TOKYO — A crowd control gate was installed halfway up Japan’s Mount Fuji on Monday before the start of the climbing season on July 1 this year, but the governor of Yamanashi, one of the two prefectures where the mountain is located, said additional measures are needed to control overcrowding on the lower slopes.
The gate was completed as part of a new set of rules Yamanashi is introducing this year to tackle growing safety, environmental and overcrowding problems on the mountain.
The newly installed gate will be closed between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m. to keep out those who have not booked an overnight stay in a hut along the Yoshida Trail, which is used by most climbers. reaching the top without adequate rest, which is considered a major safety risk. A maximum of 4,000 climbers are allowed to access the path per day.
“The restrictions coming into effect this year are measures to address the problems endangering the lives of climbers,” Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki said at a news conference in Tokyo. He said the number of climbers on the route this year is expected to surpass last year’s 137,236.
“Overcrowding near the summit could lead to a major disaster, like people falling in a domino effect,” he said.
Under the new system, climbers must make reservations and choose between a day hike or an overnight stay in one of several huts along the route. There is a mandatory hiking fee of 2,000 yen (about $12.70) and an optional donation of 1,000 yen (about $6.35) for conservation.
A QR code is sent to climbers’ smartphones to be scanned at the gate, which is located halfway up the mountain in an area known as the fifth station, where the Yoshida Trail begins. There are 10 stations on the mountain.
Nagasaki said he is confident the new measures will reduce overcrowding at the upper reaches of Mount Fuji, but problems persist lower down.
He promised to reduce overtourism at the lower levels and their surroundings, possibly by introducing a mountain railway to the fifth station, which can currently be reached by cars and buses, while promoting traditional climbing routes from the base of the mountain.
Shizuoka Prefecture, which also includes part of the mountain, currently imposes no mandatory hiking restrictions. On June 10, it launched an online registration system in which climbers fill out their hiking plans and are encouraged not to climb after 4 p.m.
Mount Fuji, long a symbol of Japan, was once a place of pilgrimage. Today it attracts tens of thousands of people who hike to the top to watch the sunrise. But the tons of waste left behind, including plastic bottles and food, has become a major problem.
Recently, the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi placed a large black screen along a sidewalk to block the view of Mount Fuji after tourists began crowding the area to take photos of the mountain that appears to be sitting on the roof of a supermarket, a trend on social media. known as “Mount Fuji Lawson” which disrupted business, traffic and local life.
Overtourism has also become a growing problem for other popular tourist destinations such as Kyoto, as foreign visitors flock to Japan, partly because of the weaker yen.
