The first weekend after the opening of Mt. Fuji - New climbing regulations and the hustle and bustle of the 5th station
On July 1, 2024, new climbing regulations were introduced on the Yoshidaguchi Trail at the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji. The initiative aims to eliminate overtourism and bullet mountaineering, such as charging a 2,000 yen entrance fee for mountain trails, limiting the number of climbers to 4,000 per day, and prohibiting entry from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. What will be the impact of the new system? I visited the site on my first weekend after the opening of the mountain this season.
Introduction of new mountaineering regulations, their purpose and current status
On July 1, a large number of media outlets reported on the opening. Due to bad weather, the Fuji Subaru Line from the foot of Mt. Fuji to the 5th station was closed to traffic, and it was reported that the media and climbers' cars were stuck at the entrance, the gate opened at 3 a.m., the reception was accepted when entering the mountain, and the gate was closed at 4 p.m. It was reported that there were no noticeable problems with climbers due to the introduction of the new system, and that the operation was generally smooth. These reports can be viewed on each station's YouTube channel.
The introduction of mountaineering regulations has been frequently reported for several months now, and there are many voices in favor of it on social media. Behind this reaction is the problem of violating etiquette and bullet mountaineering by the increasing number of foreign visitors to Japan and other mountain climbers. Regarding the entrance fee of 2,000 yen, there is a conspicuous opinion that it should be higher. This may be due to the fact that mountain entrance fees in other countries are even higher, and public sentiment about Japan's historic depreciation of the yen and soaring prices.
| <The 2nd Good Trip Kawayanagi Tanka Award ~The theme is overtourism~> This site is currently holding the "2nd Good Travel Kawayanagi Tanka Award" with the theme of overtourism. We are looking for works from people in various positions, such as travel lovers, Japan people working in the tourism industry, foreigners living in Japan, and foreign tourists visiting Japan who stay in Japan for a long time, to write about the problems and solutions of overtourism. The best work will receive a QUO Card Pay of 30,000 yen, and the best work will receive a QUO Card Pay of 10,000 yen. The application deadline is August 20. |
First weekend after the enforcement of climbing restrictions
The opening of Mt. Fuji on July 1 was on a Monday, but I thought it would be a good first weekend to check the effects of the new system, so I visited Mt. Fuji on Sunday 7th. There are several ways to access the 5th station of Mt. Fuji, but this time I used the highway bus that goes directly from Busta Shinjuku to the 5th station. Conveniently, there are a total of seven trains from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., which takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes and costs 3,500 yen each way. I boarded the 7:55 a.m. flight, but about 80% of the passengers were foreign tourists visiting Japan, and the train was full.
Arrive at the 5th station of the Fuji Subaru Line
The highway bus arrived at the 5th station at around 10:30 on time. While driving on the Fuji Subaru Line, I didn't feel that there were many people due to the amount of car traffic, but when I arrived at the 5th station at an altitude of 2,300 meters, I saw a different world crowded with tourists. After walking through the square in front of the 5th station rest house, we will observe the entrance reception and actually enter the mountain to go to the 6th station.
The 5th station was dominated by foreign tourists visiting Japan, and groups of 10 to 20 people and groups of several people were conspicuous. There was a small group of Japan people mixed in among them. Although it is subjective, I feel that there are foreigners who look like Japan, and vice versa. At the 5th station, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan may cause people to go crazy, and it may be difficult to distinguish between people of East Asian descent outside of Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia.
I expected chaos over the weekend, but...
After walking around the square of the 5th station, I headed to the entrance reception. The reception desk, which is located 1~2 minutes on foot from the square, was the same as the reception desk of an event venue or a popular hot spring facility, and had a natural atmosphere as if it had existed for a long time. If it were an interview with a major media, it would be a shrug.
In the past, climbers and tourists came and went freely, but almost only climbers visited. Although it is located just a short distance from the square, tourists only visit the reception area, probably because they are aware of the entry regulations. On the first weekend after the start of the new system, we were expecting a chaotic situation at the site, but when we asked the staff, they said that they were getting used to dealing with the situation and that they were becoming more understanding of the entrance fee for climbers. However, it is predicted that the number of climbers will increase further in August.
From the 5th station to the 6th station, beginners experience Mt. Fuji
After checking the plaza and reception desk at the 5th station, we headed for the 6th station to see the condition of the mountain trail. I had been to the 5th station before, but I had never gone beyond that. When I asked about the road to the 6th station at the rest house, it was explained that it was a flat course with about 1 hour each way, but when I actually walked it, I felt that beginners in particular should not take their word for it. It is important to remember that Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, and it is more than 2,300 meters above sea level at the start of the climb.
This time, I only went back and forth to the 6th station, but I experienced climbing Mt. Fuji for the first time, and I became somewhat aware of myself as a mountain climber. Next, in order to aim for the 6th station and above, I wanted to upgrade my mountaineering clothes, wear mountaineering boots instead of trekking shoes, and prepare stock. Looking at the mountain road beyond the sixth station, I strongly felt that I should not go any further with my current equipment.
