Photo/Illutration A few mountaineers climb the Yoshida trail on Mount Fuji on July 1, 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Shinnosuke Ito)

KOFU, Yamanashi Prefecture--To ease congestion and improve safety, climbers on Mount Fuji will be asked to stop and wait whenever the trail becomes too crowded, which increases the risk of injury from tumbles and falling rocks. 

The regulation will be in effect from Aug. 11 to Sept. 10 in areas above the fifth station on the Yoshida trail, which is on the Yamanashi side of the mountain, prefectural officials said on Aug. 9.

The new rule doesn’t mean restricted access to the mountain, the officials added.

After Mount Fuji’s climbing season officially opened in July, an estimated 83,000 people had visited the mountain by Aug. 8, according to the officials. The number is roughly the same as in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.

Climbers have returned in full force to scale the nation’s highest peak after anti-COVID restrictions were fully lifted.

However, many visitors are unable to book mountain huts to stay overnight as many facilities chose to remain cautious and continue operating with reduced capacity.

This has led many climbers to attempt to reach the 3,776-meter summit before dawn without taking a break and staying at a hut to rest.

The so-called “bullet climbers” pose a major concern for local authorities as they are at greater risk of accidents and altitude sickness.

Officials of the local municipality of Fujiyoshida and mountain hut owners had called for restrictions against such a practice.

Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki also voiced concerns over safety risks on the crowded trails leading up to and down from the peak. 

Nagasaki said on Aug. 1 that he was considering temporary restrictions on climbing when danger is foreseen.

(This article was written by Masahiro Haba and Takuya Ikeda.)

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