Kyoto vs Yokohama
Yokohama leads Kyoto by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 73 to 71. Kyoto grades better on 6 measures, Yokohama on 5; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Kyoto 71, Yokohama 73
- OECD: Kyoto 74, Yokohama 73
- UN Tourism: Kyoto 81, Yokohama 78
- UNDRR: Kyoto 73, Yokohama 66
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Kyoto 75, Yokohama 71
- Economy and jobs: Kyoto 83, Yokohama 81
- Climate and hazards: Kyoto 55, Yokohama 60
- Water and environment: Kyoto 88, Yokohama 81
- Community and housing: Kyoto 75, Yokohama 88
- Access and continuity: Kyoto 83, Yokohama 75
Where Kyoto is stronger
- Largest foreign market: 20 % of international arrivals or nights (The Japan News / Kyoto Municipal Government Tourism Survey, 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
- Recovery against 2019: 126 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Kyoto City Government / Nippon.com, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
- Green space: 35 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Kyoto, 'Kyoto City Basic Green Plan' (京都市緑の基本計画), 2010). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4.
- Resident support for tourism: 70.1 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (City of Kyoto (Industry and Tourism Bureau), 'Reiwa 7 (2025) Survey on Citizen Attitudes Toward Kyoto Tourism', Sep–Oct 2025). At or above 70: grade 4/4.
- Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A plan with named owners, operators and recovery funding (Kyoto City Government, Kyoto Tourism Promotion Plan 2025, 2021–2025). Grade 3/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Kyoto City Official Guide / LIVE JAPAN, 2024–2026). Grade 3/4.
Where Yokohama is stronger
- Domestic share of nights: 90.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (Yokohama City Visitors Bureau / City of Yokohama, 'Yokohama DMO Implementation Plan 2026-2029' and 'Foreign Guest Nights by Country/Region', 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
- Average length of stay: 2.1 nights per visitor (City of Yokohama, '2025年の観光入込客数、観光消費額 ともに過去最高値を更新！' (令和7年度観光動態消費動向調査), 2025). Between 1.8 and 2.2: grade 1/4.
- Extreme heat days: 4.6 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Tourism intensity: 2.6 visitor nights per resident per year (City of Yokohama Culture and Tourism Bureau, 'Yokohama Tourism Attraction Indicators' & Statistics Division Population Data, 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Access redundancy: 3 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Japan National Tourism Organization & Kanagawa Prefectural Government, 2024–2026). Between 3 and 4: grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Japan: #1 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Kyoto in full · Yokohama in full
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