Rule-breaking tourists to force mountain blackout

The town of Fujikawaguchiko has had enough of tourists.

Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the town this week began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a footpath to block the view of the mountain. The reason: misbehaving foreign tourists.

“Kawaguchiko is a town built on tourism, and I welcome many visitors, and the town welcomes them too, but there are many things about their manners that are worrying,” said Michie Motomochi, owner of a cafe serving Japanese sweets “ohagi”, near the soon-to-be-blocked photo spot.

Motomochi mentioned littering, crossing the road with busy traffic, ignoring traffic lights, trespassing into private properties. She isn’t unhappy though — 80 per cent of her customers are foreign visitors whose numbers have surged after a pandemic hiatus.

Her neighbourhood suddenly became a popular spot about two years ago, apparently after a photo taken at a particular angle showing Mount Fuji in the background, as if sitting atop a local convenience store, became a social media sensation known as “Mt Fuji Lawson”, town officials say.

The mostly foreign tourists have since crowded the small area, triggering a wave of concerns and complaints from residents about visitors blocking the narrow footpath, taking photos on the busy road or walking into neighbours’ properties, officials said.

Fujikawaguchiko has tried various methods — multi-lingual signs urging visitors not to run into the road, and even hiring a security guard as crowd control. None worked.

The black mesh net, when completed in mid-May, will be 2.5m high and 20m long, and will almost completely block the view of Mount Fuji, officials said.