Kyoto to ban flashing neon ads, rooftop billboards

In a move to protect the aesthetic value of the ancient capital, the municipal government of Kyoto is to ban advertising billboards on top of buildings and flashing electric ads in the entire city.

Kyoto officials claim that ads on top of buildings block the magnificent view of the mountain range that surround the city, while flashing ads ruin the elegance of its world-famous ancient streets.

The city government will revise the municipal regulation on outdoor advertisements this fiscal year, and implement the ban as early as next fiscal year.

The ban applies to the whole city area of 827 square kilometers, and Kyoto will be the first city in the nation to restrict ad displays on such a large scale.

There are about 15,000 outdoor ads in Kyoto, according to the city government, which has the authority to approve the placement of outdoor ads.

The approval is effective for three years under the current system, and advertisers will be allowed to renew their permits only once after the ban is implemented, thus all designated ad displays will disappear from city streets within six years at most.

Also, the municipal government will lower the upper height limit of buildings by two to 16 meters in areas near 14 world heritage sites and 30 percent of urbanization-designated areas. The new upper limits will be eight to 31 meters.
In areas within a 500-meter radius of all world heritage sites, including the famous Kiyomizudera temple, colors of building walls and shapes of roofs will be restricted to be in harmony with the surrounding environment.

"Scenery is a public asset," said a Kyoto official in charge of the ad display ban. "We must impose strict regulations now, or we will fail to pass on the distinguished scenery of the ancient city to future generations."

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Nov. 26, 2006