A city in Japan can no longer handle the tourists who come to photograph Mount Fuji

Fujikawaguchiko is a Japanese city with a population of about 26 thousand people located at the foot of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan (3776 meters) and a volcano known throughout the world. Also due to its advantageous geographical location, Fujikawaguchiko is visited daily by thousands of tourists, attracted above all by the possibility of viewing Mount Fuji from a perspective that allows for excellent photographs.

One of the most popular scenic spots is the sidewalk in front of the local branch of Lawson, a large Japanese department store chain: Taking a photo of Lawson with the scenic view of Mount Fuji in the background has become a fairly popular trend on social media, in particular Instagram.

However, the huge influx of visitors, who are often disrespectful to the local citizens, has become a problem for the city. So the Fujikawaguchiko administration has made a decision that it hopes will reduce the number of arrivals: it will build a barrier to at least partially cover the view of Mount Fuji. A city official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: He said to Japan Times The barrier will be installed directly in front of Lawson's headquarters, and will be 20 meters long and about two and a half meters wide. Construction is expected to begin next week.

The official explained that the construction of the barrier will also facilitate access to the dental clinic located near the supermarket: tourists often occupy parking spaces designated for patients, or climb to the roof of the clinic to perform the procedure. “Perfect shot,” the official said.

For many years, residents of Fujikawaguchiko have complained about the excessive influx of tourists, and especially about their rudeness: they often violate traffic rules, causing accidents, and guards and volunteer associations are no longer able to keep the toilets and toilets clean, especially the toilets. Corridors, where visitors throw a lot of waste. The official said that adopting such a radical remedy as building an artificial barrier in front of Mount Fuji was “unpleasant,” but the city administration was forced to do so because the situation had become untenable.

In recent months, other Japanese cities have also adopted measures against mass tourism. In March, for example, the Gion District Council, one of Kyoto's most popular areas, banned tourists from entering its small private alleys. Gion is one of the city's most popular tourist destinations: not only is it located in the old imperial capital of Japan, which has preserved much of the distinctive architecture of the period, but it is also the neighborhood where the historic tea rooms are located. Geisha are Japanese female artists who wear traditional clothing and whose skills include arts such as music, dancing, and singing.

However, Gion residents have been complaining for years about the behavior of visitors, who not only have a habit of stalking geishas with their smartphones, but also approaching them, touching them or sometimes dragging them by their expensive traditional kimonos. Some also reported trespassing by tourists or cases in which tourists forced geisha to take pictures with them.

– Read also: The city of Kyoto banned tourists from entering the private alleys in the geisha district

Japan has been facing problems with excessive numbers of visitors since 2022, when it reopened its borders after a long period of closure due to the need to contain coronavirus infections. Last month saw the largest number of tourists ever in the country: more than 3 million.