Increasing crowds gather on the slopes of
Japan's highest mountain
, capped by a blanket of snow much of the year.
Each season, more than 220,000 visitors try to climb it between July and September.
But starting July 1, those who want to climb the volcano along the popular Yoshida trail will have to
pay 2,000 yen ($13)
, as approved on Monday by the Yamanashi prefecture, in central Japan, where Mount Fuji is located.
The local authorities also decided
to limit the number of daily accesses
to 4,000 people and prohibit entry between 4 and 2 p.m.
Each season, more than 220,000 people seek to ascend Fuji between July and September.
"After the lifting of restrictions linked to covid, we have started to see more people. We want them to wear
clothing adapted to the mountains
and
to be well prepared
," declared Toshiaki Kasai, a prefectural official.
Every summer, Japanese media report numerous cases of tourists ascending Mount Fuji with
insufficient equipment
or of hikers sleeping on the trail or
lighting bonfires
to keep warm.
Many also try to reach the 3,776 meter summit without stopping to rest and
get sick or suffer accidents
.
A tourist boat on Lake Ashi, with Hakone Temple and Fuji behind.
Photo Shutterstock
The still active volcano has three other main access routes that
will continue to be free
.
But the Yoshida trail, relatively easily accessible from Tokyo, is chosen by around
60% of hikers
, according to official data.
To the top, at least once in your life
Fuji, located 100 km from Tokyo and visible from much of the island of Honshu, is a volcano that makes up the so-called "
Pacific Ring of Fire
", a peak that was created about 100,000 years ago and grew by force of numerous eruptions.
The last recorded one, which lasted 16 days, was
in 1707
.
The summit of Mount Fuji is 3,776 meters high.
The highest peak in Japan is located between the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka, on the island of Honshu - the main one -, between the Alps to the north, the Pacific to the south, and Tokyo to the east.
The base of the volcano is located at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level, and
is located between five lakes
, which were created when, millions of years ago, Fuji itself blocked the course of the rivers with its lava, generating lakes.
The most popular of these lakes is Kawaguchi, in the northwest, and is famous for the exceptional views it offers of Fuji
during the cherry blossom
(sakura) season in April;
as well as when the leaves are dyed with the colors of autumn or at the time when the moss on the hills and mountain slopes turns pink.
Cherry blossoms in front of Mount Fuji, emblem of Japan.
The Japanese
worship this great mountain
, and although they usually do it from a distance, for many, ascending to the top is one of the things they
have to do at least once in their life
, which becomes something like this like a pilgrimage towards one's own interior.
In the country it is said that there are
as many ways to admire Fuji as there are people on the planet
, since each one has their own look.
In fact, in Tokyo, 100 kilometers away, there are
several places from which its figure can be perfectly appreciated on clear days
, such as Mount Takao, one of the most recommended viewpoints.
SOURCE: AFP