TOKYO (AP) — Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails of the iconic Japanese Mount Fuji will now have to reserve ahead and pay a fee as the picturesque stratovolcano struggles with overtourism, littering and those who attempt rushed “bullet climbing,” putting lives at risk.
The Yamanashi prefecture said in a statement via the Foreign Press Center of Japan on Monday that it introduced new rules for the climbing season, July 1-Sept. 10 for those hiking the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side of the nearly 12,300-foot-high mountain, designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013.
Only 4,000 climbers will be allowed to enter the trail per day; 3,000 slots will be available for online booking at a fee of 2,000 yen (about $18), and the remaining 1,000 can be booked in person on the day of the climb.
Climbers can book their slots via Mount Fuji Climbing’s official website, jointly run by the Environment Ministry and Mount Fuji’s two home prefectures, Yamanashi and Shizuoka.
Mount Fuji is divided into 10 stations, and there are four “fifth stations” halfway up the mountain from where the four trails — the Yoshida, Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba — start to the top.
Under the new system, climbers need to choose whether they will do a day hike or stay overnight at the several available huts across the trail. Once they input their information and the day of the climb, they are given a QR code to be scanned at the fifth station. Those who have not booked an overnight hut will be sent back down and not allowed to climb between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m., mainly to stop climbers who rush to the summit without adequate rest, raising safety concerns, authorities said.
The Shizuoka prefecture, southwest of Mount Fuji, where climbers can also access the mountain, has sought a voluntary 1,000-yen ($6.40) fee per climber since 2014 and is considering additional ways to balance tourism and environmental protection.
The number of Mount Fuji climbers during the 2023 season totaled 221,322, according to the Environment Ministry.
The announcement came just as a town in Shizuoka was to set up a huge black screen on a sidewalk to block a view of Mount Fuji because of tourists overcrowding the area to take photos with the mountain as a background of a convenience store, a social media phenomenon known as “Mt. Fuji Lawson.” This has inconvenienced locals and disrupted their businesses and road traffic.
Over-tourism has also become a growing issue at other popular tourist destinations such as Kyoto and Kamakura as foreign visitors have flocked to Japan in droves since the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions were lifted, in part due to the weaker yen.
Last year, Japan had more than 25 million visitors, and the figures in 2024 are expected to surpass nearly 32 million, a record from 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
FILE -A group of hikers climb to the top of Mount Fuji just before sunrise as clouds hang below the summit Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, in Japan. Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails of the iconic Japanese Mount Fuji will now have to reserve ahead and pay a fee as the picturesque stratovolcano struggles with overtourism, littering and those who attempt rushed “bullet climbing,” putting lives at risk.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE – The shadow of Mount Fuji is casted on clouds hanging below the summit, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, in Japan. Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails of the iconic Japanese Mount Fuji will now have to reserve ahead and pay a fee as the picturesque stratovolcano struggles with overtourism, littering and those who attempt rushed “bullet climbing,” putting lives at risk. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
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