TOKYO – The authorities in central Japanese city Fujiyoshida have cancelled a spring cherry blossom festival at a popular Mount Fuji viewing spot, citing residents’ concerns over congestion and nuisance behaviour.
The city in Yamanashi Prefecture on Feb 3 announced its decision not to go ahead with the Arakurayama Sengen Park Cherry Blossom Festival, an event it has held for the past 10 years, attracting around 200,000 visitors each year with its views to mount Fuji.
With the weak Japanese yen and social media content driving a rapid increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan, however, the city is struggling to handle an influx of more than 10,000 visitors a day during the peak cherry blossom season.
Incidents of bad behaviour, the city said, have become commonplace and pose a threat to the livelihoods of residents.
The city cited sanitary issues among the concerns behind its decision. Incidents include visitors letting themselves into private homes to use restrooms, as well as cases of people relieving themselves in private yards and causing a disturbance when confronted by residents.
Parents and residents also raised concerns over the safety of children using school routes who are being pushed aside by visitors crowding the sidewalks, according to the city.
While Fujiyoshida will not hold the festival as an official event or use the festival name on its tourism website, it is readying itself for an increase in visitors during the
cherry blossom season in April
.
The city plans to enhance security in the area and set up temporary parking lots and portable toilets, among other measures to control congestion and alleviate the burden on residents.
Arakurayama Sengen Park is a popular mount Fuji viewing spot, particularly in spring, when visitors can take pictures of cherry blossoms in bloom around a five-storey pagoda with the mountain in the background. Visitors queue for up to three hours to reach the photo spot during the season’s peak.
Fujiyoshida mayor Shigeru Horiuchi, however, said that mount Fuji is not just a tourist attraction.
“I feel a deep sense of crisis as I witness the reality that, behind this beautiful scenery, the quiet lives of our citizens are being threatened,” he said. KYODO NEWS
AloJapan.com