Japan imposes new fees on Mount Fuji climbers to limit tourists
Park rangers on Japan’s Mount Fuji officially started this year’s climbing season, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding.
FUJIYOSHIDA, Japan — Park rangers on Japan’s sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year’s climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise on Monday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding.
At 3 a.m. (2 p.m. Sunday ET), officials opened a newly installed gate at a station placed just over halfway up the 12,388-foot peak that is a symbol of Japan and a magnet for tourists, now swarming into the country at a record pace.
Climbers must pay 2,000 yen ($12) and their numbers will be limited to 4,000 a day after complaints of litter, pollution and dangerously crowded trails flowed in last year.
“I think Mount Fuji will be very happy if everyone is more conscious about the environment and things like taking rubbish home with them,” said Sachiko Kan, 61, who was one of about 1,200 hikers gathered on the first day of the new measures.
The yen’s slide to a 38-year low has made Japan an irresistible bargain for overseas visitors.
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