Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan is on course to see 20 million tourists visit the country this year, a boon for the travel industry but a headache for Mt. Fuji as more and more foreigners seek to ascend the sacred mountain.

With the pandemic all but over, the number of climbers visiting Mt. Fuji has doubled since last year and is on track to reach more than 300,000 for the first time in 10 years.

But local authorities fear that such a large number of climbers will have an adverse impact on the environment and they are worried that the many foreigners attempting to climb to the 3,776-meter peak may not understand the rules and safety issues involved in the climb.

While some routes have accessible paths to reach most of the way to the top, others are quite steep and difficult to climb. If climbers are unprepared and choose the wrong route, it could be dangerous. The mountain is prone to drastic weather changes and while the temperature lower down the mountain could be 30 C in the summer climbing season, near the top it is often in single digits and can be windy and rainy. Climbers need to prepare proper clothes, and food and drink to survive the climb comfortably.

Mt. Fuji is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and NAGASAKI Kotaro, the Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture believes the local authorities must take action to preserve the beauty of the mountain.

“I need to share the crisis that Mt. Fuji has been facing,” he told a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Tuesday. “The number of tourists visiting the 5th Station (the point at which ascents commence) has doubled since we became a World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Committee told us to reduce the number of visitors, but the exact opposite has happened.”

The areas around the 5th stations, of which there are four, have struggled to cope with the influx of tourists, especially in terms of sanitation and vehicle emissions from the large tourist buses that bring in crowds of people.

The Governor’s answer is to limit the number of visitors by banning road vehicles and constructing an environmentally friendly tramline, as well as upgrading infrastructure at the tourist reception areas.

“The railroad can blend in with the scenery and will help recover the damage made to the environment,” Nagasaki said. “We have to deal with this issue while we can, so we are discussing the matter and trying to make a consensus with the local people.”

The nearest station to the starting point for climbing to the top is about 30 kilometers away, so almost all visitors currently have to use motor vehicles. As well as restricting vehicles, Yamanashi Prefecture is also trying to control the number of climbers as overcrowding makes the ascent much more dangerous. There are a few huts on the route to the top where people can sleep and buy food, but they are currently overwhelmed with customers and have called for restrictions.