Mount Fuji Is "Screaming" From Too Many Tourists

Above, a Shinkansen view of Mount Fuji. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that Japan's Mount Fuji has a problem: too many tourists.

Years back, hiking Japan's volcanic symbol was somewhat a rarity. Not so many people hiked it. Today, the mountain is drawing too many people, causing an ecological problem for the mountain and a headache for authorities.

The Straits Times reported:

TOKYO - With its millions of visitors every year and the buses, supply trucks, noodle shops and fridge magnets, Japan’s Mount Fuji is no longer the peaceful pilgrimage site it once was.

Now the authorities have had enough, saying the number of hikers trekking up the world-famous volcano – night and day – is dangerous and an ecological embarrassment.

“Mount Fuji is screaming,” the governor of the local region said last week.

Hailing its religious importance and its inspiration to artists, Unesco in 2013 added the “internationally recognised icon of Japan” to its World Heritage List.

But as has happened in places such as Bruges in Belgium or Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain, the designation has been both a blessing and a curse.

Visitor numbers more than doubled between 2012 and 2019 to 5.1 million, and that is just for Yamanashi prefecture, the main starting point.

To read more, go here. 

Latest Blog Post Pick-ups

The good folks at The Japan Daily picked up several of yesterday's blog posts for sharing with their readers.

They include:

To read The Japan Daily, go here.

Whiners Dis Japan’s Wonders

Above, a view of the top of Mt. Fuji from the timberline. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," or so the old saying goes.

A few foreign tourists came away not totally in awe with some of Japan's World Heritage Sites. Some were outright disgruntled.

The Japan Times has an article on some foreign tourists's reactions after visiting some of those sites.

The Times wrote:

Everyone loves Japan’s coveted UNESCO World Heritage sites. They showcase the country’s beauty, history and culture. 

But according to reviews on one of the Net’s most popular traveler-ranking sites, not every tourist is impressed with Japan’s most vaunted spots. One visitor blamed Mount Fuji for not looking like the pictures, while another tourist called the Hiroshima A-bomb Dome “a bunch of broken rocks.” 

Let’s explore what some disgruntled travelers have to say about Japan’s most impressive World Heritage Sites.

To read more, go here.

Speaking of Mount Fuji, it has been named one of the world's six volcanoes capable of destroying everything at Rocket News 24. To see their article, go here.

Book: Japan's World Heritage Sites

The Japan Visitor blog has posted a review on a new book on Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

They wrote (in part):

Most coffee-table photo books of Japanese scenes are destined to sit around as dust-collecting decorations rather than be consulted as bona fide reference works. But John Dougill's overview of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites achieves the balance between attractiveness and utility that will ensure Japanophiles are hoisting it into their laps on a regular basis and using it to inspire them for the next trip in a country undeniably rich in both natural and cultural wonders. Given its scope, however, and the emphasis on photography befitting its coffee-table format, the book is an introduction to Japan's heritage rather than the definitive guide to it.

Most of the top tourist attractions are on the World Heritage list (I have been to some of them). If you are interested in visiting these sites, this book may be what the doctor ordered.

Japan's World Heritage Sites
John Dougill
Tuttle, 2014
Full-colour hardback, 192 pp
ISBN 978-4-8053-1285-8

To read the full review, go here.