Mount Fuji Added to UNESCO World Heritage List — Expected to Spark Tourism Boom

▲ Mount Fuji, regarded as a sacred mountain in Japan, was designated as a "World Cultural Heritage" site by UNESCO on the 22nd. (Photo / Courtesy of the Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan website)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Mount Fuji, revered as a sacred mountain in Japan, was designated as a "World Cultural Heritage" site by UNESCO on the 22nd. Japanese Prime Minister Shin

Japan’s highest mountain, Mount Fuji, is an active volcano that straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. With its classic conical shape, it boasts a uniquely beautiful silhouette and is revered by the Japanese as a “sacred mountain.” Summer is the best season to climb Mount Fuji, with the official climbing season running from July 1 to August 31. Each year during this period, over 200,000 people set their sights on reaching the summit.

Watching the sunrise is one of the highlights of climbing Mount Fuji, but it requires starting in the middle of the night, and navigating pitch-dark mountain paths is also part of the challenge. At the summit, aside from witnessing the breathtaking moment when the sun rises, you can also hike to the highest peak, Kengamine, for a spectacular view of the entire crater. With no tall mountains blocking the view around Mount Fuji, at sunset the mountain’s shadow is cast upon the plains or the sea of clouds, creating the stunning phenomenon known as “Fuji’s Shadow.”

Surrounding Mount Fuji are attractions such as the Five Lakes of Fuji and the Aokigahara Forest, which remains shaded even in daylight. There is also the Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine, originally built to appease Mount Fuji’s volcanic eruptions. The “Yoshida Fire Festival,” held in late summer, is one of Japan’s three most extraordinary festivals and marks the closing of the climbing season.

Mount Fuji has also been a source of inspiration for Japanese art, serving as the backdrop for paintings, literature, poetry, and theater. Since ancient times, it has been the subject of countless artistic works. The site’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List is registered under the name “Fujisan – Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration.”