Barrier installed to block views of Mount Fuji due to excess tourists – Observer

Fujikawaguchiko, a city in central Japan, began installing metal barriers and a curtain this Tuesday to block a popular view of the famous Mount Fuji, due to the excessive flow of tourists.

A black curtain 2.5 meters high and 20 meters wide will cover the view from where Japan’s most iconic mountain appears to tower over a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture.

In addition, six three-meter-wide iron barriers will prevent people from reaching the exact location where the popular photograph can be takensomething that involves crossing the street outside the crosswalk, an act subject to social censorship in Japan.

Tourists, who come to Fujikawaguchiko precisely for the views of Mount Fuji, began taking photographs at this specific point after a foreign influencer captured the scene in 2020, which went viral on social media.

The excess of visitors caused chronic blockages in the circulation of both pedestrians and vehicles on the street where the store is located, on a narrow road, unable to deal with the volume of tourists.

Before completely blocking the view, the Japanese city had tried other measures, such as posting notices in English or deploying staff to control the crowds, but they proved ineffective.

Fujikawaguchiko largely depends on the tourism it attracts due to its proximity to Mount Fuji, but the town’s approximately 25,495 inhabitants have been critical of the behavior of some visitors, especially foreigners.

Residents had accused tourists of throwing rubbish on the ground, smoking outside authorized areas, parking indiscriminately and even illegally climbing onto the roof of a dental clinic to take photos.

The installation of the curtain and metal barriers comes one day after a reservation system was launched to climb to the top of Mount Fuji through one of the most common routes, called Yoshida and located in Yamanashi.

The system, which involves paying 12 euros and limited to four thousand people per day, became mandatory this year for the first time, in an attempt to deal with congestion on the route to climb the mountain peak, 3,776 meters high. .