Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an icon of Japan, has introduced new rules for climbers amid concerns about overcrowding.
From July 1, climbers must pay 2,000 yen ($12.40) per person, with a daily maximum of 4,000 climbers per day.
“By strongly promoting comprehensive safety measures for climbing Mount Fuji, we will ensure that Mount Fuji, a treasure of the world, is passed on to future generations,” said Koutaro Nagasaki, governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, when he previously announced the new regulations this year. .
“To revive traditional mountaineering from the foot of Mount Fuji, we will gain a detailed understanding of the Fuji-ko and Oshi cultures that supported Mount Fuji worship. We want to link these cultures to this mountaineering, because it is rooted in the cultural values of the religion.”
Fuji-ko is a religion specific to the mountain.
Traffic jams, garbage-strewn hills and poorly dressed hikers – some attempting to climb the mountain in sandals – are some of the problems plaguing this popular Japanese attraction.
In addition, there will be new guides who will manage safety on and around the trails. They will inform climbers when they violate mountain etiquette, such as sleeping along the trail, lighting a fire or wearing inappropriate clothing.
According to prefectural data, five million people climbed Mount Fuji in 2019, an increase of three million from 2012.
“Overtourism — and all its resulting consequences such as waste, rising carbon emissions and reckless hikers — is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi Prefecture official, told CNN Travel last year.
In 2023, a volunteer named Tomoyo Takahashi told CNN that she would ask visitors to voluntarily contribute 1,000 yen ($6.20) to the mountain’s maintenance.
“Not everyone pays the 1,000 yen, and that makes me sad. There should be a mandatory entrance fee that is much higher, so that only visitors who truly appreciate Mount Fuji’s heritage come,” she said at the time.
Now Takahashi will make her wish come true.
However, the new rules only apply in Yamanashi Prefecture, where the most popular hiking trails are located. Fuji is also located in Shizuoka Prefecture, which has not yet introduced taxes or visitor limits. Governor Nagasaki told reporters that he and the governor of Shizuoka would meet at the end of the climbing season to compare notes.
The Japanese tourist worries
Overtourism has become a bigger problem in Japan since the country reopened after the pandemic.
In Kyoto, local residents of the historic Gion district have expressed concern about tourists who come there to photograph and sometimes harass the geisha who live and work there, earning them the nickname “geisha paparazzi.”
While the city has put up signs and signs asking visitors not to photograph geisha, some locals told CNN Travel this was not enough. A suggestion from the neighborhood council is to issue fines or fines.
Also affected was the city of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan. The town is home to the famous orange “floating shrine” torii gate, part of a 1,400-year-old Shinto complex.
In October 2023, the city began charging 100 yen (62 cents) per visitor to the shrine. The money from the “tourist tax” goes toward maintaining the site and its infrastructure.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in March 2024 and has been updated. CNN’s Hanako Montgomery contributed reporting.
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