Japan introduces reservation system and fees to manage tourism at Mount Fuji.

• To climb Mount Fuji's Yoshida Trail, climbers must now make reservations and pay a fee in advance.
• New regulations have been put in place by the Yamanashi prefecture for the climbing season from July 1 to September 10, with a daily entry limit of 4,000.
• In-person booking is available for 1,000 slots, while online booking is available for 3,000 slots at a fee of $18.

Climbing Mount Fuji's popular trails will now require reservations and a fee as the volcano grapples with overtourism, littering, and dangerous "bullet climbing" attempts that endanger lives.

The Yamanashi prefecture announced new rules for the climbing season on the Yoshida Trail of the Yamanashi side of Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, from July 1 to September 10.

A maximum of 4,000 climbers will be permitted to enter the trail each day, with 3,000 slots available for online booking at approximately $18 and the remaining 1,000 slots bookable in person on the day of the climb.

Booking slots for climbers on Mount Fuji can be done through the official website of Mount Fuji Climbing, which is a joint venture between the Environment Ministry and the two prefectures where Mount Fuji is located, Yamanashi and Shizuoka.

The mountain Fuji has 10 stations, and there are four "5th stations" halfway up the mountain from the starting points of the four trails leading to the top, which are the Yoshida, Fujinomiya, Subashiri, and Gotemba trails.

Climbers must decide whether to do a day hike or stay overnight at huts along the trail. After inputting their information and the day of the climb, they receive a QR code to be scanned at the 5th station. If they haven't reserved an overnight hut, they will be sent back down and not allowed to climb between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m., to prevent climbers from rushing to the summit without sufficient rest, posing safety concerns, authorities stated.

Mt. Fuji conservation efforts were praised by Yamanashi Gov. Kotaro Nagasaki in a statement, expressing gratitude for the public's support.

Since 2014, the Shizuoka prefecture, located southwest of Mt. Fuji and accessible to climbers, has imposed a voluntary $6.4 fee per climber to balance tourism and environmental protection. The prefecture is now exploring additional ways to achieve this balance.

According to the Environment Ministry, the total number of Mt. Fuji climbers during the season in 2023 was 221,322.

A town in Shizuoka was planning to set up a large black screen on a sidewalk to obstruct the view of Mt. Fuji for tourists taking photos with the mountain as a backdrop for a convenience store, a popular social media trend known as "Mt. Fuji Lawson." This move has caused inconvenience to locals and disrupted their businesses and road traffic.

The surge in foreign visitors to Japan since the pandemic restrictions were lifted has led to over-tourism issues in popular destinations like Kyoto and Kamakura, as the weaker yen has made Japan more attractive to tourists.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of visitors to Japan in 2024 is predicted to exceed 32 million, surpassing the 2019 record of 25 million visitors.