JAPAN:
Japan’s majestic Mount Fuji was about 700,000 years in the making, but on a sultry May morning, it was gone.
On at least one side of a busy street, views of the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) symbol of Japan and the Lawson grocery store below it have been obliterated as officials finished a 20-meter by 2.5-meter barrier to block a photo spot that it had gone viral among tourists.
For the locals, the mass of visitors and their refusal to obey the rules regarding littering and parking had become a nuisance and a traffic hazard.
“I’m really happy that foreigners are coming to our town,” said Kikue Katsumata, 73, a lifelong resident of Fujikawaguchiko. “But when it comes to taking photos from Lawson, the road is a bit narrow and it can be dangerous when people run across without using a crosswalk.”
March and April set all-time records for visitor arrivals as demand capped after the pandemic and the yen’s slide to a 34-year low made Japan an irresistible bargain. That was good news for the economy, with travelers spending a record 1.75 trillion yen ($11.2 billion) in the first three months of 2024, according to the tourism bureau.
The drastic decision to block views of Mount Fuji symbolizes tensions across the country as Japan reckons with the consequences of its tourism boom. The western metropolis of Osaka and the summer city of Hakone are among municipalities considering new tourism taxes to cope with the influx of visitors.
Cyril Malchand, a 45-year-old visitor from France, learned about the fence online and made a special trip to be among the last to enjoy the view. He said he sympathizes with the locals.
“When I see that there can be problems with people crossing the road without watching for cars, I don’t think it’s so bad that they’re putting up this fence,” he said.
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