Authorities said the planned measures – a first for Mount Fuji – wouldn’t amount to an outright entry ban, but are meant to “guide” hikers on the trails, including temporarily halting their progress.
Under the policy, local police will be alerted and urged to weigh in if trails get busy enough to “heighten the risk of rocks falling and hikers tripping”, local authorities from the Yamanashi region said in a statement.
Last month, around 65,000 hikers climbed the mountain, an increase of roughly 17 per cent from the 2019 pre-pandemic level, official data shows.
Mount Fuji straddles Japan’s central Yamanashi and Shizuoka regions and the starting-off point for climbers is about two hours from central Tokyo by train.
But it can be seen for miles around, and has been immortalised in countless Japanese artworks, including Hokusai’s famous “Great Wave” painting.