Japan will present a ¥ 4,000 (or about ₤ 20) entry cost for all 4 primary tracks of Mount Fuji beginning this summer season to take on overcrowding.
Formerly, just the Yoshida Path in Yamanashi prefecture had a ¥ 2,000 (or about ₤ 10) cost. Now, Shizuoka prefecture will likewise charge for its 3 tracks, which were formerly complimentary. Shizuoka is home to 3 of Mount Fuji’s 4 primary climbing up tracks– Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba.
The entry cost will charged from this summer season after regional authorities passed a costs on Monday, The Japan Times reported. Yoshida Path’s entry cost will double.
Japan’s renowned mountain has actually seen a rise in travelers in the last few years, triggering issues over overcrowding, contamination, and disruptive behaviour by travelers.
In 2015, Japan began gathering entry charges of ¥ 2,000 (₤ 10) per head from individuals climbing up the popular volcano to restrict the variety of travelers to Mount Fuji. A gate was set up at the entryway to the Yoshida Path, likewise referred to as the 5th station, on the Yamanashi side of Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776 m.
Eviction started gathering charges from climbers beginning 1 July in 2015, marking the start of the year’s climbing up season.
The application of this cost collection was focused on handling overcrowding near the top of the mountain, the Yamanashi prefectural assembly stated at the time.
Climbers were needed to designate as much as ¥ 3,000 (or ₤ 15.60) per individual for their climb, that included a voluntary contribution of ¥ 1,000 (or ₤ 5) devoted to the preservation efforts of the mountain, acknowledged as a Unesco World Heritage website.
For the 2024 season, up till mid-September, the recently set up gate run with restricted hours likewise, closing at 4pm and resuming at 3am the next day.
Due in part to the brand-new constraints executed in 2015, the variety of climbers on Mount Fuji dropped to 204,316 in 2015 from 221,322 in 2023, according to environment ministry information.
While this stays listed below pre-pandemic levels, authorities keep in mind that “200,000 hikers is still big”, authorities state.
Natsuko Sodeyama, a Shizuoka prefecture authorities, stated: “There is no other mountain in Japan that brings in that lots of people in the period of simply over 2 months. So some constraints are required to guarantee their security.”
For centuries, Mount Fuji has actually been a spiritual website for Shinto and Buddhist pilgrims, with a shrine at its top devoted to Konohanasakuya-hime, the mountain’s Shinto goddess.
In 2015, to hinder crowds from collecting for pictures, the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi set up a big black screen along a pavement, blocking a popular view of Mount Fuji. The black mesh screen was set up after residents grew annoyed with foreign travelers cluttering, trespassing, and breaching traffic guidelines in pursuit of the best social networks picture.
The main climbing up season lasts from July to September, with over 200,000 hikers trying the top yearly. Lots of make the over night trek to witness the dawn from the peak.
According to the World History Encyclopedia, imagining Mount Fuji is thought about an indication of good luck in Japan. Beyond the shrines on the mountain itself, more than 13,000 shrines throughout Japan are reported to be devoted to Mt Fuji. Lots of function small reproductions of the mountain, enabling those not able to climb up the genuine peak to make a symbolic trip.