One of Japan’s most famous Buddhist temples plans to raise its admission fees to cover the growing costs of management and staffing.
The administrators of Horyuji temple in Nara Prefecture say the coronavirus pandemic led to a drop in visitor numbers, while the costs of maintaining its cultural treasures and staff are rising.
The UNESCO World Heritage site currently charges 1,500 yen, or about 11 dollars, for visitors of junior high school age and above.
Starting next March, adults, university and senior high-school students will pay 2,000 yen, or roughly 14 dollars.
Junior high school students will pay 1,700 yen, or about 12 dollars.
The charge for elementary school students will rise to 1,000 yen from 750 yen. That translates into an increase to 7 dollars from 5.3 dollars.
For a group of 30 people or more, the per-person fee will rise by up to 400 yen, or almost 3 dollars.
This is the first time since January 2015 that Horyuji will raise its admission fees. Temple officials say the increase is needed to pass down its precious cultural assets to the next generation.
Todaiji and Yakushiji in the ancient capital of Nara have also raised their fees this year. Kohfukuji plans to do so from next April.