- author, Alex Binley
- Roll, BBC News
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3 hours ago
One of the most photographed views in Japan will be blocked by local authorities to try to keep away misbehaving tourists.
The scene in question shows a convenience store in the foreground, with Mount Fuji rising behind it.
A large black screen will be erected nearby to obscure the view of Japan’s most iconic landmark.
Residents of Fujikawaguchiko mainly accuse foreign tourists of littering and parking illegally while looking for the perfect photo there.
The juxtaposition of the soaring volcano and the banal sight of one of Japan’s most ubiquitous shops made Fujikawaguchiko a popular photo spot. A local official told AFP that the place had gained a “reputation for being very Japanese”.
Officials claimed that residents of the city in the Yamanashi region were angered by the behavior of visitors, with some tourists even climbing onto rooftops to take the perfect photo.
Construction of the 2.5 x 20 meter mesh barrier will begin next week, a local official told AFP.
“It is regrettable that we have to do this because of some tourists who cannot respect the rules,” he said.
Before taking the drastic screen measure, authorities put up traffic signs. Repeated warnings from security guards were also ignored.
The official said that the network was also being installed to protect a nearby dental office, which suffered from visitors who parked in its spaces without authorization and even climbed onto the roof of the building to get the best image.
Japan is currently enjoying a tourism boom following the Covid-19 pandemic and a government push to attract more foreign visitors. For the first time, in March, the number of visitors to the island nation exceeded 3 million.
However, the increase in the number of tourists has caused some problems.
After a crush of climbers on Mount Fuji last year, visitors will, starting this summer, have to pay a fee of US$13 (R$67) to hike there. Authorities want to limit the number of people climbing to the summit.
Congestion on the route to Japan’s highest mountain was leading to a rise in injuries. In addition, a lot of trash was left along the trail and tourists tried to walk the route dressed inappropriately, authorities said.
The number of people walking the Yoshida Trail will also be limited to 4,000 people per day. Visitors will also not be able to depart between 4pm and 2am – part of an attempt to stop so-called “bullet climbs”, when people try to climb the 3,776-metre summit without taking a break.
In a similar situation, in Kyoto in 2019, local authorities began distributing leaflets and paper lanterns in an attempt to remind tourists how to behave in the historic district of Gion.
