/s3/static.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/web-2604buifuji.jpg "A Japanese town installs a screen over a view of Mount Fuji after disturbing tourists")
Residents of the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko, located at the foot of Mount Fuji, are tired of tourists who gather every day to snap the perfect photo of the mountain view in front of Lawson's supermarket. They leave garbage behind and do not obey traffic rules. Construction of a mesh barrier, 2.5 meters high and 20 meters long, will begin next week. This will be placed behind the store to block visibility. “It is unfortunate that we are forced to do this,” a city government employee told AFP news agency on Friday. “Only because some tourists don't follow the rules.”
Fujikawaguchiko has previously made attempts to limit tourism. Signs were placed on the road leading to the supermarket, and officers were deployed to control crowds. A mesh screen is a last resort. Such an emergency solution is also necessary to protect the dental clinic near the supermarket; Tourists sometimes climb to the roof of the building to take pictures of Mount Fuji. The city council says the screen will not be removed again unless the situation improves.
Japan has received a record number of tourists in recent months. In March, the month in which the cherry blossom season begins, more than three million foreign visitors arrived in the country. The Japanese government announced this spring that hikers who want to climb Mount Fuji will soon have to pay an entrance fee. Accidents often happen because people start climbing unprepared. They leave a lot of waste behind. Since the beginning of this month, it has also been no longer possible for tourists to visit the Geisha district in Kyoto: it has become too crowded.