When I returned to the gate of the Yoshidaguchi mountain trail, the staff said, "Thank you for your hard work." Most of the people we passed while climbing were foreigners, and when we made eye contact, we smiled, but we didn't greet each other with "hello" every time we passed each other like in other mountains in Japan. This is one of the factors that makes you feel the difference between Mt. Fuji and other mountains. For my tired body and goal, this "Thank you for your hard work" felt comfortable. The installation of the gate also had such a small effect.
I went back to the square of the 5th station, and the discomfort I felt
When I returned to the square of the 5th station, I felt uncomfortable. Just like when I arrived at the 5th station in the morning, it was crowded with many tourists. Among them, the most prominent are foreign tourists visiting Japan who are not mountain climbers. When I came back to the 5th station feeling like a climber, I saw this crowd and noise. I felt uncomfortable with the gap between the appearance of Mt. Fuji in nature and the hustle and bustle of the 5th station.
The building where the overflowing foreign tourists are sucked in is a rest house with souvenirs and a restaurant. In the square of the 5th station, there are several rest houses that retain the remnants of the Showa era, and the area opposite offers horseback riding experiences. Each of them seems to share a long history, but it lacks harmony as a whole. It is felt that these businesses are concessional businesses that have been doing business in this place for a long time.
I heard a horse pass from behind me. For more than 60 years, an organization called the Fujiyoshida City Equestrian Association has been offering horseback riding experiences at the 5th station. Since it says Fujiyoshida City in the name, I thought it was a designated management company of the city, but it is a business that has nothing to do with the city. They take tourists on horseback to near the seventh station. Photography is 500 yen, and walking around the area is 3,000 yen. It costs 15,000 yen to the 6th station, and 20,000 yen to go further to Shishiiwashita.
As a business for foreign tourists visiting Japan, it is understandable to pursue profits to the maximum. However, looking back on my experience of climbing up to the 6th station, I personally don't see the point of riding a horse back and forth on the same route. Also, the horse's expression was somewhat sad. Mt. Fuji, which has been recognized as a World Heritage Site, also has this aspect of tourism.
The contradiction of Mt. Fuji - The discomfort between faith, mountaineering, and tourism
In 2010, UNESCO designated Mt. Fuji as a World Cultural Heritage Site as an "object of worship and a source of art." in Yamanashi home page The value of Mt. Fuji is explained as follows.
| At 3,776 meters above sea level, Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, has been revered and worshipped since ancient times due to its grandeur and frequent and violent eruptions. In addition, its beautiful conical shape has inspired many artists and has become the source of many art. The symbiosis of people and nature through faith and art is a major feature of Mt. Fuji, and these are recognized as outstanding universal values as a World Heritage Site. |
The World Heritage Site consists of a total of 25 constituent assets, including historic mountain roads, shrines, ruins, and lakes in the surrounding area, with Mt. Fuji as the center, and each asset supports the majesty of Mt. Fuji. On the other hand, isn't the noisiness of foreign tourists visiting Japan and the old vested interests diminishing the dignity of Mt. Fuji as an object of worship?
The traffic jam on the rigging slope that I had forgotten
At the restaurant, I wiped the dirt on the table left by the previous customer and waited for the return bus while eating. I took the bus that departed at 4 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Shinjuku at 6:30 p.m. Eighty percent of the return buses were foreign tourists visiting Japan, and the seats were full. Traffic jams begin after a while from the Kawaguchiko IC. It was the first time in a long time that I had been on the Chuo Expressway, and I had completely forgotten about the traffic jam on the Rigging Slope on Sunday evening. I used it to verify the highway bus connecting Shinjuku and the 5th station, but if I had been aware of the traffic jam, I might have chosen the train on the way back. In the end, the bus arrived in Shinjuku about 1 hour and 10 minutes later than scheduled.
The overlap of the scenery of Shinjuku and Mt. Fuji, the need for a new concept
When I left Busta Shinjuku and crossed the intersection to Shinjuku Station, the scene overlapped with my memory of returning from the 6th station to the 5th station square. The cityscape of Shinjuku and the scenery of Mt. Fuji suddenly overlapped. This summer, new mountaineering regulations were established on the Yoshidaguchi trail at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji as a measure against overtourism and bullet climbing. The actual effect of the measures is not yet known, but it seems that some effect can be expected. However, there are still issues to be addressed in the scene of the fifth station. After a wonderful mountaineering experience, I felt uncomfortable at the 5th station, where the hustle and bustle of tourists and unique business mixed.
I feel that the scenery of the 5th station and the unique tourism business are different from the ideal of "Mt. Fuji" as a World Heritage Site. In order to make Mt. Fuji truly world-proud, it will be necessary for the relevant local governments and related businesses to think about the concept and landscape conservation of Mt. Fuji's 5th Station, which is suitable for a World Heritage Site, as well as measures against overtourism on mountain trails. It was a day that gave me a glimpse of the problems of Mt. Fuji that cannot be solved by the new mountaineering regulations alone.
Editor's Note
"The Fuji Subaru Line is a road that was developed in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. As a result, it is now possible to easily access the 5th station of Mt. Fuji at an altitude of 2,300 meters. It is not surprising that the number of climbers has increased over time, and the number of tourists has also increased. However, the opening of the Fuji Subaru Line may have diluted awareness of the harsh natural environment at high altitudes. Accidents caused by bullet climbing, light climbing, and the hustle and bustle of the 5th station make people feel like they are underestimating the value and danger of Mt. Fuji.
