A small Japanese town near Mount Fuji has decided to erect a high fence at a popular spot for photographing the famous volcano. With this they hope to put a stop to the influx of foreign tourists.
Source: BELGA
Today at 1:17 PM
The city of Fujikawaguchiko plans to begin construction of a net to shield the view of Mount Fuji next week. The net will be 2.5 meters high and 20 meters long.
“It’s a shame that we are forced to do this because some tourists do not respect the rules,” an anonymous city official told AFP on Friday. He mainly complained about the fact that tourists leave garbage everywhere and that they do not respect traffic rules.
After a number of failed prevention campaigns with signs and guards, the city council has decided to use this extreme measure as a last resort.
According to the city official, the new measure should also serve to protect the neighboring dental clinic. The parking lot of this clinic is now often occupied by tourists. Moreover, some tourists even climb onto the roof of this building to take photos.
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The official says the measure will be maintained until the situation improves.
Fuji volcano, Japan’s highest mountain (3,776 m), can be photographed from many different locations in Fujikawaguchiko and elsewhere, but the site that will be shielded is particularly popular with tourists because the mountain is behind a Lawson supermarket. That chain is ubiquitous in Japan and the supermarket provides a nice visual juxtaposition.
According to the city official AFP spoke to, “the reputation of this place, which is very Japanese, has spread on social networking sites, making it a popular photo location.”
This is the latest in a series of measures that Japan introduced to combat overtourism. Previously, certain alleys in the Geisha District in Kyoto were closed to tourists and it was decided to maintain an entrance fee for Mount Fuji from this summer.
