Japan limits the number of people climbing Mount Fuji, despite losing income

Photo: Fuji.net

July 1 was also the first day local authorities charged entrance fees and limited the number of climbers to ease congestion.

Yamanashi Prefecture currently allows a maximum of 4,000 climbers per day on the Yoshida Trail, charging a fee of 2,000 yen (about $12). The prefecture is also offering online reservations for the first time for the route, citing safety and environmental concerns on Japan’s highest mountain.

Starting July 1, Yamanashi Prefecture will set up a checkpoint at the fifth station to close the Yoshida Trail from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. the following morning to anyone who does not reserve a place to stay overnight at a rest stop on the mountainside.

In a recent press interview, Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki said the new measures were first and foremost to protect the lives of climbers, not to discourage tourists from visiting Mount Fuji.

Every summer, Japanese media often report on tourists climbing Mount Fuji without the necessary climbing equipment, as well as failing to ensure their health when trying to reach the summit and return without sleeping in between.

Japan has seen a record number of tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic and amid a weak yen, with many coming to see or climb Mount Fuji, a snow-capped mountain that attracts more than 220,000 visitors each July-September climbing season.

As a result, local authorities are now expressing concern about overcrowding at the highest mountain in the "land of the rising sun".

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhat-ban-han-che-so-nguoi-leo-nui-phu-si-du-mat-thu-nhap-20240701145132753.htm