Kyoto heaves with tourists every day. JR Kyoto Station disgorges hundreds of passengers every minute into the city.
While residents complain about the exponential increase in visitors each year, the tourist herds have prompted some admirable changes in the way things are done. The subway has gone from a system of awkward Japanese station names to one that includes letters and numbers so tourists don't have to distinguish between Karasuma and Karasuma Oike or Shijo, Gojo, Kujo and Jujo.
In an attempt to be more tourist-friendly the city hall even went to the great trouble of offering translation services to restaurants so they could produce English menus. Now thousands of restaurants are within reach of the average tourist, and business is booming.