Construction has started in a small Japanese town to build a barrier that will block the view of Mount Fuji, following complaints of bad behavior by tourists who are eager to take photos.
The town of Fujikawaguchiko has started to assemble mesh netting panels at a location that attracts a continuous stream of mostly foreign tourists who come to take pictures of the impressive mountain located behind a Lawson convenience store.
Photographs taken from a narrow section of pavement across a busy road from the Lawson store — which are very common in Japan — are widely shared on the internet.
Local officials and residents are saying that although the town welcomes visitors, they need to stop tourists from constantly crossing the street, disregarding traffic signals, leaving trash, trespassing, parking illegally, and smoking in non-designated areas.
A dental office situated across the street from the Lawson shop mentioned in a statement, “It became not uncommon for people to yell at us when we asked them to move their cars, and for them to throw their lit cigarettes (on the ground).”
The town aims to finish constructing a 2.5 meter (8 feet) high barrier that will extend over 20 meters in length by the middle of this month, in order to block the view of the mountain, with hopes that it will discourage tourists from lingering there.
The town’s action has generated attention both nationally and internationally, as Japan is facing growing issues of overtourism, particularly at popular sites such as the narrow private alleys of Kyoto, and even trails on Mount Fuji itself, where tourists enjoy taking photos of themselves and sharing them on social media.
The Fujikawaguchiko town hall has been flooded with phone calls from Japanese individuals, many of whom are non-local residents, who have criticized the decision to block the view.
“It is not that we do not want people to see Mount Fuji. The issue is that there are so many people who are not able to observe basic rules,” a town official told AFP.
– ‘Basic manners’ –
Having the net barrier is unfortunate but perhaps necessary, area residents say.
“We welcome foreigners for the revitalisation of the community, but there are so many violations of basic manners, like crossing the road, dumping garbage and trespassing into people’s properties,” a 60-year-old resident told AFP.
“After all, they are here for Mount Fuji, so having that barrier is very unfortunate,” said the woman, who identified herself as Watanabe.
“There might have been other ways to deal with it, but for now I feel it cannot be helped,” she said.
Some tourists expressed understanding and voiced hopes that the town would create a designated photo spot.
But others speculated that the barrier may only make matters worse.
“Stop people? I don’t think so because when there is a will there is a way. People will just be on the left side of it or right side of it,” said 29-year-old Australian tourist Trinity Robinson.
“There definitely will be a way to still get the shot. It will just be more dangerous, really.”
As a possible solution, a 37-year-old local man, who gave his name as Ama, called on visitors to check out other scenic locations in the area.
“The view of Mount Fuji from this location (near the Lawson shop) is amazing. However, there are many other nearby places with beautiful scenery to explore,” he stated.
Agence France-Presse
