Japan is a magnet for tourists, who are attracted by the Japanese culture, the many tourist attractions or the Japanese lifestyle. It has stunning cities, charming villages, some great beaches and also some great opportunities for those who love a good hike. When we say Japan, we think of cherry blossoms at the Mount Fuji festival or Buddhist temples. From 2024, Japan wants to put a brake on tourism development in certain regions and wants to charge tourists who plan to climb Mount Fuji, writes Time-out.
Japan is about to introduce a toll on one of Mount Fuji's most popular routes. The Yoshida Trail, a 14,5 km loop, is considered one of the safest and most accessible ways to climb this iconic mountain, but from July 1, 2024, the climb will no longer be free.
Japan's Yamanashi Prefectural Government, which oversees hiking activities at the UNESCO World Heritage site, deemed it necessary to introduce the pass to protect the environment.
The mountain welcomed more than 221.000 climbers in 2023. Japan will also restrict the number of people climbing the mountain each day (to 4.000), and starting a climb will be prohibited between 16:00 PM and 2:00 AM.
There are also concerns about inexperienced hikers attempting the route and finding themselves in difficulty near the summit, where there are fewer facilities.