(Tokyo) Hikers wanting to take the most popular route to climb Mount Fuji will have to pay $18 starting in July, to reduce crowding and improve safety at the overtourism-hit Japanese volcano, it said Tuesday. a local manager.
Growing crowds flock each summer to the slopes of Japan’s highest mountain, capped with a crown of snow most of the year, which attracts more than 220,000 visitors each climbing season , from July to September.
From 1er July, an access fee of 2,000 yen ($18) per person will be charged for climbing the Yoshida Trail of the famous volcano, under an order approved Monday by the Yamanashi department.
The number of people using the trail will also be limited to 4,000 people, and access prohibited between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m.
“After the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, we started seeing more people. We want them to wear clothing suitable for the mountains and to be well prepared,” Toshiaki Kasai, a departmental official, told AFP.
“We will ask visitors to monitor social media for the latest information on daily visitor numbers,” he added.
Every summer, Japanese media extensively describe how tourists undertake the ascent of Mount Fuji with insufficient equipment, some sleeping on the trail or lighting fires to keep warm.
Many also try to reach the summit at 3776 m above sea level without stopping to rest and are victims of illness or accidents.
Still active, the volcano has three other main routes which will remain free. But the Yoshida trail, relatively easy to access from Tokyo, is preferred by around 60% of hikers, according to official data.