A Japanese city set up a large mesh barrier at a popular Mount Fuji viewpoint on Tuesday in a bid to stop an increasing number of tourists from taking photos.
Japan’s most famous site can be seen from miles away, but the residents of Fujikawaguchiko are fed up with the streams of mostly foreign visitors littering, trespassing and violating traffic rules in their search for a photo to share on social networks. social media.
Parking illegally and ignoring the smoking ban, they filled the sidewalk to photograph the snow-capped mountain, which towers photogenically into the sky behind a convenience store, residents said.
Workers began laying the black net measuring 2.5 by 20 meters (eight by 65 feet) on Tuesday, and by late morning they had finished, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
“I hope the network will prevent dangerous activities,” Michie Motomochi, 41, a resident who runs a traditional Japanese sweet shop, told AFP.
“I think it’s disappointing that they’re putting this up. It’s obviously an iconic photo,” said Christina Roys, 36, a tourist from New Zealand.
“But it’s completely understandable. We were here last night, managing to take the last photo before they put up the wall, and there were a lot of people,” she said.
“It’s very dangerous because of the traffic. There are other places where you can take a photo of the mountain.”
– Online reservations –
Record numbers of foreign tourists are arriving in Japan, where monthly visitors surpassed three million for the first time in March and again in April.
But, as in other tourist hotspots such as Venice – which recently launched a test of entry fees for day visitors – the influx has not been welcomed by everyone.
In Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto, locals have complained about tourists harassing the city’s famous geisha.
And hikers using the most popular route to climb Mount Fuji this summer will be charged 2,000 yen ($13) each, with tickets capped at 4,000 to ease congestion.
A new online reservation system for the mountain’s Yoshida trail opened on Monday to guarantee hikers entry through a new gate, although 1,000 slots per day will be maintained for registrations on the day of the visit.
Mount Fuji is covered in snow most of the year, but during the hiking season from July to September, more than 220,000 visitors climb its steep, rocky slopes.
Many climb at night to watch the sunrise and some try to reach the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) summit without taking breaks, becoming sick or injured.
Regional authorities have raised environmental and safety concerns related to overcrowding at the active volcano, a symbol of Japan and a once-peaceful pilgrimage site.
Residents near other popular photo spots in the region, including the so-called Fuji Dream Bridge, have also complained about overtourism in recent weeks.
A tour operator offering day trips from Tokyo to the Mount Fuji area told AFP it is taking visitors to another nearby Lawson store, where a similar view can be seen but there are fewer residents nearby.
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