Regarding the Nov. 8 article "Towns float Mount Fuji 'entry fee' ": Having climbed Mount Fuji from both the Yamanashi and Shizuoka (Prefecture) sides a total of four times, I can guarantee that most visitors would prefer to pay a modest fee -- say, ¥1,000 -- in return for adequate restrooms and officials to police the lowlifes who trash the trails. I'd like to see these people thrown off the mountain.
The obvious solution is to let Fuji-san's national park status supersede the religious organizations and prefectural governments that are not up to maintaining the site.
mark cunningham