Mount Fuji struggles with over-tourism

Japan’s Mount Fuji is being marred by over-tourism. According to CNN, officials have begun to cap the number of climbers per day.

The 12,388-foot tall mountain is a large tourist attraction in Japan, boasting picturesque views of the country. However, recently the mountain has been trampled on by thousands of hikers each day. According to CBS News, visitors often leave garbage all along the trail.

“Fuji faces a real crisis,” Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefecture official told reporters on Saturday, Reuters reports.

“It’s uncontrollable and we fear that Mt Fuji will soon become so unattractive, nobody would want to climb it,” he said.

Since Mt. Fuji opened to visitors in July, an estimated 65,000 people have climbed the mountain, CNN reports. It is a 17% increase from 2019.

The mountain officially closed to visitors in September, as it typically does every year. But now authorities are considering new measures to help preserve Mt. Fuji.

Yamanashi officials have proposed a 10,000 yen (about $68) roundtrip fare. They also have plans to build a high-end hotel and railroad station covered with greenery near the visitor center, CBS News reports.

Kiyotatsu Yamamoto, a national parks and Mount Fuji specialist at the University of Tokyo, suggested that they only allow visitors who booked a parking space or a hotel room to climb the mountain, CNN reports.

“Fuji-san is screaming out in pain. We can’t just wait for improvement; we need to tackle overtourism now,” Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefectural government official, said, according to CNN.