Online reservations begin for Mount Fuji climbers to ease congestion – Yamanashi Prefecture
Online reservations began for visitors climbing Mount Fuji on the most commonly used trail situated in Yamanashi Prefecture to ease congestion, with local authorities set to start charging 2,000 yen when the trail opens this summer. Bookings can be made on the official website for climbing Mount Fuji, which is operated by the prefecture and other stakeholders, until the day before the climb.
The Yoshida Trail on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of the 3,776-metre mountain is usually open from July 1 to Sept 10. The prefecture accepts a maximum of 4,000 climbers per day and 3,000 slots will be available via online booking. The remaining slots will be available on the day of the climb, with the fee collected at the site. Climbers reserving online will receive a QR code via email that they must scan at the 5th station of the trail. They will be given an identification wristband.
Designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013, Japan’s highest peak, straddling Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, is a popular tourist destination in Japan. Yamanashi Prefecture will set up a gate this summer at the 5th station to close the trail between 4 p.m. and 3 a.m. except for those who have made prior reservations to stay overnight in huts. Local authorities are seeking to deter “bullet climbing,” or the attempt to reach the summit and return without staying the night near the top.
Swarmed with tourists, town blocks off popular Mount Fuji viewing spot – Yamanashi Prefecture
Japan’s majestic Mount Fuji was some 700,000 years in the making, but one viewing spot of it was gone. On one side of a busy road, views of the 3,776-metre symbol of Japan with a Lawson convenience store in the foreground have vanished, as officials finished installing a 20-metre by 2.5-meter black mesh barrier to obstruct a photo spot that had become viral among tourists.
For locals, the mass of visitors and their refusal to obey rules on littering and parking had become a nuisance and traffic hazard. “I’m really happy that foreigners are coming to our town,” said Kikue Katsumata, 73, a lifelong resident of Fujikawaguchiko. “But when it comes to taking pictures from in front of the Lawson, the road is a bit narrow and it can be dangerous when people dash across without using a crosswalk.”
March and April set all-time records for visitor arrivals, driven by pent-up demand after the pandemic and as the yen’s slide to a 34-year low made Japan an irresistible bargain. That’s been good news for the economy, with travellers spending a record 1.75 trillion yen in the first three months of 2024, according to the tourist agency.
The drastic decision to block the view of Mount Fuji symbolises tensions across the country as Japan reckons with the consequences of its tourism boom. Osaka and the hot spring resort town Hakone are among municipalities considering new tourism taxes to deal with deluge of visitors..
Japan to work with ASEAN to train 100,000 digital professionals – Nationwide
Japan aims to work with ASEAN to train 100,000 highly skilled digital professionals in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors over the next five years, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Kishida also said in a speech in Tokyo that the second ministerial meeting of the Japan-led Asia Zero Emission Community framework, which involves Australia and Association of Southeast Asian Nations members excluding Myanmar, will take place in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in August.
The initiatives come amid efforts to bolster cooperation with the 10-member regional bloc. Japan and ASEAN will additionally develop a 10-year strategy through 2035 to promote the next-generation automobile industry, with the plan to be unveiled in the fall, Kishida said.
The strategy will be formulated in cooperation with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, headquartered in Jakarta. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
