Frustrated by the crowds of misbehaving foreign tourists, Japanese authorities have decided to erect a huge fence blocking the view of Mount Fuji at a popular photo spot.
Construction of the mesh net, which will be 2.5 meters (8 feet) high and 20 meters long for the cricket field, will begin as early as next week, Fujikawaguchiko Town officials announced Friday.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to do something like this because of some tourists who don’t follow the rules,” he told AFP news agency. They litter and ignore traffic rules.
This is the latest direct action against overtourism in Japan, following residents of Kyoto’s red-light district banning visitors to small private properties this year.
A record number of foreign tourists are visiting Japan, with monthly visitor numbers exceeding 3 million for the first time in March.
Mt. Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, can be photographed from various spots in the resort town of Fujikawaguchiko. This viewpoint is especially popular because the majestic, active volcano appears behind Japan’s ubiquitous Lawson convenience store.
Tourists pose in front of the Lawson convenience store with Mount Fuji in the background. Photo: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty
This visual juxtaposition “spread the reputation of this spot as very Japanese on social media and made it a popular photo location,” said a town official, who declined to give his name.
The sidewalk next to the Lawson store is said to be crowded with mostly foreign tourists.
After repeated warnings from traffic signs and security guards were ignored, the town in the Yamanashi region decided to install giant screens as a last resort.
The measure is also aimed at protecting a nearby dental clinic from tourists who sometimes park without permission and are seen climbing onto the clinic’s roof to get the perfect photo, officials said.
The official said the town should have taken no enforcement action, adding that the current plan is to keep the screens on until the situation improves.
Tourists looking at Mt. Fuji with cherry blossoms in full bloom in Gotemba City. Photo: Makoto Mayama/EPA
Japan has boomed as a tourist destination since pandemic-era travel restrictions were lifted, and the government is working hard to boost visitor numbers. But the move has not been welcomed everywhere, including in Kyoto, where there have been complaints that photo-hungry tourists are harassing the city’s well-dressed geisha.
Climbers taking the most popular route up Mt Fuji this summer will have a limit on the number of people to ease crowds and a 2,000 yen (£10.50, $13.35, AU$20.50) fee per person. will be imposed.
Other destinations are also struggling with overtourism. On Thursday, Venice began charging day-trippers to enter the city, but last week tens of thousands of people across the Canary Islands called for a freeze on tourist numbers.
