Climbing chaos in Japan?: The sacred Mount Fuji is threatened by a flood of tourists

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It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan: the sacred Mount Fuji. During the official climbing season, which lasts just two months from early July to early September, thousands of people climb the mountain’s slopes every day. Residents are sounding the alarm this summer as they fear a huge influx of more than 300,000 people after corona restrictions are lifted. Community officials from Yamanashi Prefecture have submitted a request to authorities to limit the number of climbers, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Since 2013, Mount Fuji or Fuji-san – with 3776 meters the highest mountain in Japan – has been a World Heritage Site. That year, the number of climbers rose to 300,000 during the season. In its 10th anniversary year, the mountain lodges were now expecting “unprecedented numbers of mountaineers,” it said. They would be inundated with accommodation reservations.

Deaths from stonefall

It is therefore to be feared that there will be more people who could not make a reservation and want to reach the top of the volcano without the recommended overnight stay in a forced march. This increases the risk of accidents. In 2020, the authorities imposed a climbing ban due to the corona pandemic.

The Japanese say that “a wise man climbs Mount Fuji once, but a fool twice”. Thanks to its shape with long, even slopes, the volcano is relatively easy to climb. Nevertheless, cases of hypothermia and even deaths from falling rocks have occurred again and again in the past due to the massive influx. In the West, Mount Fuji is also known as “Fujiyama” due to a misinterpretation of the character for mountain. (SDA)

Source: Blick