Mt. Fuji climbing season kicks off with stricter rulesーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
japan’s tallest mountain is now open for business Climbing season started on Mount Fuji Tuesday My co-anchor Yamasa Arina was at the Yoshida Trails fifth station to capture the excitement and the concerns For years hikers from around the world have been flocking here to Mount Fuji Reaching the summit has become a major item on people’s bucket lists I got here around 8:30 this morning and watched hikers set off under a sunny skies with smiles on their faces It’s a typical Mount Fuji scene the kind you see every year But one thing that wasn’t here before is this gate The first climbers were allowed to go through here at 3:00 a.m This permanent addition was built this year to stop so-called bullet climbing Thank you That’s when people hike through the night to reach the summit The gate is now closed and locked at 2 p.m every day 2 hours earlier than the old cutoff The goal is to force people to stop and rest on their way up There were still tourists around after the gate closed but most of the climbers had gone through Officials say about 1,300 people started their climbs here today Just a small fraction of the many who flock to Mount Fuji every summer Litter and crowds have been a major problem To protect the environment and counter over tourism Yamanashi Prefecture introduced new restrictions last year This season they’ve become even stricter If you want to climb this route first you have to pay the toll It’s 4,000 yen per person or about $28 If you haven’t paid in advance online you can also pay it here at this counter It’s double what it was last year to help fund new measures like bringing in staff to check people’s bags Some come to the mountain dressed for a casual tourist destination instead of a grueling hike Please show me rain They have the authority to refuse entry to those who are not adequately prepared like this man who had to go buy a jacket He’s one of the 50 or so people officials say they stopped Tuesday They said that about 90% of them were foreigners All of them were eventually allowed through Here’s what the prefecture says you need Warm clothes and reindeer are a must Appropriate shoes are also essential I’ve asked some of those heading up Mount Fuji whether they knew about these rules It’s necessary to take more actions to uh keep the visitors safety If you’re uh wearing sweatpants and you get wet that’s your own fault I don’t think it should uh like have a restriction just for you to get onto the mountain I don’t know much about the restrictions
I don’t know anything about the restrictions I didn’t even know there were restrictions I didn’t even
You didn’t check online
no No
Okay Okay Mizuki a senior staffer with Yamanashi Prefecture told me what it was like for those enforcing the rules
How was the first day so far
honestly it was kind of tough
but I I saw many climbers already understand the new measures
So um I believe that there was not so many confusion
at the fifth station Last year there was a uh some climbers coming to Yosta trail with a sandals or without enough gear So this year we check did a gear check um more like a tightly so this new regulation will work from now on do you think
yes I I think it was good Oh this is just for those tackling the Yoshida trail Mand Fuji also spans into Shizoka Prefecture and roots there will open next week and starting this year there will be restrictions there too With 71 days of climbing season to go officials hope everyone will take their advice and enjoy a fun safe and secure hike
This year’s climbing season has officially kicked off on Mt. Fuji. But officials there say stricter rules were needed to make sure people were ready for the grueling hike. NHK World’s Yamasawa Rina was at the Yoshida Trail’s 5th Station to see how it went.
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