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With millions of tourists flocking there each year, along with numerous tourist services such as buses, cargo trucks, and a plethora of food and souvenir shops, Mount Fuji in Japan is no longer the peaceful pilgrimage site it once was.
Japanese authorities are now aware of the consequences of this situation and warn that the large number of people climbing the world-famous volcano, day and night, poses a danger and has many negative impacts on the ecosystem. The local governor stated last week: "Mount Fuji is crying out for help."
A large number of tourists flock to Mount Fuji every year. Photo: AFP.
To honor the importance of this mountain to Japanese religion and its inspiration to artists, in 2013 UNESCO added Mount Fuji – a famous symbol of Japan – to the World Heritage List.
However, just like what happened with Mount Bruges in Belgium or Mount Sugarloaf in Rio de Janeiro, Mount Fuji's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site is both great news and has its downsides.
Between 2012 and 2019, the number of visitors to Mount Fuji more than doubled to 5.1 million. And this only accounts for visitors who climbed the mountain via the main starting point in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Large crowds of tourists throughout the day and night.
Not only during the day but also at night, a large number of tourists travel up the 3,776m high mountain. At night, long lines of people carrying torches ascend the mountain to catch the sunrise.
The main starting point for the climb is a parking lot, and visitors can only reach it by taxi or bus. It's about 100km from Tokyo, and the journey takes several hours.
Visitors are greeted here by a variety of restaurants, souvenir shops, and stalls offering snacks and drinks for climbers before they set off. These small shops run on diesel generators and use thousands of liters of water delivered by truck. The trucks also collect and dispose of the trash.
Yuzuki Uemura, 28, a Japanese mountaineer, complained: "I saw a lot of leftover food and empty water bottles lying around the handwashing area in the restroom."
Numerous safety risks
Masatake Izumi, a local official, said the large crowds increased the risk of accidents.
He told AFP that some of the night climbers "suffered from hypothermia and had to be taken back to the first aid station."
At least one person has died during this year's climbing season. Before climbing, visitors can choose to buy a small booklet in Japanese – with a QR code for the English version – listing some do's and don'ts for 1,000 yen (US$6.80).
Some tourists were not well-prepared for the mountain climb. Photo: AFP.
However, some people don't realize how difficult the 5- to 6-hour climb to the summit is, where oxygen levels are lower and the weather can change rapidly.
Rasyidah Hanan, a 30-year-old climber from Malaysia, told AFP on the way down: "It was almost winter up there, the weather was very cold. People should prepare a little because some people weren't ready to climb Mount Fuji. They were wearing very thin clothes... Some looked very sickly."
The number of tourists needs to be controlled.
As tourist numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, not only Mount Fuji but many other locations could see a surge in visitors, and this is what Japanese officials are concerned about.
This week, Japanese government ministers met to discuss measures to cope with the upcoming large influx of tourists to popular destinations.
Regarding Mount Fuji, local authorities announced last month that they would implement crowd control measures for the first time if the climbing route becomes overcrowded.
The number of tourists visiting Japan is expected to decrease slightly this year compared to 2019, but by 2024, this number could increase again as tourists – especially from China – return.
Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki said last week that Japan needs to take measures to ensure Mount Fuji does not lose its UNESCO status.
Mr. Nagasaki stated, "We firmly believe that for Mount Fuji tourism, a shift from a quantity-based approach to a quality-based one is essential."
Marina Someya, 28, a Japanese tourist, said: "I think Mount Fuji is one of the places that Japan is proud of. Many people come here, including many foreigners."
