Japanese city blocks iconic view of Mt. Fuji to stop tourist misbehavior

Authorities in a Japanese city on Tuesday completed the installation of a large chain-link fence blocking views of Mount Fuji, a deliberate move to discourage ill-mannered tourists from taking photos there.

Frustrated locals have complained for years about foreign visitors to Fujikawaguchiko who litter, trespass and break traffic rules in search of the perfect photo of the iconic stratovolcano.

The spot in question offers a view of the perennially snow-capped mountain that overlooks a Lawson’s convenience store. Residents say the many passersby who come to the spot often park illegally or block other pedestrians from using the sidewalk.

The black net used to cover the view measures 20m by 2.5m.

“I hope the network will prevent dangerous activities,” Michie Motomochi, 41, who runs a traditional Japanese sweet shop in Fujikawaguchiko, told AFP news agency.

“I find it disappointing that they decided to put this photo online. It’s obviously an iconic photo,” said Christina Roys, 36, a tourist from New Zealand.

“But it’s totally understandable. We were there last night, we managed to take the last picture before they put up the wall, and there were so many people,” she said.

The net is also intended to provide some respite for the nearby Ibishi Dental Clinic, where tourists park without permission and even climb onto the roof to take photos, the site reported. THE Japan Times.

“It was not uncommon for people to insult us or throw away their cigarettes while they were still lit when we asked them to move their cars,” the clinic told CNN in a statement.

Fujikawaguchiko is a Japanese seaside resort in Yamanashi Prefecture, approximately 100 km west of Tokyo.

Travelers have returned to Japan in droves since it reopened to foreign tourists after the pandemic lockdown, with more than three million visitors per month in March and April 2024 – a new record, and part of a trend that looks set to continue.

While ill-mannered tourists are a problem in many popular tourist destinations around the world (Venice has started charging day visitors a five euro entrance fee and Greece has capped the number of visitors to Athens’ famous Acropolis), Fujikawaguchiko’s particular problem is that people usually only come to the small town for a day trip to take a photo at that particular spot. The tourists then tend to return to Tokyo, meaning that Fujikawaguchiko’s local economy does not benefit significantly from these visitors.

“I’ve seen people walking on the roads, people riding electric scooters without respecting traffic rules and having accidents. There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently,” Haruhito Tsuchiya, a 49-year-old resident who works in the tourism industry, told Reuters.

The city decided to install the fence in April after signs and security guards failed to deter tourists.

“It is regrettable that we had to take such measures,” one official said at the time.

“Overtourism – and all the consequences that come with it, such as trash, increased CO2 emissions and careless hikers – is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” Masatake Izumi, an official with the Yamanashi prefectural government, told CNN last year.

Authorities also launched a new online reservation system for the Yoshida Trail on Mount Fuji, limiting daily hiker entries to 4,000 and imposing a mandatory 2,000 yen entrance fee.