Mount Fuji climbing season opens in Japan

YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Mount Fuji climbing season opened on Wednesday morning on the Yamanashi side. The Shizuoka side will open to climbers on July 10. As Armenpress informs citing “japantoday.com,” huge numbers of climbers are expected in July and August. However, on Wednesday morning, they had bad luck with the weather. Strong winds and rain forced authorities to halt climbers at the 5th station, Fuji TV reported.

About 180,000 people are expected to climb the 3,776-meter mountain over the next two months, 25,000 fewer than last year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Tour operators have reported that many climbs are already fully booked. However, authorities are worried about climbers’ safety as numbers can exceed 10,000 on some days. The overcrowded conditions also create a garbage problem. As they did last year, the Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectural governments are asking climbers to pay a fee of 1,000 yen on a voluntary basis. The money will be used to help preserve the area’s natural beauty.

Hordes of trekkers have flocked to Mount Fuji over the last two years since it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in recognition of its status as a symbol of Japan. Local officials have been struggling to improve traffic access and other facilities after last year’s big increase in visitors. The climbing season will close on Sept 14 on the Yamanashi side and Oct 10 on the Shizuoka side.