Japan’s Fujikawaguchiko town planned to build a huge mesh barrier across the street from the famous Mount Fuji on Tuesday in an attempt to deter noisy tourists. This news hit headlines When the plan was unveiled by officials last month, the locals became enraged with what they perceived as constant streams of primarily foreign tourists showcasing disrespect to the scenic beauty by polluting, trespassing, and violating traffic laws.
A new online booking system for the mountain’s Yoshida trail opened on Monday to guarantee hikers entry through a new gate, although 1,000 places a day will be kept for day-of entries.
Mount Fuji is mostly covered in snow; more than 220,000 tourists hike up its rocky, steep slopes from July to September. Besides this, Japan experienced a record influx of foreign visitors; in March and April, the country saw more than three million visitors per month. But as in other tourist hotspots, such as Venice — which recently launched a trial of entry fees for day visitors the influx has not been universally welcomed.
Kyoto, the historic capital of Japan, has heard complaints from residents about tourists bothering the city’s renowned geisha. In order to reduce gridlock, hikers who choose to ascend Mount Fuji by the most popular path this summer will have to pay 2,000 yen ($13)per person.
Officials from the area have expressed concern over the safety and environmental effects of the crowding on the active volcano, which is a popular tourist destination and a symbol of Japan. There have allegedly been complaints from locals in the vicinity of other well-known photo locations in the area, such as the so-called Fuji Dream Bridge, regarding over tourism in recent weeks.
Although town officials and locals say that they are open to welcoming visitors, they also criticize that certain visitors have become a “nuisance” because they constantly cross the street, run red lights, park illegally, and smoke outside of permitted places.
In this regard, last month town officials had asserted that traffic signage and security guard warnings had not improved the problem, calling it “regrettable we have to do this, because of some tourists who can’t respect rules.”
Comments