Fujikawaguchiko is a Japanese city of approximately 26 thousand inhabitants located at the foot of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan (3,776 meters) and a volcano known throughout the world. Also due to its privileged geographical position, Fujikawaguchiko is visited daily by thousands of tourists, attracted above all by the possibility of looking at 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’s, a large Japanese convenience store chain: taking a photo of Lawson’s with the picturesque view of Mount Fuji in the background has become a fairly popular trend on social media, and especially on Instagram.
However, the enormous influx of visitors, often disrespectful of local citizens, has become a problem for the city. The Fujikawaguchiko administration has therefore made a decision that it hopes will reduce arrivals: it will build a barrier to cover, at least in part, the view of Mount Fuji. A city official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Japan Times that the barrier will be installed right in front of the Lawson’s headquarters, will be 20 meters long and approximately two and a half meters wide. Construction is expected to begin next week.
The official explained that the construction of the barrier will also serve to make access to a dental clinic located near the supermarket easier: it often happens that tourists occupy the parking spaces reserved for patients, or climb onto the roof of the clinic to carry out the “perfect shot,” the official said.
For years the residents of Fujikawaguchiko have complained about the excessive influx of tourists, and in particular about their rudeness: they often violate traffic regulations causing accidents, and the custodians and volunteer associations are no longer able to keep the toilets and toilets clean and especially the paths, where visitors throw a lot of waste. The official said that adopting such a drastic remedy as building an artificial barrier in front of Mount Fuji was “unpleasant”, but that the city administration was forced to do so by a situation that had become untenable.
In recent months, other Japanese cities have also adopted measures against mass tourism. In March, for example, the district council of Gion, one of the most renowned districts of the city of Kyoto, had banned tourists from entering the small private alleys that characterize it. Gion is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city: not only is it located in the ancient imperial capital of Japan, which has maintained much of the characteristic architecture of the period, but it is also the neighborhood where the historic tea rooms are located geishas, Japanese entertainers dressed in traditional clothing whose skills include arts such as music, dance and singing, perform.
However, residents of Gion have been complaining for years about the behavior of visitors, who not only have the habit of persistently chasing the geishas with their smartphones, but also of approaching and touching or sometimes tugging at their kimonos, very expensive traditional clothes. Some also reported trespassing by tourists or cases where tourists forced geisha to take photos with them.
– Read also: Kyoto has banned tourists from entering the private alleys of the geisha district
Japan has been having 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 highest number of tourists ever in the country: more than 3 million.
