If you've always dreamed of wandering the alleys in the famous geisha district in Kyoto, your time might be running out

• Gion, a historic district in Kyoto, Japan, is set to bar tourists from entering its private streets from April.

• Residents have complained about tourists misbehaving.

• Gion is famed for its traditional teahouses where geisha work and entertain guests.

Gion, Japan's popular geisha district in Kyoto, is set to bar tourists from entering certain alleys, as the news agency Agence France-Presse reported on Friday.

Isokazu Ota, an executive member of the Gion district council, told AFP that tourists wouldn't be allowed to enter specified streets from April onward. The district council comprises several residents of Gion.

"We don't want to do this, but we're desperate," Ota said, adding that tourists had previously acted "like paparazzi" when taking photos of geishas. The local newspaper The Asahi Shimbun reported in 2019 that Ota, 56 at the time, was the leader of the council and a resident who owned a Chinese restaurant.

AFP reported that while Gion's private streets would be closed, tourists would still be allowed to enter the main Hanamikoji Street, which is public. The ban follows several incidents of tourists misbehaving in Gion.