Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain and an iconic symbol of the country, has become so overcrowded, local officials say, that a daily limit on climbers is needed as well as a cash fee.
Last year, just between July and September, 220,000 people climbed Fuji, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The new rules, imposed by Yamanashi Prefecture, call for no more than 4,000 people a day to be allowed to climb the mountain, which has a religious significance for many Japanese, and there will be a fee of 2,000 yen, about $13. The new rules go into effect July 1.
The fee, in part, will go to fund programs to keep visitors safer on the mountain and to end the piles of litter that have been left on trails. Official guides will supervise along the trails and warn people who are engaging in dangerous or inappropriatie behaviors, such as sleeping along the trail or trying to climb the mountain in sandals.
