FUJIYOSHIDA, Yamanashi Prefecture—The cherry blossom festival at Arakurayama Sengen Park, a scenic spot that offers views of a five‑story pagoda against a Mount Fuji backdrop, has been canceled this spring due to overtourism.
The city of Fujiyoshida, which manages the park, announced the decision on Feb. 3, saying overtourism had “exceeded the limits of what can be accommodated.”
More than 200,000 visitors now descend on the city during the festival period.
The festival began in 2016 with the aim of making the area more attractive to tourists and drawing more visitors. The number of tourists surged after the end of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Photos of cherry blossoms surrounding the five‑story pagoda with Mount Fuji in the background spread online and pushed visitor numbers up.
More than 10,000 people flock to Arakurayama Sengen Park each day during the roughly two‑week festival period in April.
Visitors hoping to reach the viewing deck, from where the scenic pictures are taken, have had to wait in line for up to three hours.
The crowds have also caused traffic congestion and the littering of cigarette butts in the area. In some cases, the roads became so crowded with tourists that schoolchildren on their way to school were forced off the sidewalks.
Some tourists reportedly tried to enter nearby homes to use their restrooms without permission. Others relieved themselves on a resident’s yard.
Frustrated residents started calling for the festival to be canceled.
“I feel a strong sense of crisis over the reality that the quiet lives of our citizens are being threatened behind the beautiful scenery,” Fujiyoshida Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said in a statement posted on the city’s official website. “Going forward, we will work to establish appropriate systems and aim to create an environment in which residents’ daily lives and tourism can coexist.”
Although the cherry blossom festival will not be held this spring, the city will still implement such measures as traffic control by security staff and the installation of temporary toilets to ensure safety and prevent confusion from April 1 to 17.
The city is urging visitors to cooperate, saying, “Severe congestion is expected on the surrounding roads. We ask for your strict adherence to proper etiquette, including refraining from entering residential areas and taking photos without permission.”
AloJapan.com