A picturesque Japanese town has decided to erect a barrier to block a popular selfie spot near Mount Fuji.
Fujikawaguchiko, at the foot of the Yoshida Trail that leads towards Mount Fuji, has been invaded by foreign tourists trying to take the perfect photo of Japan's most famous mountain.
Specifically, they stand in front of Lawson's, an outpost of a large Japanese convenience store chain, so they can take a photo showing the contrast between the bustling, neon-lit store and the peaceful mountain behind it.
And now the city, which is fed up with this, is putting up a barrier to block the view, a local official told CNN .
According to the employee, who did not want to reveal his name, said that there are constant problems with tourists leaving trash and not following traffic rules.
Despite signs and security guards having been placed to alert them, the situation still persists.
“It is regrettable that we have to take such measures,” the official said.
The barrier, which measures 2.5 meters high and 20 meters wide, will be erected early next week.
The city of Fujikawaguchiko is in Yamanashi Prefecture, north of Fuji and about 100 kilometers west of Tokyo.
The crowds plaguing the small town are part of a larger problem affecting Japan.
Japan has faced problems with overtourism since its post-pandemic reopening in late 2022.
March 2024 saw the biggest month ever for tourism in the country, with more than three million foreign tourists entering Japan.
Many of them head straight for Mount Fuji, an icon of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, leaving trash and degradation along the way.
“Overtourism – and all the subsequent consequences such as litter, increased CO2 emissions and reckless hikers – is the biggest problem facing Mount Fuji,” Masatake Izumi, a Yamanashi prefectural government official, told CNN last year.
Some local residents even nicknamed the 3,776-meter mountain, called Fuji-san in Japanese, “garbage mountain”.
In an effort to reduce overcrowding, the Yamanashi prefectural government announced several new policies for tourists, including a 4,000-person daily limit on visitors and a mandatory fee of 2,000 yen ($13) for each visitor. Previously, the fee was optional.
The creation of a barrier to block potential photographers also has precedent in other parts of the world such as the Austrian city of Hallstatt, which is said to have inspired the look of Disney's megahit film “Frozen”.
Hallstatt – which has around 800 permanent residents and receives up to 10,000 tourists a day in high season – erected a wooden fence in May 2023 as a deterrent against selfie takers.
Source: CNN Brasil
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