A Gate Is Installed On A Mount Fuji Trail To Control Crowds, But Governor Says More Measures Needed

TOKYO – Before the climbing season opens on July 1, Japan’s Mount Fuji will have a crowd-control gate installed halfway up the mountain. However, the governor of Yamanashi, one of the two prefectures that house the mountain, said more steps are required to manage crowding on its lower slopes.

Completed as part of a new set of regulations, Yamanashi is implementing this year to address mounting issues with overcrowding, the ecology, and safety on the mountain, which is the gate.

The newly installed gate will lock out those who have not reserved an overnight stay at a hut along the Yoshida trail, which most climbers use, between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m., primarily to prevent “bullet climbing” or hurrying to the summit without enough rest, which is seen as a serious safety risk. There will be a daily maximum of 4,000 climbers permitted to use the trail.

Mount Fuji | AP news Image

A Gate Is Installed On A Mount Fuji Trail To Control Crowds, But Governor Says More Measures Needed

“The limitations that will go into effect this year are steps to address the issues that are endangering the lives of climbers,” Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki stated at a Tokyo news conference. This year, he said, climbers are predicted to outnumber those on the trail last year—137,236.

“A big catastrophe like people falling in a domino effect could result from overcrowding close to the summit,” he said.

Climbers now have to make bookings and decide between a day walk and an overnight stay at one of the various huts along the route. Hiking is charged at 2,000 yen (about $12.70), with an optional conservation payment of 1,000 yen (about $6.35).

At the gate, halfway up the mountain in an area known as the fifth station, where the Yoshida route starts, climbers receive a QR code to scan with their cellphones. Ten stations are spread around the mountain.

Though issues still exist lower down, Nagasaki expressed confidence that the new measures will reduce congestion on the highest reaches of Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji | AP News Image

A Gate Is Installed On A Mount Fuji Trail To Control Crowds, But Governor Says More Measures Needed

He promised to promote conventional climbing routes from the foot of the mountain and to reduce overtourism on the lower levels and their surrounds, perhaps by building a mountain railway to the fifth station, which is already accessible by automobiles and buses.

Part of the mountain is located in Shizuoka prefecture, which has yet to adopt hiking regulations. On June 10, it started an online registration system, where climbers enter their climbing schedules and are urged not to climb after 4 p.m.

Long a representation of Japan, Mount Fuji used to be a destination for pilgrims. Tens of thousands of people climb to the top these days to see the sunrise. But a big worry now is the mountains of garbage left behind, including food and plastic bottles.

Mount Fuji | AP news Image

A Gate Is Installed On A Mount Fuji Trail To Control Crowds, But Governor Says More Measures Needed

After tourists started converging the area to take pictures of the mountain appearing to sit on the roof of a convenience store, a social media trend known as “Mount Fuji Lawson” that disrupted businesses, traffic, and local life, the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi recently installed a huge black screen along a sidewalk to block the view of Mount Fuji.

Thanks in part to the depreciating value of the yen, overtourism has also become a major issue for other well-liked tourist spots like Kyoto.

SOURCE –  (AP)