Japanese town overrun by tourists erects barrier blocking view near Mount Fuji

CNN
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The Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko has erected a giant black net to block views of Mount Fuji, in response to the town’s immense popularity on Instagram and other social media platforms.

“It is regrettable that we had to take such measures,” a local official told CNN last month, when the city council decided to block Fuji’s most popular views with a 20-meter-long black screen, which was forbidden. erected on May 21.

The small town in Yamanashi prefecture has become the center of an international controversy in recent weeks. A specific viewpoint in Fujikawaguchiko, located at the base of Mount Fuji and near the start of one of the mountain’s busiest trails, has become so popular with visitors that it has caused problems for locals .

The situation has become so serious that even businesses unrelated to tourism have spoken out. The Ibishi Dental Clinic, located in the building next to the photo spot, is one of them. According to the clinic, its employees and patients have faced harassment from tourists.

“There were a range of harmful illegal activities such as leaving rubbish, trespassing on premises, smoking, eating in the car park or under the eaves of private homes and trespassing on roofs, which often resulted in a call to the police,” he added. », Indicates a press release published by the clinic. “It was not uncommon for people to shout insults at us or throw their cigarettes while they were still lit when we asked them to move their car. »

The statement added that the photo spot “attracts a constant stream of foreigners from early morning until late evening, and even local residents are unable to communicate with them when they warn them in Japanese.”

Ibishi Dental Clinic confirms that it is among the companies that have asked Fujikawaguchiko authorities to take care of the problem.

Since Japan reopened its doors to foreign tourists after the pandemic, “vengeful travelers” have invaded the country and its most popular attractions. More than three million people visited it each month in March and April 2024, and this record trend appears poised to continue as North American and European tourists plan their summer vacations.

While overtourism is a problem everywhere from Paris to Hawaii, Fujikawaguchiko’s story is notable for several reasons. In this case, it’s not a specific attraction attracting hordes of visitors, but a viewpoint where people enjoy taking photos of Mount Fuji. The viewpoint is in front of a convenience store, with people standing in the road to take the best photo.

Most visitors do not stay overnight in Fujikawaguchiko, preferring to take a day trip there but stay in busier Tokyo – just 100 kilometers away – at night.

This means there is no money coming in – in the form of admission tickets, museum passes or hotel fees – to offset the damage caused by thousands of visitors or the erosion, waste and the traffic problems they cause. As a result, the town of just 10,000 residents is struggling to cope.

“I saw people walking on the roads, people using e-scooters without following traffic rules and having accidents. There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently,” Haruhito Tsuchiya, a 49-year-old resident who works in the tourism industry, told Reuters.

Lawson’s, the convenience store across the street from Fuji that often appears in photos of the mountain on social media, also said it would take steps to stem the flow of ill-mannered tourists.

“We sincerely apologize to local residents, customers of these stores and others for causing inconvenience and concern due to the popularization of the Lawson Kawaguchiko Station branch,” the company said in a statement. press release of May 5.

Lawson’s added that it would hire private security guards for the Kawaguchiko store and put up signs in multiple languages ​​asking tourists not to litter or block roads.