KOFU – A Japanese town on Tuesday began work to set up a large black screen to block the view of Mt. Fuji at a popular photo spot in response to what it calls unruly behavior from tourists.
The sight of Japan’s highest mountain towering over a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, can be captured from across a road and has become popular among foreign tourists after the picturesque location rose to fame on social media.
According to town officials and other sources, the area started drawing crowds around December 2022. Littering and illegal parking have become issues, while visitors have also been seen jaywalking on a road used frequently by large buses and other vehicles.
The town has stationed security guards and posted warnings in English to manage the crowds. However, the measures have done little to improve the situation.
A 2.5-meter high and 20-meter wide black barrier will be installed on the sidewalk by the end of May. The town has said there are no issues with the plan, as the sidewalk is its property.
“It makes me proud to think this is the best spot to see Mt. Fuji, so it is a shame, but I understand this painful decision must be made as an accident could happen anytime,” said a 72-year-old man living in the neighborhood.
Japan has seen a spike in tourism since lifting coronavirus border control steps in April 2023, with the yen’s weakness helping drive visitor numbers. The country saw a record 3.08 million foreign visitors in March.
The Associated Press also covered this story: “The town of Fujikawaguchiko has had enough tourists.”
Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the town on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk to block the view of the mountain. The reason: misbehaving foreign tourists.
“Kawaguchiko is a town built on tourism, and I welcome many visitors, and the town welcomes them too, but there are many things about their manners that are worrying,” said Michie Motomochi, owner of a cafe serving Japanese sweets “ohagi,” near the soon-to-be-blocked photo spot.
Motomochi mentioned littering, crossing the road with busy traffic, ignoring traffic lights, trespassing into private properties. She isn’t unhappy though — 80% of her customers are foreign visitors whose numbers have surged after a pandemic hiatus that kept Japan closed for about two years.
Her neighborhood suddenly became a popular spot about two years ago, apparently after a photo taken in a particular angle showing Mount Fuji in the background, as if sitting atop a local convenience store, became a social media sensation known as “Mt. Fuji Lawson,” town officials say.
Fujikawaguchiko has tried other methods: signs urging visitors not to run into the road and to use the designated crosswalk in English, Chinese, Thai and Korean, and even hiring a security guard as crowd control. None worked.
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