Japanese authorities erected a barrier at the site of a popular spot to take photos of the country’s famous Mount Fuji. The drastic decision to block the view of Mt. Fuji symbolizes tensions across the country as Japan reckons with the consequences of its tourism boom, driven by pent-up demand after the pandemic.
FUJIYOSHIDA, Japan — Park rangers on Japan’s sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year’s climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise on Monday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding. At 3 a.m. , officials opened a newly installed gate at a station placed just over halfway up the 12,388-foot peak that is a symbol of Japan and a magnet for tourists, now swarming into the country at a record pace.
The climbing season this year on Mount Fuji, which straddles the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka about 85 miles from Tokyo, runs until Sept. 10, after which the weather gets too cold and snowy. A still active stratovolcano whose last eruption was in 1707, Mount Fuji has been a site of Shinto and Buddhist worship for centuries. The number of climbers recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, with about 300,000 annually, the environment ministry says.
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