A Japanese town plans to block Mount Fuji View due of unruly tourists

Tokyo: Japanese officials, enraged by large groups of misbehaving Western visitors, are planning to erect a massive black barrier to obscure Mount Fuji from view at a popular picture location.
According to a town official from Fujikawaguchiko, work on the mesh net, which will be 20 meters long and 2.5 meters (8 feet) high, might start as early as next week.

He told AFP that it was unfortunate that some visitors couldn’t follow the rules, as seen by their disregard for driving laws and their tendency to leave rubbish behind.

Following the restriction on tourists from Kyoto’s tiny private lanes by locals in the Geisha area this year, this is the latest direct action taken against overtourism in Japan.

The nation is seeing a record influx of foreign visitors; in March, the country had more than three million visitors per month for the first time ever.

Photographs of Japan’s tallest peak, Mount Fuji, may be taken from many locations inside the resort town of Fujikawaguchiko.

However, the reason this perspective is so well-liked is because the magnificent volcano can be seen behind a Lawson convenience shop, which is common in Japan.

This striking contrast has led to “a reputation that has spread on social media that this spot is very Japanese, making it a popular photo location,” according to the unnamed municipal official.

According to him, a section of sidewalk adjacent to the Lawson store is packed with visitors, the majority of whom are not Japanese.

The municipality in the Yamanashi area used the massive screen as a final option after traffic signs and numerous warnings from security personnel went unheeded.

The precaution is also intended to keep visitors away from a neighboring dental facility.

According to the official, they sometimes park there without authorization and have even been seen climbing the clinic’s roof in an attempt to get the ideal photo.

He said that the community wishes it hadn’t come to this and that the screen will be kept in place until things get better.

After border restrictions from the pandemic period were eliminated, tourism to Japan has been increasing, and the government has been making great efforts to increase the number of visitors.

However, not everyone has embraced this; in Kyoto, for example, residents have voiced their displeasure over visitors who are too eager to take pictures and bother the neatly attired geisha of the city.

Additionally, in an effort to reduce congestion, hikers who use the most popular way to summit Mount Fuji this summer will pay $13 each.

As a response to excessive tourism, Venice started charging day trippers for entrance on Thursday. Other popular attractions throughout the globe are also having trouble attracting large numbers of visitors.