Japanese tourists shy away from Kyoto as foreign visitors throng in

KYOTO -- Even as Kyoto continues to draw international crowds for peak cherry blossom season, Japanese tourists are increasingly choosing such other destinations as neighboring Shiga and Nara prefectures out of concern over crowds and higher prices.

"I come to Kyoto every year, but almost everyone I pass is foreign," said a woman visiting from Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms in the popular Arashiyama district.