FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Japan –
The city of Fujikawaguchiko is fed up with tourists.
Known for a number of picturesque photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the city on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of sidewalk to block views of the mountain. The reason: the bad behavior of foreign tourists.
“Kawaguchiko is a city built on tourism, and I welcome many visitors, and the city welcomes them too, but there are many things in their manners that are worrying,” said Michie Motomochi, owner of a cafeteria that It serves Japanese “ohagi” sweets. near the soon-to-be-blocked photo spot.
Motomochi mentioned littering, crossing the street in heavy traffic, ignoring traffic lights and trespassing on private property. However, she is not unhappy: 80 percent of her customers are foreign visitors whose numbers have increased after a pandemic pause that kept Japan closed for about two years.
Their neighborhood suddenly became a popular spot about two years ago, apparently after a photo taken at a particular angle that showed Mount Fuji in the background, as if it were sitting on top of a local convenience store, became a social media sensation known as “Mt. Fuji Lawson,” city officials say.
Since then, tourists, mostly foreigners, have crowded the small area, prompting a wave of concerns and complaints from residents about visitors blocking the narrow sidewalk, taking photos on the busy street or entering neighbors’ properties. authorities said.
In Europe, concerns about tourist overcrowding in historic cities led Venice last week to launch a pilot program to charge day-trippers a five-euro ($5.35) entrance fee. Officials hope it will discourage peak-day visitors and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.
Fujikawaguchiko has tried other methods: signs urging visitors not to run onto the road and to use the designated crosswalk in English, Chinese, Thai and Korean, and even hiring a security guard to control the crowd. None worked.
The black mesh net, when completed in mid-May, will be 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) high and 20 meters (65.6 feet) long, and will almost completely block the view of Mount Fuji, authorities said.
Dozens of tourists gathered Tuesday to take photographs even though Mount Fuji was not in sight due to cloudy weather.
France’s Anthony Hok thought the display was an overreaction. “Too big of a solution for an issue that isn’t much of a solution, even if tourists are causing problems. It doesn’t seem right to me,” he said. The 26-year-old suggested installing road barriers for safety reasons rather than blocking views for photography.
But Helen Pull, a 34-year-old British visitor, understood the local concern. As she traveled through Japan in recent weeks, she saw that tourism “really picked up here in Japan from what we’ve seen.”
“I can understand why people who live and work here might want to do something about it,” he said, noting that many were taking photographs even when the mountain was out of sight. “That’s the power of social media.”
Foreign visitors have flocked to Japan since pandemic border restrictions were lifted, in part due to the weakening yen.
Last year, Japan had more than 25 million visitors, and this year the number is expected to surpass almost 32 million, a record from 2019, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. And the government wants more tourists.
While the tourism boom has helped the industry, it has sparked complaints from residents in popular tourist destinations such as Kyoto and Kamakura. In Kyoto, a famous geisha district recently decided to close some privately owned alleys.
Locals aren’t sure what to do.
Motomochi said he can’t imagine how the black screen can help control the flow of people on the narrow pedestrian promenade and on the street next to it.
Yoshihiko Ogawa, who runs a more than half-century-old rice shop in the Fujikawaguchiko area, said overcrowding has worsened in recent months, with tourists gathering around 4 or 5 a.m. and talking loudly. He sometimes has a hard time getting the car in and out of the garage.
“We never thought we would face a situation like this,” Ogawa said, adding that he is not sure what the solution could be. “I guess we all need to get used to it.”
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.