Summer mountaineering season ends; "World Heritage" Mt. Fuji closes 4 trails on Sept. 2

▲ To prevent climate changes from affecting visitor safety, Japan’s Mt. Fuji will close from Sept. 2. (Photo / courtesy ofJapan’s Ministry of the Environment, Natural Environment Bureau)

Travel Center / Comprehensive report

Those wishing to see the scenery inside Mt. Fuji should act fast. According to a statement released by the official Mt. Fuji website on the 26th, four trails leading into Mt. Fuji will be closed from noon on Sept. 2. After that, climbers wishing to enter the mountain area will need to submit a written application and get approval before they can proceed.

Mt. Fuji is Japan’s highest mountain and is considered a sacred peak by the Japanese people. It was also inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site this June. However, in order to avoid damage to the unique alpine ecosystem and natural landscape within the mountain area due to an increase in tourists caused by the "Heritage effect," the official Mt. Fuji website had previously published a "Mt. Fuji Tourism Guide" on July 23. The guide stated that because the number of mountain accidents, including fatalities, had been increasing year by year since 2003, reaching a total of 62 cases in 2012, strict rules for entering the mountain area have been put in place.

Historically, the climate within Mt. Fuji deteriorates once September arrives. To protect the safety of climbers, the mountain area is routinely closed starting from the second Monday of September. The official Mt. Fuji website also announced that from noon on Sept. 2, four trails leading into Mt. Fuji will be closed. These are the Yoshida Trail in Yamanashi Prefecture, and the Fujinomiya Trail, Gotenba Trail, and Subashiri Trail in Shizuoka Prefecture. In addition, the trails around the crater at the summit of Mt. Fuji will also be completely closed from Sept. 3.

At the same time, the official Mt. Fuji website emphasized that in addition to detailing climbing itineraries and emergency contacts, and ensuring possession of standard mountaineering gear, those who are approved to enter the mountain area must also carry their own portable toilets. They are required to take their excrement with them when leaving the mountain area and cannot leave it behind. Meanwhile, general sightseers will be completely prohibited from passing through after noon on Sept. 2.

▲ The summit of Mt. Fuji offers beautiful sunsets. (Photo / courtesy ofJapan’s Ministry of the Environment, Natural Environment Bureau)