A Japanese city wants to erect a mesh fence to block tourist photos of Mount Fuji

A small Japanese town near Mount Fuji has decided to erect a high fence to stop the influx of foreign tourists, who sometimes show bad manners, in a very popular place for photographing the famous volcano, reports AFP.

The city of Fujikawaguchiko plans to start building a mesh fence 2.5 meters high and 20 meters long next week.

“It is regrettable that we are forced to do this, because some tourists do not follow the rules”, explained an official of the Japanese city on Friday, complaining in particular about the garbage left by tourists and the violations of the traffic code, informs Agerpres.

It’s the latest shock move in Japan to combat the effects of over-tourism, after it recently closed down some alleys in Kyoto’s geisha district and introduced restricted, paid access to Mount Fuji starting this summer.

More than 3 million foreign tourists came to Japan in March 2024, an unprecedented monthly record for the country, which has long been closed to international tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest peak (3,776 m), can be photographed from many places in Fujikawaguchiko and other surrounding areas. However, the view to be obstructed is particularly sought after by some tourists, as the mountain appears in the background behind a Lawson supermarket, a ubiquitous chain in the Japanese archipelago.

Due to this visual juxtaposition, “the reputation of this place, which is typically Japanese, has spread on social networks, making it a very popular photo spot,” explained a Fujikawaguchiko city official interviewed by AFP, who asked to stay under the protection of anonymity.

After the failure of prevention campaigns, which included billboards and even security guards, the local municipality decided to resort to drastic measures as a last resort.

The decision is also meant to protect a nearby dental clinic, whose parking lot is being overrun by visitors and whose representatives discovered groups of tourists climbing onto the building’s roof to take photos, according to the city official, who specified that the radical measure will be maintained until the situation improves.

The problem of excessive tourism and damage to the environment recently led the authorities in Venice to charge a fee of 5 euros to enter the Italian city, which is part of the UNESCO world heritage.

Publisher: CS

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