Due to overcrowding, badly behaved tourists, and a general lack of respect for the local area, Japanese authorities have decided to end the decade-long Cherry Blossom festival in Fujiyoshida. Despite its huge tourist draw and almost unmatched views of the renowned trees and Mount Fuji, the damage to the area simply isn’t worth it for locals.
According to the local authorities, tourists in the area have been spotted defecating in public areas, littering, damaging property, and even trespassing in people’s homes. Because of the damage and disruption caused by the thousands of visitors during the Cherry Blossom Festival, they have chosen to cancel it without any plans to host it again.
The cherry trees of Japan are known around the world for their beautiful blooms that occur in late March and early April. Tourists from around the world flock to see the seas of pink flowers that cover the Japanese countryside. In Fujiyoshida, in particular, the view is exceptional, featuring a stunning backdrop of Mount Fuji.
A festival has been held in the small town for ten years, drawing many tourists to the spot. A park in the town has hosted the event, and it has gained huge popularity since its beginning in 2016. It is a hotspot for photographers and influencers, becoming widely recognized online, only adding to its fame.
However, this year, the mayor of Fujiyoshida, Shigeru Horiuchi, informed the public that there will not be another festival. He said that the event, which now plays host to more than 10,000 people, threatens the “quiet lives of citizens.” As a result, they decided, “To protect the dignity and living environment of our citizens, we have decided to bring the curtain down on the 10-year-old festival.”
Initially, the municipality organized events to bring a liveliness to their town, inviting people to enjoy the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms from the Arakurayama Sengen Park. They intended for the event to bring prosperity to the town, but as the number of visitors grew, the result was the opposite.
The locals and authorities in the town were shocked at the behavior of visitors, reporting people “opening private home doors without permission to use the restroom, defecating in private yards and raising a fuss when residents pointed this out,” trespassing and littering. For local residents, this was too much, and they chose a quiet life instead of the overwhelming number of unruly visitors.
Many will still come to visit the small town during cherry blossom season due to its beauty and incredibly picturesque location. However, they hope to spread these over a longer period of time, making it more manageable, by ending the festival.
AloJapan.com