Mt. Fuji to kick off climbing season with new rules

Starting this year, both Shizuoka and Yamanashi, the two central Japan prefectures home to the mountain, will collect 4,000 yen per person climbing beyond its fifth stations.

Restrictions will be tightened to prevent congestion on mountain trails and eradicate reckless overnight climbs.

They include banning entry to the mountain beyond the fifth stations between 2:00 pm and 3:00 am the following day.

An official at a mountain hut operator voiced hopes that the new measures "will help eliminate congestion for mountain-goers and reduce litter."

This year's climbing season will begin on Tuesday for the Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi side of the 3,776-meter mountain, and on July 10 for the Fujinomiya, Gotemba and Subashiri trails on the Shizuoka side.

Yamanashi and Shizuoka will issue climbing permits to those who have paid their 4,000-yen fees.

They scrapped a 1,000-yen voluntary fee used for conservation efforts.

Shizuoka will oblige climbers to take an online course on mountain-climbing rules and manners beforehand, aiming to educate people on the restrictions.

The Japanese government and the two prefectures jointly released a multilanguage video on the subject, while also handing out posters to tourist information centers and mountaineering equipment stores.

"Although we won't know how effective (the measures) will be until we try them, overnight climbing has been an issue for decades," said Hiroyuki Ikeda, 52, who heads a group of mountain hut operators on the Fujinomiya Trail.

"We evaluate highly the introduction of the measures."

A Shizuoka prefectural official said, "We hope to create a safe mountain-climbing environment so that people can experience at firsthand the beauty and sanctity of Mount Fuji."

Yamanashi, which hosts the Yoshida Trail, used by about 60 pct of all Mount Fuji climbers, will double its entry fees from the previous year. It has also built a permanent gate at the trail's fifth station.

The prefecture will maintain its daily limit of 4,000 climbers, but will shut the fifth station's gate two hours earlier than last year, aiming to prevent last-minute climbers.

Yamanashi hired mountain rangers, who patrol the mountain's trails. They are empowered to reject entry by underdressed climbers.

"We'll absolutely refuse gate entry to people who ignore the rules," Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki said.

A Yamanashi prefectural official said, "We'll work closely with the Shizuoka side, including over safety measures."