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- author, Alex Penley
- scroll, BBC News
Local authorities have decided to block one of the most photographed sights in Japan to try to keep misbehaving tourists away.
The scene in question shows a convenience store in the foreground, with Mount Fuji behind it.
A large black screen will be erected nearby to block the view of Japan's most famous landmarks.
Residents of Fujikawaguchiko mainly accuse foreign tourists of dumping garbage and illegally parking cars while searching for the perfect photo there.
The juxtaposition of a soaring volcano and the tacky view of one of Japan's most ubiquitous department stores has made Fujikawaguchiko a popular photo spot. A local official told AFP that the place had acquired a “reputation of being very Japanese.”
Officials claimed that residents of the city in the Yamanashi region were angered by the behavior of visitors, and some tourists even climbed onto rooftops to take the perfect photo.
A local official told AFP that construction of a mesh barrier measuring 2.5 x 20 meters will begin next week.
“It is unfortunate that we have to do this because of some tourists who cannot respect the rules,” he said.
Before taking this strict measure, the authorities installed traffic signals. Repeated warnings from security guards were also ignored.
The official said the net was also installed to protect a nearby dental clinic, which suffered from visitors stopping in its spaces without permission and even climbing to the roof of the building to get the best picture.
Japan is currently enjoying a tourism boom in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and government efforts to attract more foreign visitors. For the first time, in March, the number of visitors to the island state exceeded 3 million.
However, the increase in the number of tourists has caused some problems.
After a stampede of climbers on Mount Fuji last year, starting this summer, visitors will have to pay a fee of US$13 (R$67) to climb there. The authorities want to limit the number of people climbing the summit.
Congestion on the road leading to the highest mountain in Japan led to a high number of infections. In addition, authorities said a lot of garbage was left along the road and tourists tried to walk on the road while wearing inappropriate clothing.
The number of people walking the Yoshida Trail will also be limited to 4,000 people per day. Visitors will also not be able to leave between 4pm and 2am – as part of an attempt to stop so-called “bullet climbing”, when people attempt to scale the 3,776m peak without taking a break.
In a similar situation, in Kyoto in 2019, local authorities began distributing leaflets and paper lanterns in an attempt to remind tourists how to behave in the historic Gion area.
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