People hoping to ascend Mount Fuji along its most popular route will be charged ¥2,000 (£10.50, $13.35, A$20.50) when the climbing season starts in the summer, as local authorities try to ease congestion fuelled by Japan’s tourism boom.
The trails leading up Japan’s highest mountain – a Unesco world heritage site since 2013 – are becoming increasingly overcrowded, prompting concern over littering and “bullet ascents”, in which often inexperienced climbers try to scale the 3,776-metre peak without resting.
Local guides say overcrowding is placing unprecedented pressure on the mountain’s limited toilet facilities. The number of tourists on the mountain is also increasing the potential for accidents among people who misjudge the effort required to get to the top.
Hikers approaching the summit along the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi – one of two prefectures straddled by the mountain – will be charged from July, with daily numbers limited to 4,000 and entry banned between 4pm and 3am, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Currently, climbers are asked only to make a voluntary donation of ¥1,000 to pay towards the mountain’s upkeep.
“After Covid restrictions were lifted, we started seeing more people. We want them to dress appropriately for the mountain and be well prepared,” said Toshiaki Kasai, a local government official.
Hikers will still be able to use three other routes – all in neighbouring Shizuoka prefecture – free of charge. Officials are confident, however, that the measures will limit overall numbers as the Yoshida trail is convenient for climbers travelling from Tokyo, with about 60% using the route. It takes an average of five to six hours to reach the summit from the fifth stage, but can take up to 10 hours depending on the conditions and the climbing ability.
More than 220,000 visitors passed the eighth stage of Fuji’s 10 stages during the three-month climbing season last year, according to the environment ministry, around the same number recorded before the pandemic.
The restrictions on opening hours are expected to deter people from arriving late in the day to begin their ascent from the fifth stage, with the aim of reaching the summit in time to watch the sunrise.
Japanese media have reported on poorly equipped climbers who sleep on the trails instead of staying in mountain lodges. Some injure themselves or suffer from altitude sickness.
“Keeping the number of climbers in check is an urgent task as we experience overcrowding,” Yamanashi’s governor, Kotaro Nagasaki, told reporters, according to Kyodo.
With Agence France-Presse
