At cherry blossom peak, 10,000 visitors a day overwhelm the city, disrupting daily life; some even open private homes’ doors to use the bathroom
사진 확대
A city near Mount Fuji in Japan has canceled this year’s cherry blossom festival, citing damage to residents caused by a surge in tourists.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the 5th (local time), Fujiyoshida in Yamanashi Prefecture decided not to hold the cherry blossom festival that has run for the past 10 years. City officials judged that the number of tourists has exceeded the city’s capacity and is severely disrupting residents’ daily lives.
Fujiyoshida is famous in spring as a spot where visitors can see Mount Fuji framed by fully blooming cherry blossoms. In particular, since 2016 the city has opened Arakurayama Sengen Park during the cherry blossom season to attract tourists, and the view from the five-story pagoda in the park has become a globally popular Instagram photo spot. According to the city, up to 10,000 tourists a day have flocked there during the peak bloom period.
However, the rapid increase in visitors has brought many side effects. City officials report that in recent years the explosion in tourist numbers has led to chronic traffic congestion and serious litter problems.
Some residents say they have suffered from tourists trespassing on private property, opening the doors of their homes to use the bathroom, and even relieving themselves in private gardens.
Fujiyoshida Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said, “Our beautiful scenery is now threatening the quiet lives of our citizens,” adding, “To protect residents’ dignity and living environment, we have decided to bring an end to this 10-year-old festival.”
The city has canceled the festival, but it plans to continue implementing traffic and crowd-control measures, acknowledging that an increase in visitors between April and May is unavoidable.
Other regions beyond Fujiyoshida are also complaining about the impact of overtourism. The weaker Japanese yen has made trips to Japan cheaper, and social media has rapidly spread images of scenic photo spots, driving up the number of tourists visiting the country.
AloJapan.com