To fight Mt. Fuji crowding: Cap on climbers, reservations

Overseas tourists have been flocking to Japan, driven by a weak yen. Many have their sights set on Mt. Fuji, the conical mountain that has long symbolized the nation - not just for viewing, but also for climbing.

Before the official mountaineering season starts on July 1, local authorities have announced new regulations and an online reservation system for the most crowded trail in Yamanashi Prefecture.

First-ever cap on climbers

Officials in Yamanashi, central Japan, say the prefecture will limit the number of climbers to 4,000 a day, the first time any cap has been set. Each climber will also have to pay 2,000 yen, or about 12.8 dollars.

The regulations will be applied to the Yoshida trail, one of four routes to the top and the most popular. This trail had nearly 140,000 climbers last season, or 60 percent of the total.

During the 72-day season last year, the number of climbers on the Yoshida trail exceeded 4,000 on five days.

The number of climbers on Mt. Fuji last year recovered to near pre-pandemic levels.

The prefecture will set up a gate at the fifth station at an altitude of 2,300 meters. The gate will be closed between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m. and climbers will be forbidden to enter except for those who have reservations in a mountain lodge.

Why regulations?

The prefecture emphasizes that the measures are aimed at protecting the environment and preventing accidents.

Trails often get congested from midnight to early morning.

Viewing the sunrise from the top of the mountain is popular. Many climbers stay at a lodge before making a final push on the summit in the early morning.

Trails are not a place to sleep.

But officials say some start the ascent at night and descend without staying in huts, known as "bullet climbing" because they go straight up and straight down. Those climbers tend to suffer altitude sickness and hypothermia at higher rates.

Others make bonfires or throw trash on the trails - or even sleep there.

Crowds of climbers often go beyond staff capacity.

The local authorities also say that once over 1,000 foreign climbers gathered at the same time at the entrance of the trail, presumably due to a group chat on social media.

As a result, they add, regulations are needed.

Planning ahead

To avoid confusion, the prefecture will launch an online reservation system.

Climbers will choose whether to overnight at a hut or make a day trip, confirm their climbing date and the number of participants, provide personal information and choose a payment method.

The reservation website is available in Japanese, English and Chinese.

Reservations can be made until the day before the planned climb. Since some climbers will inevitably arrive without reservations, 3,000 slots out of the 4,000 total will be allotted to those who pre-book.

The system will start operation on May 20 to accept reservations for this year's summer season, which runs from July 1 through September 10.

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