Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures started collecting a ¥1,000 fee from climbers of Mount Fuji on Thursday to generate money for preservation efforts at the new UNESCO world heritage site.
Prefectural officials approached climbers at the starting points of four trails on the iconic volcano with signs saying: "Convey your feelings to Mount Fuji." But the request was ironically ignored by foreign climbers because the signs were written only in Japanese.
While payment is voluntary, streams of hikers were seen dropping ¥1,000 bills into the collection box before making their way to the summit.