Getting the Best Picture of Mount Fuji
The town of Fujikawaguchiko is considered a Japanese resort town about 62 miles from Tokyo. Many people have traveled to the town because of its beautiful view of Mount Fuji.
Source: Mocchy/Wikimedia Commons
However, recent years have brought Fujikawaguchiko locals a lot of annoyance. Tourists have shown up just to get their best picture of Mount Fuji — and many of these tourists have behaved poorly in their quest for the perfect shot.
Badly Behaved Tourists
Complaints over how these tourists have acted have skyrocketed in recent years. Allegations of tourists littering and ruining the street area where they get this shot is a common complaint.
Source: Guilhem Vellut/Wikimedia Commons
Other charges include visitors trespassing on local businesses in the area to get a good photo of the mountain. Some have also been accused of breaking traffic rules.
Large Crowds of Foreign Visitors
Many of these visitors drive into Fujikawaguchiko just to take a picture of the mountain — and then leave. As a result, these tourists park illegally in the vicinity.
Source: SpikyLlama/Wikimedia Commons
They also park in the lots of local businesses around this famous spot, keeping customers from being able to park in these lots.
A World Famous Spot
This one particular spot in Fujikawaguchiko is known by many, as it offers one of the most remarkable views of Mount Fuji.
Source: DXR/Wikimedia Commons
People simply have to stand in a certain spot off of the street to see the mountain rise up above a Lawson’s convenience store.
Putting up Black Netting
Now, however, this stunning spot has been blocked by town officials, thanks to complaint after complaint. At first, the town tried just putting up signs and hiring security guards to try to rein in tourists who may act out in the area.
Source: baron valium/Wikimedia Commons
This didn’t help. As a result, they decided to put up black mesh netting that fully covered the view of Mount Fuji. The netting is about 20m by 2.5m.
Helping Local Businesses
By putting up this black netting, officials are hoping to bring some relief to local businesses in the area that have suffered because of some of these tourists. Ibishi Dental Clinic has stated that they’ve had to deal with disrespectful visitors often.
Source: Raita Futo/Wikimedia Commons
The clinic explained, “It became not uncommon for people to shout insults at us or to throw away their cigarettes while they were still lit when we asked them to move their cars.”
A Decrease in Accidents
Officials are also hoping to help decrease some of the accidents seen in the area. Haruhito Tsuchiya, a local who works in the tourism industry, detailed some of the accidents seen.
Source: redlegsfan21/Wikimedia Commons
“I’ve seen people walk into roads, people using electronic [scooters] without following traffic rules and getting into accidents. There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently,” Tsuchiya said.
Ongoing Mount Fuji Problems
Poorly behaved tourists acting up in Fujikawaguchiko is just one problem Mount Fuji is facing. Many foreign visitors travel from all over the world to Mount Fuji to both see and hike the massive mountain.
Source: 京浜にけ/Wikimedia Commons
However, this has led to many issues, as irresponsible hikers have begun to make Japan enforce new requirements and rules surrounding Mount Fuji.
Helping Mount Fuji
Japanese authorities have recently started to cap how many hikers can go on certain trails on Mount Fuji. A mandatory fee has also been added.
Source: Aditya Anjagi/Unsplash
Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefectural government official, explained, “Overtourism – and all the subsequent consequences like rubbish, rising CO2 emissions and reckless hikers – is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji.”
A Return of Worldwide Traveling
These recent moves by Japan come as much of the world sees an increase in tourism, years after the COVID-19 pandemic halted much travel.
Source: Szymon Shields/Unsplash
Since Japan reopened to the public after the pandemic, the entire country has seen a huge boom in tourism. From March to April of this year alone, more than three million people visited Japan, hitting a new record for the country.
Stopping Bad Behavior
Japan, as well as other tourist hotspots like Greece, have increasingly struggled to find the best way to deal with disrespectful tourists.
Source: Daniel Hehn/Unsplash
By blocking an iconic view of Mount Fuji, Japan is trying to deter this bad behavior once and for all. However, only time will tell to see if this move works.