TOKYO (AP) – Those who want to climb one of the most popular trails of the iconic Japanese Mount Fuji will now have to reserve ahead and pay a fee as the picturesque stratovolcano struggles with overtourism, littering and those who attempt rushed “bullet climbing”, putting lives at risk.
The Yamanashi prefecture said in a statement via the Foreign Press Center of Japan yesterday it introduced new rules for the climbing season, starting July 1 to September 10 for those hiking the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side of the 3776-metre high mountain, designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013.
Only 4,000 climbers will be allowed to enter the trail per day; 3,000 slots will be available for online booking at a fee of JPY2,000 (about USD18), and the remaining 1,000 can be booked in person on the day of the climb.
Climbers can book their slots via Mount Fuji Climbing’s official website, jointly run by the Environment Ministry and Mt Fuji’s two home prefectures Yamanashi and Shizuoka.
Mt Fuji is divided into 10 stations, and there are four “5th stations” halfway up the mountain from where the four trails – the Yoshida, Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba – start to the top.
Under the new system, climbers need to choose whether they will do a day hike or stay overnight at the several available huts across the trail. Once they input their information and the day of the climb, they are given a QR code to be scanned at the 5th station. Those who have not booked an overnight hut will be sent back down and not allowed to climb between 4pm and 3am, mainly to stop climbers who rush to the summit without adequate rest, raising safety concerns, authorities said.
