Mt. Fuji’s climbing season started with a new fee to prevent over tourism and dangerous climbs on Tuesday. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Mt. Fuji’s climbing season started with an increased fee to prevent over-tourism and dangerous climbs on Tuesday.
Local authorities raised the entrance fee to $28 this season, while also implementing a limit of 4,000 hikers on the Yoshida Trail, the most commonly used route to the summit.
Authorities also strengthened safety measures, adding “Mount Fuji rangers” to instruct climbers at the entrance gate and refusing access to climbers who are too lightly dressed for conditions.
When making online reservations, climbers planning to go on the Yoshida Trail must agree to the terms set by the local government to ensure they have the necessary equipment.
The gate is also scheduled to close two hours earlier than last year, 3 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Yamanashi prefectural officials said 1,009 people made climbing reservations for the first day of the season.
“I made it just in time to see the sun come up. I’m very happy. I want to climb mountains in other countries, too,” Shiho Miyaoka, a high school student from Kyoto who came to Japan’s highest peak with her parents to see the sunrise told Kyodo News.
Other trails will also have the same safety measures in place, such as the three trails; Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Subashiri on the Shizuoka Prefecture side, which are scheduled to open on July 10.
The mountain is scheduled to be open until Sept. 10.
