Japan to fight overtourism at Mount Fuji
CNN reports that Mount Fuji, a popular site for tourists, suffers from human-made pollution, in which crowds attempt to climb the mountain. This leads to a less-than-enjoyable experience for visitors. However, it also negatively impacts Fuji-ko and those who worship the mountain.
Koutaro Nagasaki, Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture said in a statement:
By strongly promoting comprehensive safety measures for climbing Mount Fuji, we will ensure that Mount Fuji, a treasure of the world, is passed onto future generations.
In order to revive traditional mountain climbing from the foot of Mount Fuji, we will gain a detailed understanding of the Fuji-ko and Oshi culture that supported Mount Fuji worship. We look to link these cultures to this mountain climbing, as it is rooted in the cultural values of the religion.
Tourism grows after COVID-19 pandemic
Meanwhile, since the pandemic entry requirements were dropped, Japan has suffered from overtourism as a whole. With the surge in popularity with travelers around the world, overcrowding and a lack of social etiquette by international travelers are among the highest concerns, along with pollution caused by visitors.
Fighting overtourism around the world
Meanwhile, Athens has taken steps against overtourism in the Greek capital and the Netherlands is fighting the phenomenon in its own ways, also including a ban on cruise ships from its port. In a similar action, the popular city of Barcelona in Spain plans to impose cruise ship restrictions. With the mooring of each large cruise ship, many thousands of tourists head ashore to crowd out the cities.
[…] – Barcelona to increase tourist tax from April 1 [Image by Canaan on Wikimedia Commons]Over-tourism rears its head again as Barcelona announces an increase in its tourist tax on April 1. The iconic […]
[…] domestic flights could ease overtourism in some of Japan’s most popular attractions, including Mount Fuji, where entry fees and daily visitor caps were introduced to reduce […]