Written by Tom Bateman
FUJI KAWAGUCHIKO, Japan (Reuters) – Japan’s majestic Mount Fuji took some 700,000 years to form, but one humid morning in May, it disappeared.
On at least one side of the busy road, the 3,776-meter-high (12,388-foot) Japanese symbol and the convenience store below it are visible, as authorities completed a 20-meter-by-2.5-meter fence to block photo spots. Lawson’s view disappeared. It was widespread among tourists.
For local residents, the large number of visitors and their disobedience to littering and parking rules were a nuisance and a traffic hazard.
“I’m really happy that foreigners come to town,” says Kikue Katsumata, 73, who was born and raised in Fujikawaguchiko. “But taking photos from Lawson is dangerous because the road is narrow and some people are running through it without using the crosswalk.”
Visitor numbers to Japan hit an all-time high in March and April as pent-up post-pandemic demand and the yen’s slump to a 34-year low made the country an attractive bargain. That’s good news for the economy, with tourists spending a record 1.75 trillion yen ($11.2 billion) in the first three months of 2024, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
The drastic decision to block views of Mount Fuji is emblematic of tensions across the country as Japan grapples with the consequences of its tourism boom. Local governments including the western metropolis of Osaka and the hot spring resort of Hakone are considering new tourism taxes to deal with the influx of tourists.
Cyril Marchand, 45, a visitor from France, learned about the fence online and made a special trip to take in the view. She empathized with the feelings of local residents, she said.
“I don’t think it’s such a bad thing for them to put up fencing, given the potential problems that can arise with people crossing the road without seeing cars,” he said.
(1 dollar = 156.4200 yen)
(Reporting by Tom Bateman; Writing by Rocky Swift; Editing by Jerry Doyle)
