Visitors are seen at the fifth stage on the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan鈥檚 highest mountain 3,776 meters (12,388 ft), in Fujiyoshida, Japan, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mariko Katsumura
FUJIYOSHIDA, Japan 鈥� On a grey, rainy Saturday a steady stream of tour buses arrive at a base station of Japan鈥檚 Mount Fuji depositing dozens of lightly dressed foreign tourists in front of souvenir shops and restaurants.
The scene evokes a theme park image, not the veneration most Japanese would expect below the 3,776-meter (12,388 ft) mountain worshipped as sacred by the Japanese, and a source of pride for its perfectly symmetrical form.
鈥淗ey, no smoking here!鈥� a souvenir store attendant barked, addressing a man dressed in shorts and holding a can of beer in front of the red 鈥榯orii鈥� gate symbolizing the entrance to the Shinto shrine up ahead.
Mt Fuji, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures in eastern Japan, has always been popular with local and overseas tourists.
But a recent surge in inbound tourists to Japan has led to extreme levels of pollution and other strains, authorities say, adding they may be forced to take drastic measures such as restricting the number of visitors by making the mountain only accessible by a yet-to-be-built tram system.
鈥淔uji faces a real crisis,鈥� Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefecture official told reporters during a tour for foreign media on Saturday, the last weekend before the trails close for the year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 uncontrollable and we fear that Mt Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it,鈥� he said.
Visitors are seen at the fifth stage on the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan鈥檚 highest mountain 3,776 meters (12,388 ft), in Fujiyoshida, Japan, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Gallagher
Mt Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site 10 years ago, further boosting its popularity. However, the distinction came with conditions that Japan reduce overcrowding and the environmental harm from visitors and fix the artificial landscape, such as the large parking lots constructed to accommodate tourists.
However, overcrowding has worsened. 鈥淪ubaru,鈥� the fifth and largest base station, had about 4 million visitors this summer, a 50% jump from 2013.
Despite the frenetic pace of cleaning by janitors, businesses, and volunteers, social media is rife with posts about soiled bathrooms and mounds of litter along the climbing path.
Izumi worries that the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which advises the World Heritage Committee, could come knocking any day to ask for an update.
鈥淏ullet climbing,鈥� where climbers attempt to scale Japan鈥檚 tallest peak for sunrise and descend on the same day, is also a growing headache, authorities say.
Rescue requests totaled 61 this year, up 50% from last year, with non-Japanese tourists accounting for a quarter, according to Shizuoka prefecture police. An official said most were poorly equipped, suffering hypothermia or altitude sickness. Yamanashi police had no comparable data.
One local visitor said restrictions may be inevitable.
鈥淎ny Japanese person would want to climb Mt Fuji at least once in their life,鈥� said 62-year-old Jun Shibazaki, who arrived on a tour. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 so crowded. Limited entry might be something we have to live with.鈥�
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