Kyoto offers tourists money off meals in exchange for donations

Kyoto is known for its traditional townhouses called machiya, but these historic buildings are disappearing at an alarming rate as the city struggles to keep up with the maintenance and expenses required to keep them from falling into disrepair.

With over 800 machiya being lost each year, this is just one example of the challenges Kyoto is facing when it comes to maintaining its rich cultural heritage.

To address this issue, the city has partnered with a Tokyo based e-gift service company called Giftee to launch the “Donate & Go” program which allows foreign tourists to make a financial contribution towards preserving Kyoto’s heritage.

Donations can be made via smartphone balance or credit card and for each donation they make, tourists will get a reward in the form of electronic money that can be used at local shops and attractions.

The Kyoto Municipal Government will receive half of the amount donated, which will be put towards efforts to conserve traditional townhouses, restore historic buildings and other projects supporting traditional crafts.

The other half of the donation is converted into a “return gift” for the donor and made available to them as a digital coupon that can be spent on food or entertainment at various locations in Kyoto.

This means that if someone donates ¥10,000, they will receive a voucher for ¥5,000.

The idea behind the donation scheme is that it can be used to attract tourists to locations they may not normally visit when in Kyoto, whether it is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant or local cafe that a foreign tourist may not otherwise know about.

The return gift coupons can be used at over 380 restaurants, bars and cafes.

Preserve Kyoto have created a map for tourists that shows all of the locations where the coupons can be used, as well as other useful information such as Wi-Fi availability and whether a restaurant has halal or vegetarian options.

Source: Preserve Kyoto