The snow-capped volcano, located not far from the capital Tokyo, usually welcomes climbers from July to September every year, including hundreds of thousands of people who choose to climb overnight to see the sunrise the next morning.

With the return of foreign tourists after Japan lifted its Covid-19 restrictions, this holiday weekend is expected to see a large number of tourists flocking to climb Mount Fuji. Buses, trains and hotels have been fully booked for weeks. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Mount Fuji being recognized as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Mount Fuji seen from Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.

In anticipation of a situation where too many tourists come to climb the mountain, the Yamanashi prefectural government has prepared measures to quickly control the crowds, marking the first time such a measure has been introduced.

However, this is not a complete ban but rather to guide visitors when they find climbing routes, which does not exclude the possibility of asking visitors to postpone their schedule because the route is too crowded. Under this policy, local police will receive warning information and be ready to intervene if climbing routes are too crowded, increasing the risk of rockfalls and threatening the safety of climbers.

Last month, about 65,000 people climbed Mount Fuji, up 17% from the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Mount Fuji is located between the Yamanashi and Shizuoka regions and is only a 2-hour train ride from Tokyo. This mountain has become a symbol of Japan, appearing in many famous works of art of the Land of the Rising Sun.

VNA

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