Japan will introduce a ¥4,000 (or about £20 ) entry fee for all four main trails of Mount Fuji starting this summer to tackle overcrowding . Previously, only the Yoshida Trail in Yamanashi prefecture had a ¥2,000 (or about £10) fee. Now, Shizuoka prefecture will also charge for its three trails, which were previously free.
Shizuoka is home to three of Mount Fuji’s four main climbing trails – Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba. The entry fee will charged from this summer after local authorities passed a bill on Monday, The Japan Times reported. Yoshida Trail’s entry fee will double.
Japan’s iconic mountain has seen a surge in tourists in recent years, sparking concerns over overcrowding, pollution, and disruptive behaviour by tourists. Last year, Japan started collecting entry fees of ¥2,000 (£10) per head from people climbing the famous volcano to limit the number of trekkers to Mount Fuji. A gate was installed at the entrance to the Yoshida Trail, also known as the fifth station, on the Yamanashi side of Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776m.
The gate began collecting fees from climbers starting 1 July last year, marking the beginning of the year’s climbing season. The implementation of this fee collection was aimed at managing overcrowding near the summit of the mountain, the Yamanashi prefectural assembly said at the time. Climbers were required to allocate as much as ¥3,000 (or £15.
60) per person for their climb, which included a voluntary contribution of ¥1,0.