Image Source: Wikipedia / Photo by Niko Kitsakis
Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture is a World Heritage site. The issue of money surrounding Himeji Castle, a World Heritage site, and “street smoking” has become a hot topic. First, the
entrance fee for Himeji Castle for people “outside of Himeji City” has increased to 2,500 yen from the 1st of this month, 2.5 times the previous amount.
Furthermore, the fine for smoking on the streets within the city has been raised from 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen from July. The reason given for the Himeji Castle entrance fee increase is “the impact of rising labor and repair costs,” and the fine is “to deter street smoking and littering of cigarette butts,” but there are mixed opinions on these drastic price increases. Announcer Reona Hata conducted an in-depth investigation into the situation.
