Change could be in store for Mount Fuji as the Yamanashi Prefectural Government grapples with over-tourism concerns, with Gov. Kotaro Nagasaki suggesting that a light rail transit system could be introduced to deal with the issue.
At the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Tuesday, Nagasaki emphasized the importance of coming up with ways to lessen the strain from overcrowding.
“This year marks the 10th anniversary of Mount Fuji’s World Heritage Site designation,” he said. “However, the current situation is not one in which we can speak lightly about the significance of the past decade.”
Nagasaki explained that the designation from UNESCO came with three major tasks: better managing the influx of visitors to the site, addressing the environmental impacts of tourism and better aligning the site with the natural landscape and its history and spiritual significance.
However, the last decade has only seen the impacts of over-tourism worsen for the renowned hiking and tourist site. And without appropriately addressing such challenges, Nagasaki said, the designation could be put at risk.
While the governor did not give any specific timeline on the potential introduction of a new rail system, it would replace the Fuji Subaru highway, which leads from the foot of the mountain to one of Mount Fuji’s fifth stations.
Under the prefecture’s plan, the rail system would allow the municipality to better control visitor numbers by limiting the number of passengers. By replacing the highway and reducing the number of private vehicles and people as a result, the prefecture aims to transform the fifth station into something that blends with the natural landscape, emphasizes spirituality and improves tourist satisfaction. However, vehicles will still be able to access the mountain from the Shizuoka Prefecture side.
In order to pursue such changes to Mount Fuji, Nagasaki said the prefecture would conduct a feasibility study for the light rail system and work toward informing and building consensus among stakeholders, including local residents, by the end of March 2024.
The number of visitors to the fifth station during the summer climbing season nearly doubled between 2012 and 2019, from around 2.3 million to over 5 million people. And while efforts had been made to limit the number of private vehicles accessing the site, the number of oversized vehicles, including tourist buses, also increased significantly during that time.
Both developments have led to overcrowding and environmental and hygiene issues, with human waste and carbon dioxide emissions increasing. Additionally, there is a risk of “zero-dollar tourism,” or low spending on visitors’ part, due to decreasing tourist satisfaction, resulting in a reduced benefit for the local economy.
“We firmly believe that with regard to Mount Fuji tourism, a shift from a quantity approach to a quality one is essential,” Nagasaki said.
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