admire the beauty of the Land of Sakura.

Here is the contents of one of the videos:

The settings  in this video are very simple, especially for those who have just visited Kyoto.

A woman in a kimono is standing on a road in the Gion District. From his appearance, we can see he is a  maiko , a kind of geisha in Kyoto.

Later, he was approached by a photographed couple and a noisy photographer. Near the scene, an elderly woman eats and another woman eats cigarettes.

At the end, a small Japanese family passes by and looks a little upset. This incident was witnessed by a Japanese man who then issued a monocular binoculars to wander into each person's mind.

The incident then went backwards, this time with the additional thoughts of each key player in the incident.

For example, it turns out, the couple who took a photo with the  maiko didn't think they were doing anything wrong because they saw everyone taking a picture with him.

Finally, this video draws close to the sad expression of the young woman who we think is a  maiko . His thoughts astonished us: "Is it better not to say that I am not a  maiko ?"

In October 2019, the Gion district banned foreign and local tourists from eating or taking pictures carelessly on Gion Street . If you break this rule, a fine of 10,000  yen awaits you.

Sumber: Japan Forward