Fuji city cracks down on disruptive tourists with new measures

The Japanese authorities are fed up with tourists who will do anything to get the perfect shot of Mount Fuji. Another city plans to take action.

The parking lot in front of a grocery store in Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture is one of the most popular spots for photographing Japan's highest mountain. However, at the request of residents annoyed by littering and haphazard parking by tourists, local authorities installed a dense mesh screen measuring 2.4 by 20 metres on May 21 of this year, intended to block the view of Mount Fuji. The authorities hoped this would solve the problem of tourists taking photos of the sacred mountain of the Japanese. However, it turned out differently, as holes appeared in the mesh on the first day.

Now another city plans to deal with annoying tourists. According to the Japan Times, residents of Fuji city have started complaining in recent months that foreign tourists not only disrupt their peace but also pose an increasing traffic hazard.

The city features the picturesque Fujisan Yumeno Ohashi Bridge (Great Bridge of Fuji's Dreams), which attracts hundreds of tourists daily. The stairs adjacent to it appear in numerous photographs, as, from a certain angle, they seem to lead to Japan's highest peak. Despite its picturesque name, the bridge is an ordinary viaduct running over a river, with a narrow walkway separated from the road by low concrete barriers.

Local tourism official Haruhito Yoshizaki admitted that tourists cross the concrete barriers straight onto the road, where they pose for photos, record videos, or simply mill around.

The authorities have already set up low metal scaffolding and signs prohibiting entry onto the roadway, but these have had no effect. Therefore, by the end of June, they also plan to install a metal mesh fence here, 1.8 metres high, similar to the one in Fujikawaguchiko. That screen is higher, though, at about 2.4 metres.

Earlier this year, the authorities of Yamanashi Prefecture announced the introduction of a fee of 2,000 yen (approx. $18 CAD) for climbing Mount Fuji, citing the need to protect the site from excessive tourism.