Mount Fuji: Japan blocks iconic view to deter tourists

A group of tourists travel through the masses in search of the perfect photo while wheeling their heavy luggage.

They assemble opposite a ease business, but this is not your typical store. Rising behind it is Japan’s highest mountain, the beautiful Mount Fuji.

The 3,776m-high white peak creates a stunning backdrop for those looking for their next favorite photo or Instagram photo. Only in time, the guests received what they desired.

Strong forward a few weeks, to this day, and that view is gone. The once-bustling view point, which is now behind a black mesh camera, is now about the same size as a cricket ball.

The challenge is the result of a song of complaints from locals who claim that jaywalking and littering tourists have ruined their lives.

The lovely town of Fuji Kawaguchiko has been the victim of a surge in tourism visitors, which were helped by a poor yen and a post-pandemic go boom. In March and April, tourism visitors to Japan reached a record high of three million.

The monitor is a desperate shift and a signal of Japan’s struggle to provide this many guests while safeguarding its streets, its popular spots, and its distinctive way of life.

It has been an adventurous Tuesday in Fuji Kawaguchiko.

Chinese authorities made the announcement to put up a camera in late April, but the installation’s hr of installation attracted more attention in this remote area of central Japan. A sprint of camcorders surrounded them as employees fixed wires and hung up wires to hold the camera. Tourists gathered as well, interested to get the fuss.

If the camera is meant to keep them apart, it is n’t doing that- already.

Visitors to the area question how effective it will be, saying,” It does work for a few days.” But I’m sure people will create a hole]in it ] and taking a photo at some point”, says Kazakh holiday Yuri Vavilin.

He says he will try from either conclusion of the screen again soon despite being disappointed that he missed the vital picture.

Kazuhiko Iwama, 65, who has lived his whole life in Fuji Kawaguchiko, is surprised by this passion. His home has florescent lights and a well-known orange sign reading Lawson and is located opposite the omnipresent convenience business.

He says,” I really do n’t have a lot to say about it because I see it every day from my window,” gazing at the volcano that attracts visitors from all over the world. ” I guess I take it for granted”.

It’s what some have dubbed a “very Chinese” scene- the mundane Lawson shouldering like a magnificent view. Also online, it is referred to as” Mount Fuji Lawson.”

Mr. Iwama is n’t convinced that the screen would deter the most reticent of tourists. He fears that more of them did walk onto the road to take pictures now that the road has been removed.

He says this is exactly the problem- he had n’t head visitors, if they followed the rules.

” They cross the street and they do n’t seem to care about the cars at all, it is dangerous. And they leave filth and cigarette butts everyday”.

You are expected to bring your garbage home and rid of it there, which is seen as particularly rude and careless in a state with several boxes on the street.

The panel was a last resort for regional officials. One of them had earlier in May stated,” It’s regrettable we have to do this because some tourists ca n’t respect the rules.”

They did strive less drastic steps. People were instructed not to cross the road by large street signs that were displayed in various cultures. But, they say, these have generally been ignored.

When we visited days previously, the path had regional protection to prevent injuries. One man yelled at jaywalkers to halt while blowing his whistle in a furious manner. When we tried to approach him, he stopped us:” I need to focus satisfy”.

A pilot yelled at a camera-wielding pedestrian on the side of the road who had parked themselves in front of the Lawson, obstructing customers, in a unique incident in Japan.

” I believe someone posted a great photo of themselves in front of Lawson, and everyone immediately said,” I want to go there.” ” I want that image on my Instagram,” says Maddison Verb, who has arrived from the United States.

She and her two companions had been posing in the background.

The landscape around them was crowded and uncomfortable, in contrast to the beautiful, filtered images that were soon to be shared on Instagram or TikTok.

” There’s a guy working here just to stop people from crossing the road. It is insane”, said Coralie Nieke, who had been visiting from Germany.

” If I did n’t have social media, I would n’t have come here. I would n’t even have known that this place existed”.

She described how enthralled by the sheer volume of people attempting to capture that one jump. But, to her relief, she managed to get the” Lawson photo”.

Kikue Katsumata, a 73- year- ancient native who often walks her dog in the area, sympathised with both sides:” I feel unhappy for those tourists who come all the way to see the view and take pictures, but traffic here is quite heavy, and we are all extremely concerned about accidents”.

Tourists are still unsure whether the screen will do the job, despite the screen being raised.

” I think they’ll stand on the road to get the shot”, says Australian Maddie Godwin, echoing Mr Iwama’s concern.

Other visitors do n’t see what the fuss is all about: Wandy Chow, a visitor from Toronto, says,” There are other places you can take beautiful pictures of Mt Fuji”.

Her son, Zachary, says he has found another shop with a good view of Mount Fuji.

But he wo n’t say where. ” I do n’t want people to go there”, he says, smiling, thinking of his next shareable moment.