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| Above, a view of Mount Fuji from a passing shinkansen. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Back in 2004, the first G-TOUR had the tour group bused up the slopes of Mount Fuji to one of the Fifth Stations.
It was an interesting ride.
Now, approval by Yamanashi has been given to build a rail line to one of the Fifth Stations to curb vehicle traffic and pollutants from the vehicles.
Japan Today reported:
TOKYO - A general meeting was held by Yamanashi prefectural officials on Monday to discuss the feasibility of constructing a new railway line from the foot of Mt Fuji to the 5th Station. Currently, the 5th Station, where hikers usually begin their journey to the summit, can be reached by bus or car, on a prefectural toll road called the Fuji Subaru Line.
According to the working group looking into the matter, the Fuji Subaru Line would be the ideal route on which to construct a rail line, with a view to converting the current mode of transport from automobiles over to light rail. This would prohibit the passage of vehicles other than emergency vehicles on the route.
When Mt Fuji was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) pointed out the need to curb visitors and expressed concerns about exhaust gasses in the area. The Mt Fuji mountain railway concept aims to help conserve the environment, in line with UNESCO’s recommendations, without negatively impacting tourism.
To read more, go here.
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