According to a report on Japan’s NHK website on June 20, due to Mount Fuji being officially registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, safety measures have been taken in response to the increasing number of hikers. A council was held in Fujikawaguchiko City, Yamanashi Prefecture, where local government bodies discussed the issue. It was decided to apply to the relevant authorities to implement measures aimed at curbing the number of hikers during next summer’s climbing season.
During the summer climbing season, the number of hikers starting from the Yoshida Trailhead on Mount Fuji can reach up to 10,000 per day on average. Especially before dawn, the area near the summit becomes extremely chaotic, raising concerns over safety.
The council convened on the 18th, with attendees including police officers, officials from surrounding towns and cities, and representatives from the prefecture. The meeting discussed safety measures for climbers on Mount Fuji.
The meeting also confirmed that as part of this year’s measures, multiple travel agencies are calling for a refusal of so-called “fast-food climbing.” This term refers to climbing practices where the number of mountain guides has increased significantly, and where sleep quality inside mountain huts along the route cannot be guaranteed.
Furthermore, among the measures to limit the number of hikers next year, local authorities proposed options such as implementing a reservation-based entry cap, charging fees for roads at the mountain’s base, banning nighttime access on the Fuji Subaru Line, and restricting access to more than five climbing routes. These proposals were discussed with the secretariat before being submitted to the relevant authorities.
The head of the council is Fujikawaguchiko City Mayor Morihide Horiuchi, who said: “We hope that this year, guides will do their utmost to monitor the situation and prevent any potential accidents.”